Raynauds and my poor fingers

[kissmelittleass]

The four fingers of my right hand are swollen which makes it difficult to bend,,infact they look like sausages at the moment not pretty! They are covered in chillblains and omg it is so painful,hot and itchy. My GP dianosed raynauds last year when I had a similar bout of swollen fingers and chillblains..he wasn't interested, brushed it off and basically told me to invest a good pair of gloves which I have.The odd time one of my fingers will go numb and turn a dark colour, colour restores after 10-20 mins,toes also go numb from time to time. Its the swollen fingers though that is so painful (funny as well as its always the right hand) and Gp said there was nothing I could do for them but the itchiness and burning pain from the chillblains is driving me insane! anyone know what I can take to ease it please!

I feel your pain, I suffer with the same on my hands and feet. Hands I'm proved since stopped smoking and while pregnant but feet keep me up half the night. Been told a similar tale, there's nothing to help. I used to have a cream when it got really bad but tbh nothing's really worked.

nightmare isn't it ..I don't smoke ..I've tried sudocream,germolene,savlon but it just made the burning more intense..

Sorry, my posts are not very helpful are they?!
Apart from the maddening itching and pain, they look so ugly!!

Adalat frequently helps with Raynauds

Have you been offered it ?

no what is adalat?

Its -um- a pill :) and worth reading up on

If you put

adalat raynauds site:medicines org uk

in a google search box a few links should provide you with some info.

There are some contraindications, so it may be that its not appropriate in your case

Ask for a referral to a consultant , your GP is obviously being of little help to you . I took adalat for a while but it didn't work .

did you get a thyroid check as well?

In a bout of desperation, I put thrush cream from my last outbreak of that on the chillblains on my toes. It stopped it itching. I've no idea if that's a placebo effect or not but it's got to be worth trying...

Get your clotting levels checked too if they'll do it. I have Raynauds as part of my thrombophilia (the blood isn't supplied to the smaller vessels properly) although I don't get the bad bouts like that.

I have the same as you this year littleass, i see a rheumatologist who checks everything out every 6 months, bloods, heart.. the works.
She wanted me to try some pills but i decided against it as the side effect was that it lowered blood pressure which i have a problem with anyway.

The Raynauds association sell gloves that contain silver that apparently some people swear by, although i haven't tried them myself.

I use something called Snowfire, which mountaineers use, theres been other threads here where other MNers have found it helps.
Another possibility is a cream that contains ginger (stimulates circulation) and an oil that contains Black pepper. Do a search on MN for links etc.

Best thing is to try to avoid extremes of temperature, but i agree get a referral from your GP. I know how awful it is, apart from the stiffness, my fingers turn so blue i have zombie hands

Thanks for replies..not sure about the tablet if it affects blood pressure as I have very low blood pressure and suffer dizziness alot
I had my thyroid levels checked about 16 months ago not because of raynauds but because of dizziness and racing pulse it came back borderline which they said was fine and didn't need checking again!
My doctor wanted me out the door quick, he made me feel like I visited him for a pimple and was wasting his time
Am a bit worried as I read it could be caused by an underlying disorder..my cousin has it too but she doesn't suffer from the swollen fingers and chillblains,with her its her fingers,feet,nose and ears going numb and white although her doctor tested her blood for primary or secondary? she said
have some thrush cream and might try that..am thinking of having to bother my doctor with this, really hate the thought though

Raynauds can be secondary to other illnesses , you need a referral to a specialist . Adalat does affect your BP ,so may well not be suitable . Do not be fobbed off by your GP .

borderline thyroid results sounds highly highly suspicious.ask for yearly re tests and a thyroid antibody test as a minimum and don't be fobbed off
i had reynaulds for 3 years before i went hypothyroid and now its pretty much gone although i still feel the cold.

kissme You could try taking linseed oil and or org.olive oil every day . I've also posted on the arthritis thread on this page which gives some ideas for good health.

BTW take the oils at meal times and esp. with the linseed oil take a large glass of water.

What's the condition your cousin suffers from?

