Raynaud's Awareness Month

February is Raynaud’s Awareness Month however, for Raynaud’s sufferers, every single day, no whatever the month, is a Raynaud’s day because there is no cure. And yet Raynaud’s Phenomenon is a condition thought to affect up to ten million people in the UK and it can be incredibly painful both physically and emotionally.

Raynauds Awareness Month takes place every February, one of the coldest months of the year, to raise awareness of this disorder and offers help and advice not only to sufferers but also to their friends and families too.

In 2018, Raynaud’s Awareness Month called on everyone to #KnowRaynauds and share when and where you had your #FirstFlare in order to create greater awareness and understanding of the condition.

What Is Raynaud’s Disease?

Raynaud’s is the constriction of blood vessels in response to a decrease in temperature, and/or stress. This narrowing of the blood vessels can be extremely painful, accompanied with a burning or tingling sensation.

The symptoms can cause an extremely visible three-way colour change to the affected area, which can include any site on the body. The hands and feet are most commonly affected, but the ears, nose, and tongue, among other sites, can be affected also.

Raynaud’s can be present on its own, where it is called Primary Raynaud’s, or it can appear along with another medical condition, like an autoimmune disease such as Scleroderma (that I was diagnosed with last year), or Lupus etc where it is known as Secondary Raynaud’s.

Drug treatments can target symptom suppression, however the more potent the drug, the more intense the side effect. If Raynaud’s symptoms are not managed correctly, digital ulceration, gangrene, and even amputation can result.

Examples of mild Raynaud’s Disease the day I wrote this blog post

Future Raynaud’s Posts & Support

Due to the fantastic response, this Instagram photo I posted had for my beautiful friend Paige Joanna’s Christmas Confidence campaign, that I followed up with this blog post, I’ve decided to start a specific series for the purposes of sharing and raising Raynaud’s events and awareness throughout the year. So if you are already suffering from Raynaud’s Disease, or think you are and would love support, please do get involved, so that together we can raise awareness of this debilitating condition.

In the meantime, whilst I start creating this series, please include any additional comments you think are important for awareness and education purposes. In addition please do also share this post with anyone, anywhere, who you think it will have an impact on.

Once I start the series the posts will be linked and updated in this post for easy reference but I also have a dedicated Raynaud’s section to my blog right here. I’ll be discussing everything from a much-loved fingerless glove company I’m reviewing, to natural therapies I love to add to how I manage this condition day to day.

Meanwhile here are some very useful links to hold dear. A huge thank you to everyone who engages with this post. It would mean the absolute world to me and the many other people that suffer from Raynaud’s. And a big thank you my darling friend Paige Joanna for these photos!

Raynaud’s Disease Resources:

Raynaud’s Disease Blog Posts so far: