Category: 
September 29, 2003
Ahh, raynaud’s syndrome… I am lucky enough to have my lovely disease lupus which includes Raynaud’s Syndrome. My fingers and toes go numb even with the help of electric socks, thick boots, gloves and medication. It is extremely annoying at best and extremely painful at worst. Basically I begin to feel like I am getting frostbite on my fingers and toes and it won’t stop until I am somewhere quite warm.
Forget skiing and forget all those lovely winter retreats. I think if I went to one i would be stuck in a hot tub drinking whiskey to keep warm (hmmm, actually that sounds quite good). This is what it looks like in a light episode.
funky fingers
Here is a little more info on my weird fingers and toes:
Raynaud’s syndrome, first described in 1862 by the French physician Maurice Raynaud, has no known cause or cure. The syndrome is a condition in which small arteries, most commonly in the fingers and toes, spasm and cause the skin to turn pale or a patchy red to blue. Estimates of its prevalence range from 5-30% of the population. It is five times more common in women, often striking females between the ages of 18 and 30. It is thought that 25-30% of cases occur in otherwise healthy women
Symptoms
- Sudden coldness, numbness or prickly pins-and-needles sensation in the fingers, and toes, when exposed to even a mild drop in temperature — as when walking into an air-conditioned room, for instance.
- Dramatic color changes in the fingers: When first exposed to cold, fingers turn white, then blue; when rewarmed, they quickly turn red and may throb uncomfortably.
Horaayy..there are 12 comment(s) for me so far ;)
How’s this for irony? I AM, literally, allergic to the cold. I’m such a rare case, that there isn’t really an offical medical term for it - the doctors have given it a generic label: cold induced urticaria. (basically cold induced hives)
When I get cold, or when my skin is in contact for long enough with something cold, I break out in these oh-so lovely whelps - giant and very attractive hives. Eventually, it goes from itching to burning. Then, if I’m still being stubborn and staying cold, I have trouble breathing. Loads of fun.
I was very excited when I saw “allergic to winter” because I thought that I might have found someone as freaky as I am. I have never meet nor heard of someone having this same condition. You, however, are the closest I’ve heard of.
I would love to talk to you. Drop me a line
Hey I just got this cold uticarea thing like a year ago and it really sucks I live in Canada and half the time its way below zero ,to make things worse I used to love the outdoors snowboarding and water skiing but my symptoms make it really difficult to do the things that I love to do. In cold water I get hives that last 15 minutes and when im out side I can last 30 minutes till my face will become really red and burning hot and I feel light headedness but the worst of it is when I go back in side then my face will swell up and my face will be all blotchy for like 20 minutes. I take this medication called pareactine but it doesn’t do much for me Its really nice to know that there are other people out there with this problem. Give me a shout I would love to here from any one with this crazy allergy.
Hi I have inherited this from my mother, I have lived with raynauds, exzema and severe dry skin, as a youngster when sent to stand in the corner by a teacher I clenched my fists which made my knuckles bleed so had to go to the medics, I am sitting here typing this with hands that resemble a rainbow trouts colour, I find that it is the sudden change in temperature that is the worst as I live in the UK but worked in the Artic for 3 years and didn`t suffer as bad there as I do at home, I hate the cold but like so many just grin and bear it, or take a good book and soak in a hot bath.
Hi my name is Ally. I am 18 years old and I live in Meadville, Pa. I also have Raynaud’s. I am actually at this point doing my senior project for school on the disease. I have been trying to find someone other than me with this strange disease to talk to about it. I have finally suceeded. If ya wanna chat hit me up. Thanks.
Love *+*Ally*+*
I know how you guys feel. I have both Raynaud’s Syndrome AND the Cold Induced Urticaria, though my urticaria symptoms are a little different. I can get cold and not have a problem, but it’s when I warm back up, I start itching really bad. Especially if it’s a sunny, but cold day, and I was in a car, then I would have to roll the windows down just to keep from breaking out and itching. It was so maddening. Had a steroid shot once that made the symptoms subside for about a month, but my real friend now is Zyrtec. It keeps the symptoms at bay and doesn’t really make me drowsy. Not much I can do about my Raynaud’s though.
