Raynaud’s Syndrome or Phenomenon

Ok, so I haven’t been officially diagnosed, but after watching a video I came across online I think I finally have a name for what happens to my hands.

My fingers get numb and tingly, kind of like they’re falling asleep, but they’re also super cold and they hurt!! It takes a long time to get them to warm up. I put them under warm water, wear gloves in the house, I’ve tried everything. Sometimes I can pinpoint why it’s happening. Like if I’ve held a carton of ice cream. But other times like in these pictures below I was just grocery shopping. It’s so wild!

I have zero tolerance for cold. Some people are like, “Yeah, I’m cold”. But I’m telling you, I’m not just cold, I’m ALWAYS FREEZING! And it’s painful and hurts! The winter is brutal. I could never live anywhere but Arizona.

So after seeing this video I started looking into it more. This is what Mayo Clinic says:

Raynaud’s (ray-NOSE) disease causes some areas of the body — such as fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud’s disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin narrow. This limits blood flow to affected areas, which is called vasospasm.

Other names for this condition are:

• Raynaud’s phenomenon.
• Raynaud syndrome.

Women are more likely than men to have Raynaud’s disease. It seems to be more common in people who live in colder climates.

Treatment of Raynaud’s disease depends on its severity and whether you have other health conditions. For most people, Raynaud’s disease isn’t disabling, but it can affect your quality of life.

This is just a brief summary. It does sound like it’s something I need to mention to my doctor at my next annual check up. It can be related to some other autoimmune diseases like lupus (which my mom and a cousin of mine has).

So, super fun stuff for me over here! Ha! Getting older is soooo fun!