Suggestions Needed: Heated gloves for Raynaud's sufferer
Discussion
If you find some decent gloves let me know.
I bought some from Here the highest silver content at £29.99. They are very thin and a bit short on the wrist. Ideally I wanted to wear them around the house but they don't seem to work on me keeping my hands warm. I've gone back to merino wool fingerless gloves which are not ideal given the ends of your fingers get cold but it's a trade off with having some dexterity.
I first developed this about 8yrs ago (early 50s) noticing red blotches on my fingers that itched and were painful to press. I thought it might be stress related so ignored it only it started to get worse and then the cold hands/fingers became more noticeable. Raynauds was eventually diagnosed after every possible blood test available and chest x-ray to rule out Lupus and cell degeneration. The red sores that come up on some of my fingers are actually chillblains!
Now in November a switch gets flicked and cold hands and chillblains appear - they'll now be here for a few months taking ages to subside before some more may crop up! They're worst over the knuckles, bending the finger or knocking it is really painful. It's odd that cold hands are not constant throughout the day. At some point they'll go really cold and then decide to warm up and I suspect this 'cycling' process forcing blood down the capilliaries quickly is causing the odd one or two to burst leading to rupture and chillblains.
I tried Nifedipene and for me decided it wasn't making any difference so stopped taking it. There's a few other medicines but then they have side effects - Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant) works for some. I'm going to review it over this winter. Raynauds is an odd thing to get at my age I'm told as I don't fit the usual profile.
The only 'solution' for me is an ambient temperature around 20 DegC which means moving abroad over winter. If I can't put up with it or find some intervention then that's what I'm going to, it's pissing me off that much! I can put up with cold hands it's the chillblains that are the problem. And wearing gloves from the moment I get up to going to bed is not an ideal position or option. Roll on March
I bought some from Here the highest silver content at £29.99. They are very thin and a bit short on the wrist. Ideally I wanted to wear them around the house but they don't seem to work on me keeping my hands warm. I've gone back to merino wool fingerless gloves which are not ideal given the ends of your fingers get cold but it's a trade off with having some dexterity.
I first developed this about 8yrs ago (early 50s) noticing red blotches on my fingers that itched and were painful to press. I thought it might be stress related so ignored it only it started to get worse and then the cold hands/fingers became more noticeable. Raynauds was eventually diagnosed after every possible blood test available and chest x-ray to rule out Lupus and cell degeneration. The red sores that come up on some of my fingers are actually chillblains!
Now in November a switch gets flicked and cold hands and chillblains appear - they'll now be here for a few months taking ages to subside before some more may crop up! They're worst over the knuckles, bending the finger or knocking it is really painful. It's odd that cold hands are not constant throughout the day. At some point they'll go really cold and then decide to warm up and I suspect this 'cycling' process forcing blood down the capilliaries quickly is causing the odd one or two to burst leading to rupture and chillblains.
I tried Nifedipene and for me decided it wasn't making any difference so stopped taking it. There's a few other medicines but then they have side effects - Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant) works for some. I'm going to review it over this winter. Raynauds is an odd thing to get at my age I'm told as I don't fit the usual profile.
The only 'solution' for me is an ambient temperature around 20 DegC which means moving abroad over winter. If I can't put up with it or find some intervention then that's what I'm going to, it's pissing me off that much! I can put up with cold hands it's the chillblains that are the problem. And wearing gloves from the moment I get up to going to bed is not an ideal position or option. Roll on March
https://amzn.eu/d/61byJHS
These have lasted me a couple of years outdoors work in the winter, and along with nifedipine really helps.
You lose a bit of dexterity tho, which means i need to take them off to terminate connectors which doesnt help.
These have lasted me a couple of years outdoors work in the winter, and along with nifedipine really helps.
You lose a bit of dexterity tho, which means i need to take them off to terminate connectors which doesnt help.
Armitage.Shanks said:
If you find some decent gloves let me know.
I bought some from Here the highest silver content at £29.99. They are very thin and a bit short on the wrist. Ideally I wanted to wear them around the house but they don't seem to work on me keeping my hands warm. I've gone back to merino wool fingerless gloves which are not ideal given the ends of your fingers get cold but it's a trade off with having some dexterity.
I first developed this about 8yrs ago (early 50s) noticing red blotches on my fingers that itched and were painful to press. I thought it might be stress related so ignored it only it started to get worse and then the cold hands/fingers became more noticeable. Raynauds was eventually diagnosed after every possible blood test available and chest x-ray to rule out Lupus and cell degeneration. The red sores that come up on some of my fingers are actually chillblains!
