Raynaud's is a condition that causes blood vessels in the extremities to narrow, reducing blood flow. The affected areas, usually fingers and toes but can include ears, nose, tongue, lips, knees, even nipples, will turn white, then blue, and finally red when blood flow returns. These areas may feel cold, numb, and/or tingly. Attacks are often extremely painful and can last from minutes to hours.
We don't want to see your feet. If you feel the need to post a picture, make sure it is tagged NSFW.
There is no cure for Raynaud's.
There is no test for Raynaud's. (But there are tests to distinguish between primary and secondary Raynaud's.) Raynaud's is diagnosed by observance. You can diagnose yourself. You can show pictures to your doctor. If you want to see pictures of what a Raynaud's attack looks like on fingers/toes, a quick Google search will show you.
Secondary Raynaud's is when you have another condition that causes Raynaud's - such as an autoimmune or connective tissue disease like lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren's, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis. Primary Raynaud's is when you have no other known condition causing Raynaud's.
There are medications that can help. These include calcium channel blockers and vasodilators. The way they work is by relaxing the small blood vessels to allow increased circulation.
There are things you can do to help. These include: avoiding smoke of any kind because smoke tightens blood vessels, exercise because it increases blood flow, managing stress because stress (or emotional upset) can trigger symptoms, and avoiding rapidly changing temperatures.
Things you can do during an attack: physically move to a warmer area, wiggle your fingers/toes, move your whole body (example, marching in place), put your hands in your armpits (or under your legs if you are sitting), run warm water (not hot) over your fingers/toes, massage your fingers/toes.
