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