I can feel it in the air. As the wind starts to pick up I know that Fall is on its way. Soon the trees will lose their beautiful glow and the leaves will change to the much anticipated orange, red, and yellows. Piles of leaves will litter the yards of my neighbors and their kids will be jumping into the piles with glee.
The barn cats will start getting their winter coats and start to, once again, look like over-sized raccoons. Pumpkin flavored drinks will be smelled for miles and hoodies will be in style. Baggy pants and sweaters will be the next best thing.
| image credit:David Sucsy/GoSouthEast.about.com |
The pain that comes from the cool breeze is more painful than being stabbed. Sudden dips in temperature are the worst and happen significantly in fall.
I hate fall! Winter is hard because of the constant cold temperatures and wind, but fall has its own tricks to trigger an attack. The temperature change is the worst thing for suffers of Raynaud’s. The first time it reaches sixty degrees, my body will react as if it’s below freezing. No amount of clothes or hand warmers or hot drinks will keep my body at a healthy temperature and in return my fingers and toes will turn purple and black.
The pain is indescribable when I lose circulation in any part of my body. When my fingers lose circulation, I cannot write or type. When my feet lose circulation, I walk weird and disturb my alignment of my feet and hurt my knees and legs. The side effect of walking differently affects me when I sleep, sit, and walk. The pain is similar to phantom pains after you get wisdom teeth pulled.
As the temperature falls into the winter months, my body is all but lost its heat. My right arm will be completely frozen for about four to five months. I’ll start wearing cut-off gloves indoors so I can write and eat. The only warm part of my body will be armpits and my stomach. These warm spots will be one way to get my fingers and toes back and save my body from developing ulcers.
Otherwise, my options are hot water and hand warmers. I have to be careful, though. I’ve missed used both options and have scars to prove it. The recommendation for heating up skin that has lost circulation is to use warm water, not hot. Using hot water will cause a feeling of a million needles poking you at once as the blood flow returns.
This feeling used to be painful, but I’ve lived with Raynaud’s phenomenon for eleven years that I barely feel any pain (usually). As a result, when my feet lose circulation, I don’t feel the pain. For the last two years, I’ve developed ulcers on my toes. Each year I’ve headed down to the Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee awaiting my fate to see if I waited too long to reverse the effects. I was too close last year.
By the time I went to the hospital my left foot had been the unnatural purple color for two weeks. Nothing I did helped return the warmth and circulation to my feet. My breaking point was when I started to struggle walking and would wake up at night in scream worthy pain.
The options for suffers of Raynaud’s is limited. I refuse to go through surgery, as past surgeries have been unsuccessful. Medication is an option, but the side effects can be worse than having the disease. I’ve been on three medications for Raynaud’s phenomenon. The last two, Amlodipine and Nifedipine, had similar side effects that I now deal with. Even after stopping the medication, I have difficulty swallowing and tasting food.
Every person is different. Don’t think that you’ll be affected by the same drug as I was. The medication did its job while I needed it. No medication will solve every problem.
As fall breezes through Wisconsin, I’m gearing up for the temperature change. I’ll make it through, I always do. Raynaud’s phenomenon isn’t all bad; I get to freak people out when my hands turn white, purple, and black. When people meet me for the first time, I can always remember their faces when they see my funky colored hands.
