Chilblains!

Yes the forum is very quiet this week !! I went for blood tests today and am seeing Dr Wednesday so hoping for good results as I am feeling a lot better but I think that is because of being on 15mg again RE your clillblains I too have stone floors and quarry tiles in the kitchen and have spent the winter wearing for slippers ( imitation) UCG boots from a very large cheap clothing shop where all the kids get their clothes and they are fantastic I have also been wearing 60 den opaque tights under my trousers as it does seem to be the cold that has affected me so badly this winter We did have snow forecast for next week but that seem to have disappeared of the radar so I hope it stays away Hope you manage to keep well Mrs G

Dear Mrs O, I do sympathise! I really notice my toes feeling very chilly and never wear slippers these days. Shoes are that much warmer round the house. I have the most unglamorous pair of long johns which I wear under trousers - I haven't ventured into a skirt for ages. I hear it was snowing inWinchester today, and it is forecast again for tomorrow. BRrRR!!

Mrs G I am waiting for Dr.s appt. next Thursday, with results of various blood tests. Having gone back up to 15mg. like you and feeling very much better I did find a lot of the side effects were coming back, heartburn, not sleeping etc so I cut back to 12.5 mg. Still feeling not too bad except when I do too much. I just hope the new Dr. I'm seeing doesn't object. My last Dr used to leave it all up to me....

I guess one day we might all start wearing more glamorous garments again, We are getting quotations for having our conservatory rebuilt - hope this summer doesn't involve wearing Uggs and long johns! green granny

Chilblains = Block Snowfire, can be hard to find but google Snowfire+medication and loads of places sell it.

Been busy this week getting ready of 10 and 11 March. Also have to see Rheumy sometime as the GP says, three year check up - grrrrrrrr.

Dropping down to 5mg Sunday so quiet week next week, well trying to clear calendar - it looks hopeful so far.

It's snowed again - lets up this time when it goes, nothing is left in the dykes and ditches. Although I do recall digging ourselves out of a village I used to live in on a Good Friday. C'est la vie. :snowball:

Many thanks to you all for your replies and helpful tips.

Mrs G: I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling so much better and hopefully this will mean good blood test results next week. I have been looking at Ugg boots on the internet - do you wear yours in the house and are they easy to slip into?

Granny G: Good news that you, too, are feeling so much better - you and Mrs G seem to be at the same stage at the moment with relief at 15mgs so you have someone to really compare notes with! When you have your conservatory rebuilt, if it is at all possible I would really recommend underfloor heating. We didn't make enough depth or give it sufficient thought at the time some years ago but we did put it in the nearby loo and it is fantastic.

Mrs K: Oh that's wonderful news that you are going to reduce to 5mgs on Sunday, but I hope it doesn't get too stressful for you arranging the 10th/11th. I have googled Snowfire as you recommended. We have a pharmacist nearby who is very much into herbal meds and unusual bits and bobs so I will ask him about it. Meanwhile, I'd better continue with the Capsaicin prescribed by the Nurse - no relief yet but I've only applied it for two days so far so it's early days. What I really need is a pair of wings to keep my feet off the ground. :wings:

MrsO

Hello Mrs O Genuine UCGs are about £160 and would be a bit expensive as slippers !!! But mine came from ( Primark ) I will advertise !! cost at most £10 and I find them incredibly comfortable around the house easy to get off and on and very snug I did buy them originally to wear as boots but felt horrible wearing them out and definately felt like slippers So thats what they now are Hopefully we are going to miss the snow but it was incredibly icy this morning ( Us southern softies arent used to this at all !! ) Wish I was able to get to London to meet up with everyone but wont be able to make it Havent felt too bad Green Granny on 15mg so sticking with it until I see the Dr on Wednesday Hope you have good results and get on well with the new Dr Mrs G

Mrs G - Right then, at £160 I think I'll give the genuine Uggs a miss. We have got a Primark in the next town so I'll have a look next week. However, I've just unexpectedly bumped into my old retired trusted pharmacist (she retired to France, lucky thing) and she is not sure that I have chilblains as they don't itch at all and apparently \"chillblains itch like the devil\" as she said. She feels it is either a circulatory problem or inflammation caused by coming down to such a low steroid dose and has said not to leave it 2 weeks as advised by the Nurse but to see the Dr on Tuesday if they are no better - so here we go again!!! Good luck next week.

MrsO

Hi Mrs O arent Pharmacists underated They give such a lot of advice and have so much knowledge and abroad they seem to be consulted as much as Drs Yes I had heard chillblains itch a lot I know you can get this Reynards syndrome ( 2 kinds I think one a side effect of other things and one an illness in its own right ) My sister in law has long term health problems on steroids and Methotrixate and she has it Her hands look very strange as particuarly in the cold her hands (palms ) are scarlet but I know it doesent itch She wears tons of clothes in the winter and I know she bought silk socks longjohns etc ( worn by skiers ) as they were reccommended to keep you the warmest She is so slim even with 6 layers on she is a size 10 !! Yes it sounds as if you should go back to the Dr as you can do without a misdiagnosis now Yes looking forward to seeing the Dr on Wednesday ( fingers crossed ) for good bloods Tired today as lots of shopping yesterday (new suits etc for my husband) and cant believe how tired I feel so a few days of rest coming up Hope you get something sorted out Best wishes Mrs G

Thanks Mrs G - Like your sister-in-law, I also wear wool and silk longjohns which are amazingly warm; however, unlike your sister-in-law I can't vouch to being a size 10!!! That's amazing that she keeps her weight so low when on long-term steroids but then as we've discovered from the forum some people can put on a lot of weight whilst others don't gain any weight at all. The same goes for those with PMR who have normal inflammatory markers as opposed to those of us whose blood is very sensitive to the illness. My hands are ok so, hopefully, I don't have the same thing with which your poor sister-in-law is suffering. On a positive note, in spite of my poor toes, with the right shoes I am still able to do my daily walk. On that note, just off to do just that now before it gets dark.

Do hope you recover soon from traipsing around the shops with your hubbie yesterday. Isn't it amazing how overdoing things can so easily take its toll with this PMR, no doubt not helped by the steroids. At least, you are now doing the wise thing and resting up for a few days. Take care. By the way, so sorry you will not be able to get to London on the 11th as it would have been lovely to meet you. Maybe somehow/somewhere in the future?

MrsO