The middle and index fingers on my left hand become white and numb when exposed to cold temperatures. And it seems to get worse each year. It doesn’t require super cold temperatures… they’ve turned white & numb when the air temperature is in the 50s (°F).
I was just out in the barn, working on a car. And these fingers turned white when I was just twenty minutes into the job. (And it’s only 54 °F out.) I can’t manipulate tools or fasteners when they’re numb, so I have to periodically stop working and warm them up until I regain feeling in them. It really sucks.
I’ve even had them turn white & numb in the summer, when they crank up the air conditioning in our lab at work.
I used to suffer from it, for years and years, but I haven’t experienced it in a couple of years now. And I can’t figure out why it went away. I would chalk that up to not being outside so much in winter anymore, but I, too, have had them go white and numb in summer.
Raynaud’s sucks for sure; I wish I could help you. The only thing I can say for sure is that you need to be sure this is on your medical record. Or so says a Physician’s Assistant. New to my eyes are they Raynaud’s Gloves, with open fingertips that are supposed to help control the problem. You can google it.
I’ve had Raynaud’s for decades. It affects all my fingers and toes. And as you say, it doesn’t have to be really cold. Mine can get triggered by a cold can of pop. One danger is that when they’re white and numb, you can cut yourself and not realize it. (It’s happened to me.) Docs tell me the key is to keep your core warm, as well as your hands, and that does seem to help.
If you haven’t been to your doc yet, go. You need an accurate diagnosis. If it IS Raynaud’s, there are Rx meds that help some people. Your doc can tell you more.
It’s not just cuts. I don’t have it, but my mother does. It got diagnosed after she held her hands over a radiator to warm them - if her fingers hadn’t been numb she would have moved them before she burned them so badly.
Crafter_Man, I am also self-diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome (more or less. I’ve reported symptoms to a doctor, who agreed, but didn’t pursue it, because it wasn’t a huge concern then.) Like you, it can happen to me even in temps that are only chilly, sometimes after a ridiculously brief time.
My hands get achy and a little numb, and certain fingers go chalk white. When they’re rewarming, my hands develop a purplish color my wife tenderly refers to as “corpse hands.” Sometimes nothing but soaking them in hot water will restore good circulation.
If it’s bothersome enough for you, or you engage in activities where a Raynaud’s response will put you at risk for frostbite, you might want to check out a preventive measure (not quite a cure) developed by Murray Hamlet, former head of the U.S. Army’s Cold Research Division. The Raynaud’s Association devotes a page to it.
I’ve heard Hamlet speak on a number of occasions. When referring to this method he states that it has to take place in a cold location (as described in graf 6 of the linked article) and you have to be pretty darn chilly. Enough to be fairly miserable for that ten minutes.
I haven’t done this yet; I’m not sure why. I keep meaning to do it and see how well it works.
I used to have it in my toes, dating back to when I stepped through the ice in the wintertime when crossing a mountain creek and my feet & sox got wet through my hiking boots. So I always thought of it as a cousin to frostbite. But then the toes-going-white-and-numb thing went away, years ago at this point.
In the last ~ 5 years, my fingers have started doing it. Sometimes vigorous massage will make them pink back up, but more often than not I get back into the house with hands that looks like they’re made out of uncooked dough. Head for the sink and spend up to 15 minutes under pretty hot water before the color comes back and the tingling goes away.
Self. But I’m fairly confident that that’s what it is.
I think anyone’s hands will get white & numb if exposed to a cold enough temperature for a certain amount of time. But with me, two fingers (only only those two fingers) will get white & numb when exposed to temperatures in the mid 50s. As mentioned, even air conditioning will sometimes do it. That’s abnormal, IMO, and the descriptions I’ve read of Raynaud syndrome perfectly describes it.
Hmm, interesting. I have a pair of heated gloves, so I’ll give it a try.
On that note… yes, I do have some heated gloves. The design incorporates heating elements in the fingers as well as the palm, and they work well. But I can’t wear them when working on things that require some manual dexterity.
I self-diagnosed myself with it years ago. I did actually mention some of the symptoms to my neurologist (for migraines) and she was the one that brought up the term.