Interesting Justin… Never heard of Cold Induced Urticaria. Trust me I have tried everything to help my Raynaud’s, nothing has worked so far. Just keep your body warm… Umm if anyone wants to chat about this or whatever else my yahoo is princess_bytch16335
I’m not sure if I have this or not. I thought it was just because it was the weather was just cold and my hands/fingers were just reacting to it. But the weather is not so bad now and my fingers still go numb. I find that sometimes I can’t even open a door because they’re so numb, and hurt too.
Hi. I was on the net today looking for some stories about cold incuced urticaria. My daughter seems to have this condition. It started At the begining of January this year. It got very cold very fast here. I had just got off work when I got a call from her school. She was in the office complaining of a really bad itch and a very swollen red face. I grabbed the benedryl and headed to the school. When I got there I couldn’t believe her face! She was a mess. She was very swollen and red. She had hives on all exposed areas of her face. It was a very cold day so I though maybe this would be a one time thing. I was wrong. It continued to happen the next week everytime she went out for 10 or 15 minutes. I decided it was a good idea for her to stay inside during recess untill it warms up.
Im so happy that you guys have written about your cases of cold induced urticaria. Its nice to know there are others out there with it that can give me more info. My questions are how many of you have an epi pen and what kind of testing should I have done for my daughter. Ive done the ice cube test on her and nothing happened. Does this mean that its a milder case of it? I fear giving her ice cream or anything very cold in her mouth. I also worry about the up coming summer and what will happen in pools? Thanks again for writting about this subject its a great help to people : )
I too am allergic to the winter. It really is terrible. I am also allergic to the sun and any other ultraviolet lights. I developed this when I was 35. I have been to dermatologists…allergists…etc…and still have no releif from developing welts anywhere that is not covered. I recently had read that aspartame( an artificial sweetner) can trigger this condition.
So I have been diet soda and sugar free gum-less for 1 month. I am so used to no exposing myself to cold and sun…I have not yet tested to see if there has been an improvement.
Your site could replace books, TV and even communication with women to me! I visit your site very often. And with each visit it becomes more and more pleasant to me. It is felt at once, that professionals work at the site! It is such an unusual occurrence nowadays! Thank you, webmasters, for the wonderful website and information
TW
I am a mother of a 9 year old girl who like your daughter, started developing hives on the playground at school this past February. I got the same call from the school nurse and as your story goes, she kept getting the hives/redness throughout the winter months. I did seek help with an allergist last week (it took me a few months to figure out what this was and a month to get an appointment with a pediatric allergist.) Anyway, just so you know…we started her on Zyrtec and got ourselves an epi pen-just in case. This past weekend, we almost used the pen. The doctor said she could try swimming (gradually) into any water (my daughter is on a swim team) so, we were at the beach and she slowly went into the water (it was a bit chilly.) The first time, she came out her legs were red but not swollen. The second time, she was completely red and soon after developed intense itching and felt sick to her stomach. We got her to the board walk and shower area…she was pale (grey even), white lips, and very lethargic. I laid her down to get her blood pressure back and soon after she vomited and started to feel a little better. I then threw her in a luke warm shower and she perked up without using the epi pen. I must tell you that I am a nurse (adult cardiac) and have seen patients go out (pass out) and my daughter was certainly at that point.
Get your daughter seen by a pediatric allergist and have him order you an epi pen. Even though I am a nurse, I was extremely nervous and anxious about using it…so practice with the doctor. Hopefully you will never experience what I just did with my daughter. I cannot express in words how scared we were!
Does anyone ever get RED, SWOLLEN, ITCHY AND SORE HANDS IN WINTER? It gets so swollen I cannot close my hands. And itches like I want to cut all fingers off! it happens in winter, but heat really makes itching bad!
From Nicci, South Africa