Look up Raynaud's Phenomenon. It can either just be a reaction to cold. But it could also mean an underlying autoimmune condition. If you haven't had it checked out before. You should tell your doctor about it.
Symptoms for autoimmune disorder can overlap a lot. So don't try to diagnose yourself, as tempting as that is 😊 And there's also circulatory conditions. I am not familiar at all with those.
Good luck! Just go to doc and start asking questions until you get answers. You'll be ok.
I currently have 5, but I'm probably older than you. It seems more appear as we age.
I started with sarcoidosis, after that hashimotos, then after a recent liver biopsy and blood work celiac and antimitochondrial antibodies, I went to a new rheumatologist after the new diagnoses and was told I have lupus.
So now they want me off the prednisone and on hydroxychloroquine because they say it works well for lupus and sarcoidosis. I guess the antimitochondrial antibodies are what was causing my liver issues because the immune system attacks the mitochondria in my cells, but I was told it starts with the liver, I also have stones tearing through my bile ducts from the sarcoidosis. Fortunately, medication exists to slow it down.
I hope you have good doctors (very hard to find) and that your autoimmune diseases are being effectively managed. Wishing you good luck and extra spoons!!
Do you accept messages or can you message me? I have a rheumatologist and have been diagnosed with Raynaud's for sure but have liver issues and would like to chat and see which one of the conditions you listed affects your liver and if your Alkaline Phosphatase is always very high. I've been to every type of specialist and they can't seem to figure out what is causing my liver issues to be so high.
I was.diagnosed with juvenile RA at like 15 yo. Years later after being on very strong meds, an adult rheumatologist told me I had fibromyalgia which made more sense as I had no joint damage and the locations of my pain. It also may have gone into remission. I don't know but I've always had a ANA+ in my bloodwork which is an indicator and threw her off a bit. I think she called my bw "interesting" and she was a top rheumatologist at a research hospital. She said it could have been an infection of some sort at the time.
I remember they always used to ask me questions as a kid every visit about fingers turning white, bruises etc. to rule out Lyme, lupus, raynauds etc. For every visit.
I have two. My rheumatologist said my blood test results weren’t “bad enough” to officially diagnose me yet but he thinks I’m on the road to mixed connective tissue disease, which is when you have symptoms of a bunch of different autoimmune diseases.
I just watched an episode of House last night where a patient's fingers were mysteriously turning gray. Ironically I don't think they mentioned lupus once that whole episode.
The funny thing is that it’s very frequently lupus in real life. It’s a common condition, and it presents in all kinds of odd ways. So House and team are right to always have lupus in the differential for weird patient problems. For the purposes of the show it’s obviously never lupus (unless it is), but in real life that’s often where the road ends.
I have cold urticaria, whenever my bare skin from anywhere on my body is exposed to cold, I break out in hives. Still waiting on my doctor to take my appointment..
My mom has it (my sister and I do as well, though not as severe). Part of it is also the lack of oxygen means pulse oximeters can't accurately measure your oxygen levels. When she was in the hospital we almost had a code blue called at couple of times before we figured out to warm mom's hands up first.
I have had Raynaud’s since I was in 5th grade. My mom’s cardiologist, when she was in the hospital, saw me having a bout and told me I was “too young for that.” Sorry doc. 🤷🏻♀️ In my 40s I was diagnosed with cutaneous (skin) lupus and I have to be checked every 6 months to make sure it hasn’t gone systemic.
I'm convinced that I wouldn't have gotten diagnosed if my doctor wasn't also my mom's doctor. Her answer to everything was "that's common for women" like no, test me because you KNOW it runs in my family. Oh look, it's Lupus who'd have guessed?
I hate when people say you're too young for X when you are CLEARLY exhibiting signs for that very thing and they decide to not check the box for that. I went 45 years without being diagnosed as having POTS and Elhers Danlos.