Now in November a switch gets flicked and cold hands and chillblains appear - they'll now be here for a few months taking ages to subside before some more may crop up! They're worst over the knuckles, bending the finger or knocking it is really painful. It's odd that cold hands are not constant throughout the day. At some point they'll go really cold and then decide to warm up and I suspect this 'cycling' process forcing blood down the capilliaries quickly is causing the odd one or two to burst leading to rupture and chillblains.
I tried Nifedipene and for me decided it wasn't making any difference so stopped taking it. There's a few other medicines but then they have side effects - Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant) works for some. I'm going to review it over this winter. Raynauds is an odd thing to get at my age I'm told as I don't fit the usual profile.
The only 'solution' for me is an ambient temperature around 20 DegC which means moving abroad over winter. If I can't put up with it or find some intervention then that's what I'm going to, it's pissing me off that much! I can put up with cold hands it's the chillblains that are the problem. And wearing gloves from the moment I get up to going to bed is not an ideal position or option. Roll on March
Sorry to hear about your experience - sounds just like the experience of my dad.I bought some from Here the highest silver content at £29.99. They are very thin and a bit short on the wrist. Ideally I wanted to wear them around the house but they don't seem to work on me keeping my hands warm. I've gone back to merino wool fingerless gloves which are not ideal given the ends of your fingers get cold but it's a trade off with having some dexterity.
I first developed this about 8yrs ago (early 50s) noticing red blotches on my fingers that itched and were painful to press. I thought it might be stress related so ignored it only it started to get worse and then the cold hands/fingers became more noticeable. Raynauds was eventually diagnosed after every possible blood test available and chest x-ray to rule out Lupus and cell degeneration. The red sores that come up on some of my fingers are actually chillblains!
Now in November a switch gets flicked and cold hands and chillblains appear - they'll now be here for a few months taking ages to subside before some more may crop up! They're worst over the knuckles, bending the finger or knocking it is really painful. It's odd that cold hands are not constant throughout the day. At some point they'll go really cold and then decide to warm up and I suspect this 'cycling' process forcing blood down the capilliaries quickly is causing the odd one or two to burst leading to rupture and chillblains.
I tried Nifedipene and for me decided it wasn't making any difference so stopped taking it. There's a few other medicines but then they have side effects - Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant) works for some. I'm going to review it over this winter. Raynauds is an odd thing to get at my age I'm told as I don't fit the usual profile.
The only 'solution' for me is an ambient temperature around 20 DegC which means moving abroad over winter. If I can't put up with it or find some intervention then that's what I'm going to, it's pissing me off that much! I can put up with cold hands it's the chillblains that are the problem. And wearing gloves from the moment I get up to going to bed is not an ideal position or option. Roll on March
I’ll certainly report back if I find anything new that works.
OldGermanHeaps said:
https://amzn.eu/d/61byJHS
These have lasted me a couple of years outdoors work in the winter, and along with nifedipine really helps.
You lose a bit of dexterity tho, which means i need to take them off to terminate connectors which doesnt help.
We looked at those but, as you say, it’s the dexterity that’s the issue especially as he really only has one hand that works.These have lasted me a couple of years outdoors work in the winter, and along with nifedipine really helps.
You lose a bit of dexterity tho, which means i need to take them off to terminate connectors which doesnt help.
OldGermanHeaps said:
https://amzn.eu/d/61byJHS
These have lasted me a couple of years outdoors work in the winter, and along with nifedipine really helps.
You lose a bit of dexterity tho, which means i need to take them off to terminate connectors which doesnt help.
Out of interest what does of nifedipine are you on? I was given Coracten SR which is the slow release option 10mg twice a day. I've got a low resting heart rate and normal (but on the low side of normal) blood pressure and whilst they didn't make me tired I'm conscious this can be an outcome.These have lasted me a couple of years outdoors work in the winter, and along with nifedipine really helps.
You lose a bit of dexterity tho, which means i need to take them off to terminate connectors which doesnt help.
I see I am not alone in my suffering!
Not heated but these might be good as cover wrist and full forearm
https://nuovahealth.co.uk/product/revitafit-raynau...
Not heated but these might be good as cover wrist and full forearm
https://nuovahealth.co.uk/product/revitafit-raynau...
When working out in between 3 and about 9 degrees you would be amazed how much warmth just a pair of grippaz mechanics glove hold in as long as you have long sleeves on and still keep dexterity. I always apply barrier cream or baby moisturiser if i am going to be wearing them for 10 hours tho, they can make your skin dry somehow
Arrivalist said:
He’s already on so my tablets for various things, including high BP, that I’m sure if Nifedipine was an option he’d have been prescribed.
Little hotties will be delivered tomorrow so hopefully that will help.
