Does anyone have problems with cold fingers and/or cold hands? During the winter my fingers are especially suseptable and become very numb. I have heard of some condition (forgot the name) so I looked it up on webmd.com and the pictures they showed were exactly how my fingers look when they reach that certain state. When they get cold and numb I rinse them under warm water and they turn white (white as a piece of paper, it's rather gross) then gradually they turn purple, then back to normal. So when I came across the article below it sounded somewhat related, although it doesn't travel up my arms. Just wondering if anyone else suffers from this.
Quote from article on www.wcsn.com
www.wcsn.com/.../news.jsp
"My main goal is to spend as little time in the water as possible,'' she said of competition days.
An angular woman with a model-thin body, Coughlin gets cold easily.
"My hands get numb and it is all downhill,'' she said. "I can't turn it around. It starts in my fingers and progresses up my arms. Once that happens, I'm useless in the water.''
I believe this is called Reynold's Syndrome. I have it intermittently and I know of another swimmer who does also. Not sure of a cause, a "cure," progression or repercussions. I just live with it.
That joggled my memory enough, there's Raynauds Disease and Raynauds Phenomenon.
Former Member
I have the same condition. It's referred to as Raynaud's disease when it occurs by itself, and Raynaud's syndrome when it occurs secondary to another disease process (like a collagen vascular disease). This can also be a manifestation of hypothyroidism, which is easily treatable. Common triggers include cold exposure as well as emotional stress. Specific treatment isn't usually necessary, although some patients who are severely affected may benefit from a calcium channel blocker. Generally the prognosis is good, but you need to be evaluated by a physician.
