Diagnose me...Raynauds?

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

So it's dipping low into the teens here and I'm ccccold! I taught Zumba then headed out into the cold with wet feet/shoes to go to the field house for a run (which sadly was locked) Anywho, this trip left me freezing, cold feet included.

I happened to step on some crumbs in my kitchen and went to brush them off and found my soles like this...thoughts? (the white spots are potato flakes )

 

[Barefoot TJ]

How long after you got in

How long after you got in from the cold did you take these pictures? How long after coming in from the cold did this discoloration go away...if yet?

I'd say 45min or so? Maybe an hour? I don't know when it went away, I was up and moving around getting kids ready for thanksgiving feast #2.

I'd just never noticed this before, though it's possible it's happened before and I've just never noticed it though. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[ajb422]

I make no diagnosis here just

I make no diagnosis here just saying the teens are really freakin cold. Especially if there was any moisture at all. And cold wet shoes eww I shiver at just the thought of it. Thats the fastest way for me to get a chill that doesn't go away.

 

[Mike]

I had some discoloration on

I had some discoloration on my forefoot just like picture #2 (only a bit bigger, and splotchier) after my run today. (28 degrees) But I didn't pay any attention to it... I just assumed it was from pushing blood out of the pad of my foot when landing. uzzled: Is this something I should be keeping an eye on?

 

[Blind Boy]

Looks like a normal pair of

Looks like a normal pair of cold feet to me. If the paleness doesn't go away, I'd worry. If it's gone within an hour or so, just do a better job of keeping warm next time. My hands look like this regularly when I haven't had enough insulation on them in the winter but it usually goes away fairly quickly.

 

[twinkletoes]

Hi Zum and everyone,I have

Hi Zum and everyone,

I have Raynaud's, diagnosed by my podiatrist following bunion surgery. The danger people need to realize is that the more frequently this happens, and the longer it takes to warm up, the more one risks actual tissue damage. Keeping one's core very warm is critical. Longboard explained it well in another post- if you are chilled in your core, it will pull blood from the extremities and that's when they go white. No bueno.

I can run on a beautiful day but if my torso is sweaty and gets chilled, my fingers (even with double-gloves) and toes go white. The fastest way to heat up, in my experience, is drink hot water or tea.

I've also figured out that if I layer heavily on my torso, it takes a mile or so for my feet to get toasty hot and they stay that way as long as I strip off the sweaty stuff the moment I stop running, and I have been able to run in 30 degree cold BF without any problem. (okay, except the pin in my foot gets cold)



Good luck with this!

 

[Peanut]

I have Raynaud's.It is very

I have Raynaud's.

It is very true about the core warmth. As soon as I get a chill - that's it with the toes and especially the hands. I have to get my back and chest, in particular, warm asap.

It helps to hold a hot cup of tea ( or coffee or hot water or a hot water bottle or some of those hand warmers ) against your chest between the breasts. This heats your blood around your heart and gets it to the rest of the body a lot more quickly.

Twinkletoes mentioned the sweaty chills. That too is true for me. When I get home from a run, even when it is hot out, as soon as I cool down enough to stop sweating ( which I do profusely ) I get cold right away and then I have to get right in a hot bath to get warm.

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

Thanks for your input, I knew

Thanks for your input, I knew there were a few of you on board who have Raynauds..I think Norm and Dama too have this. It's more common than I thought. I'm not sure this is the case with me, I'd just never noticed the white spots before...though not sure I have ever paid attention to it. I'm pretty chilled anyway, with low cold tolerance (condition of Hashimotos). I'll keep an eye on it, I've been really layering my core when heading out into the cold for my runs now. Hot shower, hot tea, snuggling up all sound wonderful! I'm claiming my hour after my cold weather runs as mine to get snugglie, as per orders from my BRS peops!

 

[Kittyk]

 I have been wondering about

I have been wondering about this too Zumba..

I tend to get numb/white cold toes and fingers though at what I would consider warmer temps though. It's been more noticeable this year than last. This year it was maybe in the mid-forties and I would be getting numb toes and fingers. Once I am warm torso wise I am okay, but as soon as I stop running then I chill very quickly. I would get home from a run and I could feel pins and needles in my toes when I stepped into the warm shower.

Even now, in a centrally heated house I have had to put socks on my feet because they are going numb. I personally don't feel cold, but my feet are white and cold.

I have very low blood pressure and heat rate anyway.. as well as a lower than normal body temperature, so I don't know if this is just something to do with that freaky aspect or something like Raynauds.

When's the point that you should really investigate this? I could go to the doctor with it, but I hate going there. Are there any consequences for not getting it checked out?

 

[Barefoot Dama]

It has been my experience the

It has been my experience the Raynud's appears first in my fingers and if I don't get them warm quickly then they turn very dark purple almost black.

I think your situation is just cold feet, with Raynaud's condition I don't think you'll be running in this kind of weather, no way, trust me. For me, once the ambient temp drops into the 40's I know I am in trouble. And get this, during summer time, more often than not I wear a light jacket and gloves in the grocery store, how pathetic is that?