Anyone who has suffered a stroke or heart problems will not be prescribed Nifedipine. I know a few taking it and all of them get side-effects of one sort or another. Me? I'll pass thanks.Little hotties will be delivered tomorrow so hopefully that will help.
I have had (secondary) Raynaud's for 8 yrs - I'm nudging 75. 'Secondary' usually happens later in life.
My easiest solution is putting both hands in warm water for a few mins only and bingo! Fingers come back to life, but sadly you cannot carry a bowl of warm water around with you.
I've tried all sorts from silver-lined gloves to 'hotties'. The latter are ok but to be honest go cool too fast. The only answer is to prevent your hands/fingers getting cold in the first place. That is NOT EASY once outside and in the cold. Go inside a supermarket and mine, even with gloves on and one finger or two or three will be 'dead' in no time.
I'm just glad it happened to me later in life and not early. Last winter I'd taken a wiper arm off and by the time I was refitting it, my finger tips had gone dead by the time I was finishing and I dropped the retaining nut down in the engine bay while trying to screw it back on!
Raynaud's is becoming far more common than it was. Women fare worse than men, can start as early as your teens and carry on until 40s or later. I found this out when I was at a till in a supermarket and dropped my credit card as my cold fingers couldn't hold it. The assistant surprised me when she said 'Oh, you've got Raynaud's!' She was informed one of the girl assistants has gloves on all day because of having Raynaud's quite severe - 18 yrs old! I met her and we sometimes have a laugh and say 'How's your Raynaud's?'
My latest go to is these.
They look like a small computer mouse.
If your dad needs just the one, it might be a good buy, as he can have one spare on standby. Got mine 15 quid a pair on Amazon. There are loads on the site, I just picked randomly!
They charge up (lead etc inc) and really last well, I took both with me today and was out for almost 3 hrs and they still held the heat at the same temp. In fact, I was surprised and thought they'd last about half hour at most... I was wrong, temp retained. They can be set to temperature needed - they can be quite 'hot' if you need them to be. Easy to switch off/on and alter temp. I had them set at the highest temp, which is why I thought the heat would not last long, but then I hate the 'cold' with a vengeance, but love the 'sun' and 'warm'. We don't seem to have had any of the latter this year.
It also shows how people differ. I've seen some out today with bare legs and arms - probably the same ones who 'cover up' in the sun! LOL
Someone said about wearing warm clothing, body warmer etc, helps. Nah, makes no difference, I can be wrapped from head to toe, as it's only my hands/fingers that get cold. Body heat loss goes from parts exposed. About 10% max is lost through the bonce, so wearing a hat (of sorts, bobble whatever) helps that % loss, but the reality is it is of no help whatsoever to us with Raynaud's ie: our fingers!
I'm looking at Carpenter's Mate Gloves given some fingers are fully covered. Now just need to find a pair in Large
Do any sufferers get the chilblains, or is it just me?
Do any sufferers get the chilblains, or is it just me?
dandarez said:
My easiest solution is putting both hands in warm water for a few mins only and bingo! Fingers come back to life, but sadly you cannot carry a bowl of warm water around with you.
I've tried all sorts from silver-lined gloves to 'hotties'. The latter are ok but to be honest go cool too fast. The only answer is to prevent your hands/fingers getting cold in the first place. That is NOT EASY once outside and in the cold. Go inside a supermarket and mine, even with gloves on and one finger or two or three will be 'dead' in no time.
Someone said about wearing warm clothing, body warmer etc, helps. Nah, makes no difference, I can be wrapped from head to toe, as it's only my hands/fingers that get cold. Body heat loss goes from parts exposed. About 10% max is lost through the bonce, so wearing a hat (of sorts, bobble whatever) helps that % loss, but the reality is it is of no help whatsoever to us with Raynaud's ie: our fingers!
Edited the above post down but this is exactly me! My issue is as a mechanic I cannot have my hands in my pockets as I am using them all day. The ONLY solution I have for any kind of relief is the hot water way, fill the sink to above the depth of my hands with hot water and keep them there until I get pins and needles. I get a couple of hours of warm hands until my fingers go white and numb again .I've tried all sorts from silver-lined gloves to 'hotties'. The latter are ok but to be honest go cool too fast. The only answer is to prevent your hands/fingers getting cold in the first place. That is NOT EASY once outside and in the cold. Go inside a supermarket and mine, even with gloves on and one finger or two or three will be 'dead' in no time.
Someone said about wearing warm clothing, body warmer etc, helps. Nah, makes no difference, I can be wrapped from head to toe, as it's only my hands/fingers that get cold. Body heat loss goes from parts exposed. About 10% max is lost through the bonce, so wearing a hat (of sorts, bobble whatever) helps that % loss, but the reality is it is of no help whatsoever to us with Raynaud's ie: our fingers!
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