For the past few months, whenever it is cold (sometimes it doesn’t even need to be), my fingers turn completely pale; I lose most of the colour in them. They’d feel slightly numb as you’d expect. It could happen to any hand/fingers/digits.
I went to my GP slightly concerned as I thought I may have Raynauds but she dismissed it. Apparently all fingers are effected by Raynaud’s and not random fingers/digits like mine. My fingers just turn pale and not blue-ish/purple as Raynaud’s is known for. That was her conclusion.
Hi, the photo looks like raynauds to me - might be worth showing that to your gp. I would think that which fingers are affected would depend on which blood vessel is affected. (I don’t think I’ve ever had all fingers affected at the same time and was diagnosed a few years ago.)The redness or blue/purple colour happens as the blood flow returns to normal (for me this is when there is the most discomfort.)
Raynauds is not a symptom of MS but there is an association (also with other conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis)
Try not to worry-it’s more of an inconvenience and discomfort than anything else. I was offered medication - which i didn’t want so I just use gloves. Think the medication was nifedipine - but I could be wrong…
Yes thats deffinatley Raynauds I suffer exactly the same even affects my feet!! And yes nifedipine is used to treat it. I’d go back to your gp and show him that picture Sue x
Thanks for the comments guys! I’ll go back to my GP. [quote=“Little Sausage”] Notably this all stopped when I stopped Avonex. I haven’t had Raynauds since coming off it. [/quote] Really? That’s interesting. Anything else improve after stopping Avonex? What replaced the Avonex?
Mmmm. Now if you were not able to present at the appointment with visibly effected finger(s) then I can understand why your GP would be reluctant to pin a label of Raynauds on you. That said, if you presented with fingers such as shown by your photo, then there is definitely no question that that is Raynauds. If this was the case, then tell your doctor from me that she was obviously not paying attention during that lecture and she needs to go back and do some further reading.
I have Raynauds and I also have RRMS. I was diagnosed with Raynauds long before I was diagnosed with MS (June 2013). I knew it was Raynauds, before I showed my GP, but, whilst I wasn’t looking for a prescription, I was just seeking validation that I was correct. Of course, I was.
When I first started displaying symptoms of Raynauds, it was confined to one digit only on my right hand. I now get it on four digits on both hands.
Since being a member of this forum, I have read many threads from people with similar medical histories.
Check out the ‘nhs’ website for further information. Good information is available here!
By the way, I still do not take our medication for my Raynauds. I am just very sensible. I try to avoid rummaging in too many freezers whilst I am shopping and I wear two pairs of woolly socks and very thick gloves, during the winter.
I also have Raynauds disease and it is like your photo. As others have said, Raynauds doesn’t necessarily have to affect all your fingers - your GP is talking rubbish (to put it politely )
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