 

[sole_foot]

Zum, I had the same thing

Zum, I had the same thing happen on a cold day in late spring early summer out on our boat a few years ago out of the blue. Kind of freaked me out the first few times and I wondered what in the world was going on now. Since then I have had the same type of symptoms as twinkle toes and Dama. Something definitely tripped that effects my hands and feet in what some would call moderately cool temperatures. I wear gloves or mittens more than I ever have. Socks have been a must for the past couple of weeks. There is no way I could run in my Treks through the winter. I plan on monitoring things and dressing according to conditions until things get better or worse. I understand there is medication for certain conditions but I like to avoid meds as much as I can. Hope this was just a fluke thing for you. I get a lot of crap from people because I get cold so easily. Take care.

 

[Peanut]

The Raynaud's can be

The Raynaud's can be dangerous if your digits turn white for too long. It is worth it to have it checked out.

I personally take evening primrose oil, organic cold pressed coconut oil and large doses of niacin. If you take regular niacin take a very small dose to start as it does have some wierd flushing for a while. Or you can just take the non flushing variety. I still have it but it seems to have reduced the frequency of having my toes or hands turn dangerously white.

I tried gingko but that didn't seem to do anything.

I have also noticed that if I get nervous my lips and or hands and feet will turn blue. It's really strange looking but it's me!

 

[twinkletoes]

I have Raynaud's, diagnosed

I have Raynaud's, diagnosed by my doctor, and I comfortably run down to 28 degrees. Not willing to go lower because I do have a pin in my left foot & my big toe is harder to warm up once really cold.

Last year the white fingers and numbing were so bad that I thought I would have to quit running in any cool temps but I have since learned that hats, gloves and outside temp don't matter so much as core/torso warmth, so even on pleasant days I layer and avoid getting chilled in my upper body if at all possible. When the main torso gets cold it pulls blood from the extremities which is why the digits go white.

Like KittyK, the moment I stop moving I begin to get chilled because I'm sweaty and my clothes are damp, and the white fingers can happen very quickly if I don't catch it. My trick is to have hot or warm water ready to drink immediately and strip off the wet stuff ASAP. Sometimes when I've waited too long and my fingers turn white I've even guzzled hot shower water to get the blood flowing again as quickly as possible. Works amazingly fast.

Not much you can do for Raynauds except pay attention and don't let those fingers/toes get white for long as it causes long-term damage to the tissue. It's a shot in the dark, but I believe that running & working barefoot will help in the long run because of all that nerve stimulation.

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

Update, definitely not sure

Update, definitely not sure if this is what I'm experiencing. I may just have weird circulation (and do have cold intolerance issues due to Hashimotos). The other day, I hopped into the hot shower after a cold run, my knuckles and thumb pad, and toes turned purple and stayed that way for a good 15-20min after getting out of the shower.

Thanks for your stories and input all, when did you suspect it was something you needed to get checked? Did it come on gradually or suddenly?

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Zum, I think you shouldn't be

Zum, I think you shouldn't be jumping into a hot water bath after a cold run. I think the protocol is to warm up first on your own and then take a hot bath.

Back to your question, I had my issues since childhood but it wasn't too bad because I grew up in tropical weather but in the rare occasion the temp drop to the high 60's then I would experience the symptoms.

It did really got worse, much, much worse when I moved to the States particularly the Midwest. I did google my symptoms so I knew what I was dealing with, then I had it confirmed by my Dr. I do want to emphasise though that whoever is dealing with it to make sure is a primary issue and not secondary.

 

[Peanut]

 I noticed mine in my mid

I noticed mine in my mid twenties. I was under severe stress and also had just started taking oral ( the old fashioned early 70's style ) birth control pills.

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

Peanut, do you think that the

Peanut, do you think that the bc pills pushed your body over the edge?

Dama, I usually wait at least a half hour or hour before getting in the shower (usually not by choice...running after kids the second I get home LOL). So wait until I'm completely warm before showering?

 

[twinkletoes]

Zum,I get into the shower

Zum,

I get into the shower immediately but am extremely careful to hold my hands out if my fingers are numb. Reason is you can't feel if it's burning and that's dangerous to the tissue. Try drinking hot water while you're running after the wee ones and then get into the shower. I swear it works.

 

[Peanut]

 Zumba -I'm not sure about

Zumba -

I'm not sure about the pills. I have heard they can be a part of the problem . However , I have also heard that the estrogen/progesterone levels have changed quite a bit since they were on the market back then. I wonder about it because it may have been in conjunction with sudden emotional shock and some other bad things that were happening wiith me back then.

When i am nervous i notice my circulation goes wacky.

I did take Gingko for a while but it didn't seem to help. I now take 2000 non flushing niacin in the am and 1000 at night. I have had rare incidents of fingers turning white. I do have the blue finger and lip stuff but at least I don't get the completely white circulation cut off nearly as much as I used to.

It can be very strange. Sometimes just one digit will turn white - say - from the second joint up. weird!

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

Very interesting about your

Very interesting about your stress affecting your circulation Peanut! Our bodies have some pretty crazy ways of telling us we need a mental vacation.


Twinkle, I'll do that...tea ok? I should have some tea ready and waiting for me for when I get back. Good tip on holding hands out too, I'll do that. After today's run, I was fine..no issues in the shower. Even had to jump in pretty much after my run since we were rushing out the door to Chuck e Cheese's (ugh, talk about stress! LOL)