Raynaud’s / chilblains

If anyone can relate to this and could reply that would be great!

HI,

I've only had raynauds in my hands and my feet seem unaffected

hope you can see someone about this and get some answers/relief, as it can make life a challenge !

Hi,

I have Raynauds of the hands and feet. Also terrible cold nose when im out in cold weather. I have a chillblain on my little toe swollen, very red. I used to get chillblains way before I had Raynalds. It helped to put the feet in warm water. Make sure you keel your feet warm, wear slippers in the house. I have vinyl flooring and so since yesterday I have been wearing slippers and it had really helped alot.

Sorry to add. When the chillblain warms up they can be itchy. If you drive try not to have the heat onto feet. Keeping them warm is the key and not letting them get too cold. I know it is hard with Raynauds but I found bed socks helped as well.

I have had Raynauds in my feet since I was very young, my son, my sister and my mum have it and I believe my maternal grandmother also had it. I think if you suspect you might have circulatory issues - however small - you should seek medical advice. There are medications that are helpful as well as the usual advice for keeping warm so it is worth letting your Dr know. It may help to write down observations such as what colour the toes are ( white, blue, black, red etc), what the pain is ( sharp, throbbing, burning etc,), the location of it ( big toe, arch of the foot, right/left) and the level of pain ( 0 being no pain, 10 being highest). Also note how long it takes for your colour/pain levels to return to normal and what measures you took for that to happen. All that information is useful when forming a diagnosis. The burning is quite a common symptom when the blood returns to the area, although I have found that the feeling can be lessened by re-warming at a slightly slower rate than is intuitive. People who don't have experience with Raynauds often advise using a hot water bottle or a bowl of hot water but this can be dangerous. You are unable to accurately gauge the temperature on your feet and so are likely to burn the skin which can lead to ulcers and ultimately gangrene due to poor circulation and slow healing. I find that extra thick socks with a 2.3 tog rating can help to warm the feet and thermal underwear ( vest and long johns) are very beneficial when leaving the house if the outside temperature is 8 degrees C or less. I have found fleece insoles to be a game changer for me, both in my shoes and also my slippers. An emergency rescue blanket (silver foil type) can also be used to wrap loosely under and over the feet in the following method. A warm blanket on the bottom, place the open foil blanket on top, then your feet, followed by the rest of the foil and on top of that the remaining layer of warm blanket. This will warm slowly whilst stopping any heat from being lost again.

The itching is not a typical Raynauds symptom but may indicate that you have developed chilblains due to warming too quickly and in close proximity to a heat source. A visit to your Dr will also confirm this. I hope this has been of some help.