Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Sometimes even grating carrots for soup isn’t worth the pain
Raising awareness about Raynaud’s
A Lanarkshire mum was diagnosed with an incurable and painful condition after years of dismissing symptoms.
Now Claire Smith, pictured right, is urging people to learn about the signs of Raynaud’s disease after a charity warned that millions could be living with the condition.
The 46-year-old began experiencing symptoms in her twenties, but dismissed it as minor nerve damage due to catching her fingers in doors and handling electrical equipment as part of her job.
With Raynaud’s, cold temperatures and stress can trigger “attacks” which cause blood vessels to constrict and temporarily stop blood flow, most commonly to the hands and feet.
Claire says it severely affects her life, adding: “It didn’t really have an impact on me at first; I was still doing everything, living my life.
“Now, though, even just opening the fridge and taking something out, like the milk carton, can affect my fingers.
“When I’m making dinner, if I take a plate out of the cupboard, the coldness of the plate – or even the cutlery – can start a Raynaud’s attack. It’s horrendous. It takes about half an hour to get the feeling back into my fingers.
“Even simple things like wanting a cold refreshing drink or grating carrots to make a lovely pot of homemade soup sometimes just isn’t worth the pain.
“I went a 10-minute walk to the local shop and by the time I got there I couldn’t walk. My right foot was like a block of ice – numb and painful – and I couldn’t move it. The next day I was driving to work and the same thing happened again.
“Wearing gloves and thermal socks just doesn’t help now. The cold goes straight through me and I’m in pain.
“My 19-year-old son has been doing my shopping just now because I can’t go out.”
During an attack, affected areas turn white and blue, and become numb. As the blood begins to return, limbs turn red and become painful.
From her twenties, Claire noticed her symptoms were getting worse, affecting her full fingers and toes.
She searched online for information about “white finger” after friends and co-workers told her about it and found herself reading about Raynaud’s disease.
Claire, who was 40 by this time, visited her GP for advice. “I mentioned about Raynaud’s and he agreed it could be that and put me on nifedipine,” she said. “I tried it for a week and felt horrible so stopped taking it and went down the road of wearing thermal socks and gloves.”
However, in January last year, Claire experienced one of her most severe attacks, saying: “I was coming back from a shopping trip and my hands and feet were so cold I couldn’t drive. I had to spend 30 minutes sitting in my car trying to heat up my hands and feet; they were white, cold, numb, painful to move and could hardly bend.”
The attack prompted Claire to see her doctor who took blood tests and referred her to a rheumatologist.
She was seen by the specialist in June last year who, according to Claire, referred her back to her GP.
Claire added: “I do wonder if I had been diagnosed earlier whether my Raynaud’s would have become this severe, but I didn’t want to bother them with what I thought was a little nerve damage.”
She is now urging others not to make the same mistake after the charity Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK (SRUK) warned that many others could be living with Raynaud’s without realising it.
Claire is supporting SRUK and asking the public to make time to understand the signs of Raynaud’s, and for those who may be experiencing symptoms to take the charity’s simple online test. The test, which has been developed in conjunction with clinical experts and delivers results in around 60 seconds, will allow people to find out more about Raynaud’s, how to manage it and advise if a GP visit is needed.
For more information about Raynaud’s, the signs to look out for and how to manage symptoms, or to take SRUK’S online test, visit www.sruk.co.uk/testme
A social care charity with a base in Airdrie has announced fully-funded health and social care modern apprenticeships opportunities will soon be available to people aged 18to-29 in Monklands.
Cornerstone’s modern apprenticeship scheme gives those looking to pursue or develop their career in health and social care the opportunity to “gain a sectorrecognised qualification whilst working in a paid role as a support worker or team member”.
Sheila Gordon, Cornerstone’s training academy lead, explained: “A modern apprenticeship is an excellent route for young people to pursue and develop a career in health and social care.
“It allows candidates to invest in their own continuous learning and development, whilst keeping up to date with the latest skills, techniques and regulations.
“Importantly, it also allows young people to convert their onthe-job, practical experience into with a further 16 colleagues currently working towards their qualification.
Sheila added: “Modern apprenticeships are a key investment Cornerstone chooses to make in our workforce; an investment that is also recognised by our Investors in Young People award.
“We pride ourselves in paying our modern apprenticeships the Scottish Living Wage and ensure those who complete a modern apprenticeship immediately receive the same salary as someone already qualified.
“We provide full support through our employed team of trained assessors, giving our modern apprenticeships full access to facilitated study sessions, up-todate guidance and regular reviews and check-ins.
“In addition, modern apprenticeships have proven to be a great way for us to develop our workforce by creating new opportunities and training new staff as well as upskilling existing employees and supporting career progression.”
Abbie Wood, 20, is a support worker with one of Cornerstone’s apprenticeship has helped me in many ways.
“It’s helped me regain skills that I forgot I had, and it’s boosted my confidence massively. I feel confident and am constantly developing new skills.
“Also, the help and support from my assessor has helped me believe in myself again.
“The most rewarding thing about doing my modern apprenticeship is getting to speak about the amazing people I support, and how I have been able to help them throughout my time working with them.
“It has also given me better knowledge and skills to ensure I am delivering the best practice and care.
“I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoy doing my modern apprenticeship. I don’t feel like it’s a burden and I love the range of subjects there are to discuss in your assessments; and I enjoyed doing lots of research and learning new things about health and social care.
“I would 100 per cent recommend doing a modern apprenticeship to anyone. I would say to them to give it their all, learn as much as you can, and just simply enjoy it.
Airdrie & Coatbridge Photographic Club members proved their talent for a top image as the organisation held its latest internal competition.
The club kindly shared the top scoring images with the Advertiser which included a lollipop man, Bracklinn Falls, the Buachaille Etive Mor and a Chaffinch.
A spokesperson for the club said: “As ever, the standards set in our internal competition were incredibly high.
“Though these are the top scoring photos, it was very hard to award points to any picture over the other as everyone showed their flair for photography.
“We’d like to thank everyone who took part in the competition for providing us with such a fantastic portfolio of work.”
Monklands snappers of all ages are invited to develop their skills with the club which, despite the coronavirus pandemic, is still holding its weekly meeting – in a virtual format.
The sessions take place on Zoom every Tuesday at 7.30pm and new members are welcome to join in with the photographic fun.
The club spokesperson added: “This is a different kind of meeting, where people involved don’t have to leave the comfort of their own home.
“But you can still chat to friends, listen to speakers, show your photographs, look at other members’ pictures and enter competitions with other clubs.
“We welcome all new members to join our club and would love to see as many new faces as possible on Zoom.
“The club gives people the chance to share their passion for photography and pick up tips and advice on how to capture interesting images.”
Anyone interested in joining the club can visit www.acpc. org.uk to find out further information.