Anyone ever heard of Raynauds. I have it ane my hands and feet get very cold. Have to stay in bed with heating pad to keep warm. Hope it goes away. also have a cyst on left ovrary. Ugh!!!!! So sorry to hear about Packer's death. Hope to hear from someone soon.
Cathy

Hi Cathy,
In the medical dictionary there is a Raynaud's Disease and a Raynaud's phenomomen.

It could be related to a peripheral vascular disorder (more common in females 18-30) and it can also be caused by exposure to cold or emotional stress.

It states that 2 years of symptoms are required for an accurate diagnosis.

Prognosis: Attacks persist but can be controlled. No serious disability develops, but this condition is sometimes associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis or schleroderma.

Treatment: Maintenance of warmth of extremities by wearing wool gloves, socks, avoidance of contact with cold materials, avoidance of use of tobacco. Vasodilators and tranquilizers may be helpful.

(source - Taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary)

Hi Cath,
Raynauds phenomenon is a circulatory disease which affects the hands and feet. The blood flow to your extremities slows down and stops leaving your toes and fingers very white and painfully cold. After the attack you will notice that digits become blue before going back to normal. There are meds you can take and surgery (sympathectomy) for advanced cases. I trust you are not smoking because that is the worse thing you can do! Wish I could tell you how long your attack will last but I don't know
Hope this helps a little,
Judy U

I had a mild case of it in my 30's effecting my fingers which turned white and cold for no reason. It did go away in 2-3 years. I was told to rotate my arm like a propeller to force blood to the fingers which alleviated the numbness.
Regards

I've had it since I was a teen and I'm 38 now. It's worse, it seems, when I hold a cold drink or rummage through the freezer for something. Getting in the car and driving on a cool/cold day affects me also...the steering wheel makes my fingers turn numb, white, and painful. If I can get them warmed up fast (like run warm water on them or hold them inside a pocket for a bit) they will turn blue/purple and hurt like mad before finally going back to normal. I keep meaning to have a doc give me treatment, but who has time for that. There are these neat little hand warmer things you can get at most department stores that heat up for several hours when you activate them (mine are called Hothands-2 but there are other brands). They are a buck each and are sometimes found in the hunting section. I carry them with me when I know I'll be in the cold (like at a ball game or going for a walk).

Christine

For what it's worth, I am a musician and can't play well when my fingers are cold from the steering wheel so I wear gloves a lot - mainly just leather driving gloves (I'm in California after all) and I find that helps the hands a lot.
Hunters have all kinds of neat things to keep their hands warm also -you may may want to check out Cabela's online http://www.cabelas.com/

or http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/c...2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fleft-nav.jhtml

Hi I want to thank you all for your advice. I found the hotone for the hands. Very gratefull.
I also have Hi Blood pressure with it too. Have to retire to my bed and get warm again and the blood pressure to go down. Thanks again.
Cathy