You're right it can be caused by other things so it's important to get checked out to at least find if it has a cause. Something like Antiphospholipid Syndrome which I suffer from it was only the tip of an iceberg. I've had it all my life and since diagnosis either found a lot of other symptoms I have or have developed others, I also had to come off the pill and we realised I get TIAs on it. I really wish I had been taken seriously at 15 when I told the GP.

You do need to see a rheumatologist.
Did they come to any conclusion re your racing pulse?

I'm having a little bit of success with wearing fingerless gloves indoors with a heat pad stuffed down the wrist of each one. (If I wear gloves without the heat pads it makes it worse!)
Normally the hand warmers come at a decent price for 40 but the best I can find for you is 10 pairs one pair if stuffed in gloves lasts around 8 hours.

There are a few different medicstions you can take to help with raynauds. Im on adalat also, it can affect blood pressure but I haven't had any problems and I have low bp.

There is also an iloprost infusion that can be given, you have to be admitted to hospital for a few days as it is an iv medication, but it is amazing and lasts around 3-4 months, long enough for the worst of winter.

There is no lasting side effects once the drip has stopped. The worst I had whilst it was being given was a headache.
Don't suffer push at the docs for a referral to hospital.

I'm seeing my rheumy tomorrow and one of the things we will talk about is my raynauds. i cant take adalat anymore because of heart stuff, so I'll feed back any alternatives he talks about.

Nick, how bad is your raynauds? (I presume it is secondary if you got iloprost)

Thanks again for replies,going to see if I can get a doctors appointment for this evening with a different doctor. The previous doctor as I have said didn't think anything of it and never suggested tests. It was only after talking to my cousin that I realised how thorough her doctor was with mine brushing it off.
That doctor has made me feel as I will be bothering them with a minor problem but I will bite the bullet and go all the same. The fingers have improved this morning and not as swollen (typical when I am going to the doctor!!) but still stiff at knuckles when bending fingers and chillblains remain although redness has also reduced.
COURGETTE ...my cousins blood test came back as primary which I think means she didn't have an underlying condition.
BADKITTEN...my pulse was over 100 beats a minute and doctor put me on a 24hr heart monitor and did an ecg..monitor showed that although my heart speeds up at times it also slows down again quite quickly (doctors words) and therefore no treatment needed. That was 2 years ago and has improved since although it still happens every so often,a thyroid check then showed normal and 18 months ago showed borderline, it was fine he said no more blood tests needed.Thanks re.hand warmers will have a look. Would be great to hear what your rheumy has to say.

Kissme, do you get any symptoms with your heart rate? Is it still a problem?

BADKITTEN.. occasionally yes I can feel it going so fast I have to take deep breaths to try and calm it but not like it was 2 years ago then it was a constant thing more or less bothering me every day

When it is next bad, take your pulse standing up and then try it lying down. It would be interesting to know the difference.

My rheumy has ordered a lot of blood tests and an mri (for my arthritis). At the moment he feels he cant offer me anything else for the raynauds as it all will make my PoTs worse. Which is ironic as I cant take most of the meds for PoTS as they will make my raynauds worse.

So, stuck between a rock and a hard place. But do pursue your own doctor and ask for a referral.

Well I saw a different GP on wednesday, told him everything and showed him my fingers, he agreed they were very bumpy,red and swollen and this is the best they have been in weeks as swellings have gone down alot!
Anyway he was also very hard work and kept repeating that he was VERY reluctant to do a blood test to see if it was primary or secondary. He shocked me by saying that if it turned out I had lupas he wouldn't be doing anything about it anyway..I thought I had misheard him. He wasn't interested in the ins and outs of it all and said I did not need a referral to a rheumy but agreed to do the blood test as I kept firm (certainly annoyed him though as he swung his chair round and banged away at the keyboard!!)
I have to go for the blood test monday morning and will see him for the results a week later, unfortnately I am away then for a much needed break so it will be 2 weeks before I get the results. He said to come back in to see him for the results so he can explain everything but apparently he knows the results will be fine! He also said he could treat me with a blood pressure tablet during the winter to reduce symptoms although I have low blood pressure and suffer dizzy spells alot he said it would be fine, I think not! Again this has made me feel I am annoying them with such a minor issue..