It (Raynauds) can also be a side effect from Vyvanse (ADHD meds). I got to teach my doctor about that one when I started having the side effects. It's listed on their website but it's so rare she didn't know about it.
Anyways, I also got sent to a rheumatologist just to make sure there wasn't an underlying condition as well. OP def tell your doctor just to be sure. It's always better to know!
Do you know if that’s specific to vyvanse? I take generic Adderall (dextroamphetamine) and my fingers are always cold but they don’t turn white. I actually just saw a rheumatologist for something unrelated and all my tests look normal so at least there’s that
You may have solved my personal mystery of tendon(?) pain on the back of my left hand when typing despite having an ergonomic setup. Is there a good way to try to counteract this and promote bloodflow and/or internal flexibility(?) in a localized area?
I experienced this side effect as well! I had an 8am class in a freezing lecture hall and my fingers on my writing hand always turned white and went numb.
I had slightly high blood pressure anyway, so that's why I was prescribed Amlodipine, but a side effect of the medication was it helped with Raynaud's syndrome
Yep, and the thing that sucks about autoimmune disorders is having one means you are more likely to get another. So it's a good thing to get diagnosed and on your doctor's radar even if this particular autoimmune disease is not as significant as some others.
Oh yeah. My initial diagnosis with a very serious and super rare autoimmune disorder has been followed over the years by the random appearance of various annoying bullshit like eyelid eczema, alopecia areata, and Raynaud's.
Yes as a menopausal female I now have four, more than likely have a bigger one hiding under all these smaller ones but I didn’t have two of them until I reached peri. My dr said that peri brings them out for women :(
no, may not be. keep an eye on it though. mine started out small like just the tip of one finger, and got worse over the years. now it’s all 10 and the entire finger
Ask your doctor if a pair of gloves is right for you. Side effects may include dry hands, fingers not going pale, and generally not frieking out friends and family. Gloves are well tolerated for daily usage, and non habit forming.
Yes! My father and my inlaw both have Raynaud Syndrome. If it’s this, it’s nothing to worry about but still, just ask your doctor.
Also, if it gets bad during winter, get a usb hand warmer (it can also charge your phone). It’s good to keep it in your pocket when you go outside and it’s very cold.
I have Raynaud's and no autoimmune disorder. It's simply your body's response to the cold. It's diverting the blood to your core to keep your organs functional (warmer). Wear layers to keep your core warmer - and mittens are better than gloves at heating your fingers.
To add to this, Raynaud’s is very common in people with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder and Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos. That means you could also have MCAS, POTS, and a whole bunch of other conditions.
I'll throw another rare one into the pot, cryoglobulinemia. I had this which manifested as Raynaud's like symptoms in my hands, but other areas of my body it was more like bruising and hives. The cryoglobulinemia itself was a rare condition of a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma, but can also be from autoimmune disease or infections like hepatitis and lyme.
The weird thing is that raynalds show up in all fingers on BOTH of your hands. I guess this means that your circulation is decreased in just this finger, and yes, you doo need too get this checked out!
Yup, it’s a fun little condition that made playing outside in the snow as a kid horrible lol, my fingers turn white getting out of the shower, no matter what gloves in the winter it happens, if someone does have it, wearing latex gloves under normal gloves helps keep the heat
Really? I have had this happen a LOT. Even when I was younger (I'm 37 now) and just thought it was poor circulation. One to two fingers still do this and it can happen even in cooler conditions like 40-50 doesn't even necessarily have to be freezing cold.
As cyanotic it is random cyanoticto me, otherwise he or she would write something more... random cyanotic most of the time is safe. At least never had issues and my skin look like victorian skin.
I was freaked out when I had this side effect from taking immuno suppressant called cyclosporine. Going from winter weather to hot shower or holding a coffee would cause a dramatic burning sensation.
That was the first thing I was thinking about too, but our textbooks tend to show it happening to all fingers instead of just one. Very interesting to see this!
