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What might help to deal with Reynaud’s disease?
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Apr 6 6:48pm | Replies (24)Comment receiving replies
Hi @kaps2065 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. If you are comfortable sharing it will help others to read more about why you ask how to decrease pain with Raynaud’s. As you state, there are a couple different types depending on the root cause. Your best option is to work with a doctor to figure out what is behind yours. Different things will help depending on why it is happening.
I am familiar with Raynaud’s, though I don’t quite understand enough to give you a concise answer. My coworker has a type of Raynaud’s where individual fingers will turn bright white, then go away. No pain, no nothing else. Mine has been not so clear cut.
I was referred to Mayo Clinic when I hit a circulation crisis and seeking care from providers locally did not help. My primary care provider told me docs I had seen did not believe I had Raynaud’s. He sent me to:
- a podiatrist to look at my feet, who referred me to PT for plantar fasciitis and dermatology for an open sore on one ankle. The dermatologist looked at my phone photos and told me my fingers were Raynaud’s.
- vascular surgeon, who looked at my feet and confirmed.
Medication is what initially helped me. Amlodipine (calcium channel blocker) and Nitro-Bid nitroglycerin ointment on my foot offered relief. Follow-up at Mayo Clinic where I found integrative care has been game changing.
Definitely protecting skin from weather is important. More information about both types of Raynaud’s is provided in this link:
- Raynaud's Summary https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20363571
Do you know what type of Raynaud’s you have? What does it look like, and what symptoms are you having?
Replies to "Hi @kaps2065 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. If you are comfortable sharing it will help..."
My podiatrist helped me figure out that my problem was Raynaud's. Extremely painful when my feet and hands would freeze. Sometimes it would happen in the middle of summer. The freezing is not limited to just my hands and feet. It crawls up my arms and legs sometimes too.
The opposite: swelling up and overheating. Sometimes in the dead of winter. Obviously my inner thermostat does not work properly.
I always wear wool socks, pretty much year around. I always layer clothes in the winter, and always keep a pair of gloves nearby and a sweatshirt no matter what time of year.
After studying what triggers attacks: a game changer for me has been to be very disciplined about my diet. I have done away with all inflammatory foods. This took a lot of will power cause I eliminated all forms of sugar (including anything that has high-fructose corn syrup). I went completely gluten free and took it a step further to grain free. The differences with my Raynaud's have been NIGHT and DAY. It has been so worth it for me to not be struggling with nerve pain near as much. Raynaud's is still with me as it always will be, but these changes helped me tremendously.
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@jlharsh - hi , and thanks for chiming in. I don’t know officially yet that I have Reynaud’s but my GP suspects that I do. So does my rheumatologist. I’ve not yet had a an ANA blood test to try to confirm a diagnosis.
35 years ago, I had an official diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and I’ve been treated (and I’m still being treated for RA.)
My possible Reynaud’s symptoms are getting worse now. It feels to me that there are pins & needles in my toes and fingers. This is so painful that the pain has been waking me up 1-2 times in the night. My nose often feels that it’s cold and frozen even inside our home. It only feels bearable when I have to cup it with my two hands and warm it with my own breath.
I was born in coldest Canada and I have lived in Canada for most of my life. I understand that Reynaud’s is common in colder climates.
I don’t have high blood pressure (which I understand could be a triggering factor for a Reynaud’s attack.) I understand, too, that high blood pressure can be a trigger. However my own blood pressure is almost always lower than the average person’s normal.
I don’t quite know what to make of all this, and how to make the pain stop.
I’ll be seeing my cardiologist for my 6-month checkup next week. I plan to share with him what symptoms I’ve been having. He may recommend me to have another visit to my rheumatologist but perhaps he may be able at least to help me with some additional insight. In the meantime, I’ll try to keep warmest. Ginger lozenges also seem to be able to help me out a little.