Living with Raynaud's Disease in New England

Having Raynaud's disease is a condition that causes certain areas of your body to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. The smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin narrow too much, limiting blood circulation to affected areas. In other words, if you have Raynaud's, then you are "allergic to the cold".

I met someone who was recommended by doctors to leave New England because it is not a comfortable place to be in when you are affected by the diesease. Unfortunetly, I have family and friends here and am not going to leave just so that I can feel warmer.

Some ways that I protect myself from the cold are:

1. Wearing gloves until May

2. Using a space heater to warm my room higher than 70 degrees F.

3. doing arm circles or other movement exercises when I become affected

4. using hand warmers if I am skiing or spending a long time outdoors

5. Not ever holding a cold drink in my hand, either placing it down on a table or have someone else hold it

6. never put away groceries that are meant to go in the freezer

7. ordering water with NO ice when going to restaurants

I dont feel that leaving New England would do me that much better. When I visit relatives in Texas, I find that everyone there has air conditioning, and sometimes the summers there feel much worse than being here because you are switching from extreme heat to cold often.

Ideally, if anyone would like to not ever experience these symptoms, I'd recommend going to a tropical place that does not have air conditioning. I recently visited Costa Rica and it was perfect for me there.

After I eat ice cream or have something very cold, my lips turn purple or get very cold and then I slur my words. I may sound drunk but I am not!!