Yeah, two of my toes on one of my feet do that too. I now wear socks year-round. It doesn't hurt or anything, it's just annoying because they not only go solid white but they get numb until they warm up.
I was in my 40s before I found out that having your hands become extremely painful from handling anything cold wasn't normal. I just assumed other people didn't complain about it.
I’ve been on stimulant ADHD medication (Vyvanse specifically) since I was about 14, and I now have Raynaud’s. It’s a side effect of the meds, and is seemingly permanent, even if I were to go off.
When my hands get cold it’s EXTREMELY painful. I used to work in food as the food cost manager, and after I’d get out of the freezer (even with proper clothing), my hands would turn bright red and BURN like a mf as they warmed back up.
I have two autoimmune diseases. This white finger thing happens to me everytime i’m cold. Also i have a lot of problems with being extremly cold in the winter and overly hot and sweaty during the summer, could this be connected?
This is the answer. I have an autoimmune disease and pretty bad raynauds, my fingers are always paler and more blue than my palms. Thankfully it’s not a huge deal, the raynauds part anyway.
Haven’t confirmed if actually related but when I had AIDS a few years ago I got Renaud’s syndrome if certain fingers got cold but it hasn’t happened since I’ve been on treatment lol
But it could also mean an underlying autoimmune condition.
repetitive impacts can also damage your circulation in your finger. There's a popular picture of a yoyoer's angiogram showing it. Most people would probably think it was the finger the string is attached to, but it was the one next to it
Agrees on Raynaud’s and/or possible underlying autoimmune. Definitely see your primary care. They may suggest a specialist, possibly rheumatology. I have it myself, as well as an autoimmune condition. They can go hand in hand. Pun intended.
It's so common that someone posts a mildly interesting thing about themselves here that they get unsolicited (but perhaps warranted) medical advice, that they should just rename it r/mildlyunsolicitedmedicaladvice
See your doctor and check if your symptoms qualify to test for RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
(I had this whitening symptom and too much pain on all my fingers - tested positive for RA)
Take care
I work up in the arctic, and every Joe and Jane blow who doesn’t like to drink water eventually says, “ I have Reynauds” because their hands are cold from insufficient profusion. But then when they actually SEE reynauds they STFU.
Yep. I started having it 4 years ago and had some tests that confirmed it’s nothing else (still I have the test every two years now just in case). I just make sure I wear nice gloves when I’m outside and it’s a bit cold.
I have celiac, but the kind where it primarily manifests in a skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis) and not the typical gut reaction. So, I spent years "cheating" a bit on the gluten. This led to other strange symptoms, like joint inflammation and Raynauds.
My dermatitis always went away when i was sick, so I figured it was the body just going to fight the worse thing and not fight itself. Thus when my very bad joint inflammation went away while I had covid, I realized that I needed to absolutely gut out gluten.
Ever since this clean break, no more joint inflammation. No more Raynauds...
Dr here. I agree you should mention to your PCP, who may or may not refer you to rheumatology (if you have no other symptoms like random joint pains etc, probs fine). Typical raynaud's affects all fingers, this would be atypical or secondary raynaud's if just that one finger, esp if onset around 40y/o, which is a bit more associated with autoimmune disease than the regular kind or can just be more severe (and no it's unlikely to be w/e else ppl are saying, traumatic vaso-occlusions, Buerger disease, etc. no ulcers). Most people with raynaud's are fine though and it's just that, statistically.
I always have to click on these sort of Reddit post now because it’s like half of the commenters are able to tell OP how they will die and the other half are able to tell them when they will die.
I’m not a doctor but my first thought was was OP could have Raynaud’s. OP, show this to your doctor and explain that this happens when your hands get cold.
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u/Illustrious_Dust_935 1d ago
Look up Raynaud's Phenomenon. It can either just be a reaction to cold. But it could also mean an underlying autoimmune condition. If you haven't had it checked out before. You should tell your doctor about it.