My hands and feet are always cold but the odd part is that, from time to time, an individual finger or fingers, will be really cold. Another person touching each of my fingers will notice the difference without any trouble.
This certainly happens more in winter, but it happens in summer as well (just not as uncomfortable when it’s warm out, I guess).
My feet, however, will be cold from late fall clear into early spring. Being outside with regular shoes on for more than a few minutes once it gets below freezing, will result in my toes being cold to the point of it being painful and tend to take an hour or so to warm back up. People don’t tend to believe me (you’re just complaining, you were only outside for 5 minutes), but never take me up on my offer to show them that, even though that was a half hour ago, my toes, or some of them, are completely white.
I have it, and it’s a little weird: Not only aren’t frigid temperatures required, but a little cool water will bring it on.
It’s mainly one finger with me, and if I whirl my whole arm around like a lunatic, the blood is forced to the finger and the numbness and corpse coloring go away.
I was diagnosed by my Dr and, though it doesn’t happen often or severely, it can occur unpredictably at my fingertips. There could be -20 C days without it and +2 C moments with it. It is a wired thing.
My wife has suffered from Raynaud’s her entire life. It affects her hands and feet. We live in NW Montana, so winters are a real problem, and gloves and heavy socks don’t help. I did some research and learned that calcium channel blockers could help. Her doctor prescribed Nifedipine, which made a massive difference in her life. You should ask your doctor to see if that might help you.
Oh, my. Good point, and I’m so sorry she burned her fingers.
Yes, that’s one of the Rx meds I was referring to. I had to go off it because I already had low BP, and this made it dangerously so, but I know someone who said it really worked for her. Another medication the doc had me try was Cialis (yes, the ED medication). It didn’t help the Raynaud’s, so I quit taking it, but apparently it’s been effective for some people with Raynaud’s. There’s also a topical treatment.
I had it quite a few years ago for a while. It didn’t seem to be triggered by anything in particular, temp didn’t need to be very cold. It went away after a few months… I can’t remember if I even went to a doctor about it.
Probably a good idea to check with your GP, though.
A youtuber I used to watch does most of his videos from a workbench in his garage. He stuck an electric heating pad, like this, to the bottom of the bench. It doesn’t provide a whole lot of space heating, but it’s warm enough to keep his hands from freezing by keeping them on/near the bench and, probably more importantly, he’s not working with freezing cold metal tools.
Also, I always forget to break out the FLIR when it happens, but I remembered a few days ago. This ‘attack’ wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I barely noticed it, though that was partially due to being used to it at this point.
Yeah, my house can go from 55-90 degrees in a day in the winter. Not really a problem. The house is passive solar, so it depends a lot on snow/cloud cover.
In my loft/office, I have a halogen light for my hands, and just point a space heater under the desk. Works fine. When the sun comes up, I often have to open windows.
Part of my issue is that it’s really cold where I work. I picked up cheap foot rest/heater from Amazon. It might help if I was at home where it’s a bit warmer and I’d be wearing socks. But at work, with my shoes on, not so much. The rubber soles gets warm, so I know it’s heating, but not that much makes it to my feet.
Plus, I don’t usually sit in a way that makes it easy to use so every few minutes I realize my feet aren’t anywhere near it.
I hear ya Joey. And work places don’t usually allow space heaters anymore. I understand that because of fire danger. When my mom was in a skilled nursing facility, they would not allow heating pads. My mom slept with two AND an electric blanket at home (scared the shit out of me). But when you are 92 years old, you are going to do whatever you want.
Raynaud is a weird thing, and it makes many very uncomfortable. My mom had it but I don’t thankfully.
I’ve had Raynaud’s for years (diagnosed by my GP, not Doctor Google). I had been taking Lisinopril for hypertension, but when I mentioned my fingers to my doc, she told me that drug can make Raynaud’s worse, so she switched me to Nifedipine, which helped.
It usually happens to me during a long run in the winter; or, rather, at the end of the run, when I’m starting to cool down. One day a couple of years ago, my hands were so numb that it took me three attempts to turn my doorknob and get inside; I stumbled over to the range, turned on a burner, and warmed my hands for five minutes.
That’s when I realized that wearing gloves actually made my fingers colder; I have had much better luck with mittens.
