Hi Everyone,
I haven't posted in a long time. Since 2014 I've very slowly developed a number of strange symptoms two of them being Raynaud's and Livedo Reticularis (mottled skin on my knees and thighs that is quite unsightly), but the mottled skin goes away when I am horizontal laying in bed, in the bathtub, or with my feet up on the couch.
There is primary Raynaud's and secondary. Primary usually happens when you are young and secondary happens later in life and is usually associated with an autoimmune disease. When I was younger I was always warm no matter what when my co-workers would be in sweaters. My doctor did some blood tests but not all of them were approved by my insurance company but the ones that were able to be done didn't show anything unusual. He said they would have if I had an autoimmune disease.
So since then I've been on a mission to determine the cause. Internet searches said beta blockers were associated with Raynaud's but it was just one study. Another said unopposed estrogen could cause it. But in all the searches it said emotional stress could bring it on! I've made an appointment with an endocrinologist, also with my GP regarding going on Nifedipine which I read might help, I called my menopause doctor to try progesterone since I take bioidentical estrogen, even though I thought if estrogen causes this why didn't I have it when I was younger??? None of this makes any sense. And then Dr Sarno popped into my brain remembering what he said about decreased blood flow and oxygen which is exactly what Raynaud's is. This brought me back here and I read Caulfield's posts about his symptoms.
Early on I didn't really pay attention to my symptoms because they would come and go and not be severe. But when my hairdresser gasped at my legs because they looked bruised I decided I needed to do something. Since then I've devoted all my time to figuring this out. It just dawned on my this week that what a great distraction this has been. Lately the Raynaud's and mottled skin have been the worse they have ever been and while I know they aren't serious I'm kind of vain and their appearance really bothers me. All this is TMS isn't it? I can't believe it has taken me this long to figure this out.
I was even thinking about stopping my high blood pressure medication but that would be dangerous. Should I not go to the doctor appointments I've got coming up since that doctor who diagnosed me didn't think the Raynaud's means I have an autoimmune disease? I will start the Progesterone though because it is good for other things and will tell myself that I'm not taking it to get rid of the Raynaud's symptoms. Should I just ignore it and act as if I don't have these symptoms? I did that with neck pain I had for 1.5 years and it went away.
Plum, I just read one of your posts about some books by David Fink. Do you think they would help me? I agree about what you said about Dr. Sarno:"In many ways Sarno's work is a poor dilution of Fink. Fink's books are generous in explanations and ways of recovering and living a full and beautiful life. Sarno's are woolly and although based upon psychodynamic theory are surprisingly thin on suitable explanations".
I haven't posted in a long time. Since 2014 I've very slowly developed a number of strange symptoms two of them being Raynaud's and Livedo Reticularis (mottled skin on my knees and thighs that is quite unsightly), but the mottled skin goes away when I am horizontal laying in bed, in the bathtub, or with my feet up on the couch.
There is primary Raynaud's and secondary. Primary usually happens when you are young and secondary happens later in life and is usually associated with an autoimmune disease. When I was younger I was always warm no matter what when my co-workers would be in sweaters. My doctor did some blood tests but not all of them were approved by my insurance company but the ones that were able to be done didn't show anything unusual. He said they would have if I had an autoimmune disease.
So since then I've been on a mission to determine the cause. Internet searches said beta blockers were associated with Raynaud's but it was just one study. Another said unopposed estrogen could cause it. But in all the searches it said emotional stress could bring it on! I've made an appointment with an endocrinologist, also with my GP regarding going on Nifedipine which I read might help, I called my menopause doctor to try progesterone since I take bioidentical estrogen, even though I thought if estrogen causes this why didn't I have it when I was younger??? None of this makes any sense. And then Dr Sarno popped into my brain remembering what he said about decreased blood flow and oxygen which is exactly what Raynaud's is. This brought me back here and I read Caulfield's posts about his symptoms.
Early on I didn't really pay attention to my symptoms because they would come and go and not be severe. But when my hairdresser gasped at my legs because they looked bruised I decided I needed to do something. Since then I've devoted all my time to figuring this out. It just dawned on my this week that what a great distraction this has been. Lately the Raynaud's and mottled skin have been the worse they have ever been and while I know they aren't serious I'm kind of vain and their appearance really bothers me. All this is TMS isn't it? I can't believe it has taken me this long to figure this out.
I was even thinking about stopping my high blood pressure medication but that would be dangerous. Should I not go to the doctor appointments I've got coming up since that doctor who diagnosed me didn't think the Raynaud's means I have an autoimmune disease? I will start the Progesterone though because it is good for other things and will tell myself that I'm not taking it to get rid of the Raynaud's symptoms. Should I just ignore it and act as if I don't have these symptoms? I did that with neck pain I had for 1.5 years and it went away.
Plum, I just read one of your posts about some books by David Fink. Do you think they would help me? I agree about what you said about Dr. Sarno:"In many ways Sarno's work is a poor dilution of Fink. Fink's books are generous in explanations and ways of recovering and living a full and beautiful life. Sarno's are woolly and although based upon psychodynamic theory are surprisingly thin on suitable explanations".
