reynauds

[wafter]

Having had a few issues with my toes recently I'm wondering if it's Raynaud's..

I've found them to be sore and a little swollen - as if slightly bruised. This started on the right foot but this now seems to have stopped, however the left foot is now worse than the right was.

This is uncomfortable but I'm not getting any numbness or outright pain, while there is no colour change. The problem seems worse in the morning when I get up and so far abates / hasn't caused any practical issues when moving about / riding. Thankfully my fingers are fine..

I don't think I have great circulation anyway and these issues follow two weeks of my feet getting very cold on the commute and sometimes remaining partially frozen for most of the day, while I've read that it can be exacerbated by caffeine, alcohol, stress and poor diet - all of which are currently large factors. I've also read it can be caused by over-exercise, and my left hamstring in particular has taken a beating recently..

Do these symptoms seem familar to seasoned sufferers or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks

 

[Venod]

I've found them to be sore and a little swollen - as if slightly bruised

I have this problem which is worse when the temperature drops, I have Raynaud's, I take I Nifedipine tablet a day, but try to stop taking them when the weather warms up in the summer, my fingers and toe's still show signs of whiteness but would be a lot worse without the tablets.

 

[annedonnelly]

The not being able to get them warmed up again is familiar, though my problems have always been with my fingers, not toes.

Is it there as soon as you get up or after your feet get colder getting out a warm bed? Raynaud's seems to be triggered by a drop in temperature - even just going from a warm room into a slightly less warm one.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Having had a few issues with my toes recently I'm wondering if it's Raynauld's..

I've found them to be sore and a little swollen - as if slightly bruised. This started on the right foot but this now seems to have stopped, however the left foot is now worse than the right was.

This is uncomfortable but I'm not getting any numbness or outright pain, while there is no colour change. The problem seems worse in the morning when I get up and so far abates / hasn't caused any practical issues when moving about / riding. Thankfully my fingers are fine..

I don't think I have great circulation anyway and these issues follow two weeks of my feet getting very cold on the commute and sometimes remaining partially frozen for most of the day, while I've read that it can be exacerbated by caffeine, alcohol, stress and poor diet - all of which are currently large factors. I've also read it can be caused by over-exercise, and my left hamstring in particular has taken a beating recently..

Do these symptoms seem familar to seasoned sufferers or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks

I only suffer Raynauds in my fingers; the key difference to just being cold I have is that I completely lose all circulation and feeling, my fingers are just like bits of dead flesh. This is like a switch flicking; it's all or nothing. Then can be excrutiatingly painful on the return of circulation.

My toes just get cold, and numb if very cold, but not at all in the same way.

Your symptoms sound very different, but I'm no expert as to whether they fall within Raynauds or not.

 

[wafter]

Thanks all!

I have this problem which is worse when the temperature drops, I have Raynaud's, I take I Nifedipine tablet a day, but try to stop taking them when the weather warms up in the summer, my fingers and toe's still show signs of whiteness but would be a lot worse without the tablets.

Do you find that you get the discomfort while your fingers and toes remain a "normal" colour, or is it always associated with whiteness? I understand that this is the result of blood vessels constricting so it would figure that the two go together..

The not being able to get them warmed up again is familiar, though my problems have always been with my fingers, not toes.

Is it there as soon as you get up or after your feet get colder getting out a warm bed? Raynaud's seems to be triggered by a drop in temperature - even just going from a warm room into a slightly less warm one.

Yes, it seems that once they're cold they generally stay that way. I find that on the bike both ends can get cold, although circulation seems better in my hands as they tend to warm up over the course of a ride much faster than my feet.

Perhaps my symptoms are something different as it doesn't seem so obviously temperature dependent - for example the issue with my toes is there when I wake up and my feet feel warm; being obvious when I step out of bed and put weight on the ball of my foot / the toes as I walk; causing mild discomfort.

So you find the symptoms are acute and the obvious, direct result of temperature changes..?

I only suffer Raynauds in my fingers; the key difference to just being cold I have is that I completely lose all circulation and feeling, my fingers are just like bits of dead flesh. This is like a switch flicking; it's all or nothing. Then can be excrutiatingly painful on the return of circulation.

My toes just get cold, and numb if very cold, but not at all in the same way.

Your symptoms sound very different, but I'm no expert as to whether they fall within Raynauds or not.

