Today I mentioned my finger/anaemia issue to a co-worker that I only see on my Sunday shift. They took one look at my blotches and said, "Well Mate, you may be anaemic, but those spots aren't going to go away with vitamins. That's called Chilblains, I get it too [showed me their hands], it's actually really common. There's nothing you can do about it but don't worry too much, you'll only see it in the Winter." WTF?!
Two seconds on a Google image search confirmed their diagnosis, and once I read about the condition using the link above there was no denying that's what is ravaging my fingers. I wondered why the Virginian MD failed to mention this dermatological scourge, but I assume she thought the anaemia was related, if not the cause, so addressing that issue took precedence. Interestingly, all the information about this malady comes from sources outside of the US. It doesn't seem to be a popular topic there, probably because it can't be cured by something made by Pfizer.
So, Chilblains afflicts people with poor circulation and therefore experience frequently cold extremities. The majority of people get sores on their feet, but hands and even earlobes and noses are also common. Though my feet seem to be fine, my hands haven't been warm sine 2007 (seriously, that's when I broke my internal heater my burning off it's fuel source; aka, lost weight). I believe the most likely cause in my case is, again, poor nutrition; going back to my anaemia and related issues.
Anyway, something squirrely happens to the underlying vasculature when people, like me, have cold extremities and they touch something hot or otherwise warm up these areas too fast. When I read that statement I thought back to the first time I noticed my sore spots. I was in the lab at Hospira, and my favorite way to pass the overnight shift was to load and unload the dishwasher. The dishes that came out of this washer were no less than a million degrees, and since my hands were always freezing I loved putting them away fresh out of the washer. Coincidentally it was also dead Winter and I'd run out of Vitamin D pills, a disputed remedy for Chilblains. Interestingly, I'd been washing dishes for months in that lab, but never developed the sores until then. Flash forward to my NZ migration. I can pin-point the reappearance of the blotches and precisely two things come to mind: One, I had ran out of both my Vitamin C and Multi-Vitamins, and two, I had started doing a protocol for Total Ash almost every day. This particular protocol requires me to heat silica crucibles to 600C. I'd always wear an oven mitt when removing them from the furnace, but people marvelled as I frequently took them in and out of the 105C oven without any gloves to weigh them to obtain my result. Not to mention that since my hands are perpetually cold, I love to submerge them in hot-as water or just rest my hands on top of heaters, ovens and steam baths. I've even been known to place them in my toaster oven for a bit when I'm particularly desperate.
On the bright side my outbreak, painful and ugly though it may be, is nothing compared to some of the more severe cases I saw on my image search. Be thankful that I didn't share them, but if I wanted to inspire nightmares, I could have shown some. Though images of Chilblains aren't nearly as bad as 'Black Hairy Tongue.' (Note: WebMD link does not immediately show a picture, give it serious consideration before actually looking at an image; it's impossible to un-see.)
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| Apparently I should be wearing gloves 24-7 |
So, Chilblains afflicts people with poor circulation and therefore experience frequently cold extremities. The majority of people get sores on their feet, but hands and even earlobes and noses are also common. Though my feet seem to be fine, my hands haven't been warm sine 2007 (seriously, that's when I broke my internal heater my burning off it's fuel source; aka, lost weight). I believe the most likely cause in my case is, again, poor nutrition; going back to my anaemia and related issues.
Anyway, something squirrely happens to the underlying vasculature when people, like me, have cold extremities and they touch something hot or otherwise warm up these areas too fast. When I read that statement I thought back to the first time I noticed my sore spots. I was in the lab at Hospira, and my favorite way to pass the overnight shift was to load and unload the dishwasher. The dishes that came out of this washer were no less than a million degrees, and since my hands were always freezing I loved putting them away fresh out of the washer. Coincidentally it was also dead Winter and I'd run out of Vitamin D pills, a disputed remedy for Chilblains. Interestingly, I'd been washing dishes for months in that lab, but never developed the sores until then. Flash forward to my NZ migration. I can pin-point the reappearance of the blotches and precisely two things come to mind: One, I had ran out of both my Vitamin C and Multi-Vitamins, and two, I had started doing a protocol for Total Ash almost every day. This particular protocol requires me to heat silica crucibles to 600C. I'd always wear an oven mitt when removing them from the furnace, but people marvelled as I frequently took them in and out of the 105C oven without any gloves to weigh them to obtain my result. Not to mention that since my hands are perpetually cold, I love to submerge them in hot-as water or just rest my hands on top of heaters, ovens and steam baths. I've even been known to place them in my toaster oven for a bit when I'm particularly desperate.
So, we've now identified the cause, what about the treatment? Amongst many debated remedies such as vitamins and ointments, the only real treatment for Chilblains is to stay warm and not allow the extremities to experience intense temperature fluctuations. What kind of fucking treatment is that?! It presupposes that I'm cold and/or have poor circulation by choice. If I stayed in an environment that was maintained at my optimal temperature I don't think I'd like my other companions, because surely I'd be in Hell. Shit, sometimes I actually think that my high heat tolerance means I'm the Mother of Dragons, or at least have Targaryen blood! I've said it before and I'll say it again, shedding my insulation and thus my ability to keep myself warm is the only thing I regret about losing weight. It was an unforeseen consequence. The only time I feel authentic internal warmth is after 15 minutes of high intensity cardio. It's no wonder I'm a gym-junkie! Anyway, the only remedy I plan to try is to stop picking up things that would melt the skin of an ordinary person and hopes that helps.
On the bright side my outbreak, painful and ugly though it may be, is nothing compared to some of the more severe cases I saw on my image search. Be thankful that I didn't share them, but if I wanted to inspire nightmares, I could have shown some. Though images of Chilblains aren't nearly as bad as 'Black Hairy Tongue.' (Note: WebMD link does not immediately show a picture, give it serious consideration before actually looking at an image; it's impossible to un-see.)
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