Man, that sounds miserable

I've definitely experienced pain when very cold bits warm up rapidly, however I think to an extent this is normal. I have actually noticed some discomfort in my left hand today, but it's not as bad as the toes on the same side.

I think you might be right - while it seems reasonable to assume that it's circulatory / temperature related, perhaps it's not Raynaud's as the symptoms do sound a bit different.

Perhaps the temperature is a red herring / secondary factor to a general circulatory issue resulting from my increasingly unhealthy lifestyle..

 

[annedonnelly]

So you find the symptoms are acute and the obvious, direct result of temperature changes..?

Yes, I'd pretty much say so. In my case it could be just the tip of one finger or the whole finger. Rarely now is it more than one finger though I can certainly relate to the symptoms that @roubaixtuesday describes.

A change in temperature like going into an air-conditioned room or taking a glove off to unlock a bike lock is the sort of thing that sets mine off.

Do you have any itching with yours? The swollen toes sounds a bit like chilblains - which can itch like mad when they're hot.

 

[wafter]

Yes, I'd pretty much say so. In my case it could be just the tip of one finger or the whole finger. Rarely now is it more than one finger though I can certainly relate to the symptoms that @roubaixtuesday describes.

A change in temperature like going into an air-conditioned room or taking a glove off to unlock a bike lock is the sort of thing that sets mine off.

Do you have any itching with yours? The swollen toes sounds a bit like chilblains - which can itch like mad when they're hot.

Thanks - does sound like our symptoms are different and my initial suspicion was wrong..

Ta for the chilblains suggestion - I did look into that, however there's no itching and the area at the end of the foot appears evenly affected, rather than having patches..

I was also looking at neuropathy, but I guess that's a thought for another thread!

 

[Venod]

The toes are sore and red in places even when warm, I associate it with the temperature as it does not happen in the warmer months, the fingers are only uncomfortable when white, I was also diagnosed as having industrial related white finger, but I am not sure if they confused it with Raynauds.

 

[wafter]

The toes are sore and red in places even when warm, I associate it with the temperature as it does not happen in the warmer months, the fingers are only uncomfortable when white, I was also diagnosed as having industrial related white finger, but I am not sure if they confused it with Raynauds.

Toes sound familiar; fingers not as I'm not seeing any colour change. Probably something else - I'll stop cluttering up this thread; thanks for your input

 

[Gwylan]

The toes are sore and red in places even when warm, I associate it with the temperature as it does not happen in the warmer months, the fingers are only uncomfortable when white, I was also diagnosed as having industrial related white finger, but I am not sure if they confused it with Raynauds.

Toes sound like chilblains.
Happened to me recently after extreme cold cycling. Cleared up after a few days.
Can prevent or limit by wearing nice cosy socks and wiggle your toes a lot.
Quite hard to balance, pedal and wiggle your toes.

 

[vickster]

Toes sound familiar; fingers not as I'm not seeing any colour change. Probably something else - I'll stop cluttering up this thread; thanks for your input

See a doctor, get a blood test to rule out things like gout (especially if you're a drinker)

 

[cyberknight]

I have this problem which is worse when the temperature drops, I have Raynaud's, I take I Nifedipine tablet a day, but try to stop taking them when the weather warms up in the summer, my fingers and toe's still show signs of whiteness but would be a lot worse without the tablets.

I think I need to see the doctor again ,I tried those but the side effects were bad so I'm on coracten which helps but still get completely white fingers at times

 

[wafter]

See a doctor, get a blood test to rule out things like gout (especially if you're a drinker)

Thanks - sadly [he says, suppressing an enormous tangential rant] my local doctors are a waste of time. I considered gout but the issue affects the soft tissue at the ends of the fingers / toes rather than the joints, so I don't think it's that.

 

[Venod]

Toes sound like chilblains.
Happened to me recently after extreme cold cycling. Cleared up after a few days.
Can prevent or limit by wearing nice cosy socks and wiggle your toes a lot.
Quite hard to balance, pedal and wiggle your toes.

Yes I did wonder, but haven't investigated further, the Reynauds is more of a problem.

 

[Venod]

I think I need to see the doctor again ,I tried those but the side effects were bad so I'm on coracten which helps but still get completely white fingers at times

May I ask what side effects you had with Nifedipine ? When I 1st started with them I was getting dizzy spells but I persevered and now there are no side effects, but I only take one a day and stop in the warmer months. Fingers and toes still go white but not as bad as without the tablets.