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- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (https://www.neurotalk.org/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/)

- - Discoloration (https://www.neurotalk.org/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/8474-discoloration.html)

I was wonderig how many others get dicoloration. The other day I was out for a walk in the woods and when I got home my pinky and ring finger on he left had a blue/puprle color that I still have and on the right same 2 fingers are mottled. I learned when I first got TOS learned about the swelling the hard way trying to get my wedding band off so now I wear it on a chain around my neck. But I never did hear anything about such discoloration, I did not bang it or anything it just hapened! Than again it was 15-20s F /6.5-7 C and with the CRPS my hands burn from the cold should see during mid summer in the frozen foods section, me wearing gloves, because the cold make my fingers to burn!

Blue in the summer

Hi Mark, I missed your call, I was with the son yesterday.
Do your fingers do this in the summer if you walk?
Both factors could have aggrivated, the walking and it being in the teens, with the wind chill factor it was about 0* yesterday. I could not imagine walking yesterday, even from the car to the school and stores KILLED ME! It was 4* when I got Katie up for school!

From shivering and holding myslef tight from the cold, I had a whammy of a headach. Not disabling level but enough I had to take a few doses of medicines.

I had my wedding band resized two whole sizes from the TOS. It had designs on it, so tough to do, but it is so tight again, I went to a thinner band now.

I was thinking if a normal persons hands get frozen cold and feel yucky, I can bet that a TOSer with a lack of good cirulation could have worse symptoms.

Having the poor circulation along with it being icy cold, look how people get frostbite...IT is their toes and fingers that get it first....from medical point, do you know why? I never read about it, but it must relate to why TOS have the blue fingers?

Hey, could you be more suseptable to frostbite in the freezer section!

When you walk next time, put one of those hand warmers in like you use hunting, put on a fanny pack so you can rest easily your hands, or put each hand in the otehr sleve! Keep on good gloves with thinsulate too!

I have to do shopping today, will send you a mail or drop in to chat later.
Di

I think that the medical explanation for why your fingers and toes (and then arms and legs) lose circulation when you get cold is that its just your bodys self-defense mechanisms kicking in - your fingers and toes are less vital than the core of your body, so your body does everything it can to keep the blood flowing and keep your core warm. i'm no doc, but thats what i think the reason is....

I get this all the time. Even just siiting in my chair, my hands are cold and sometimes turn colors. It is just as Dabbo said. The blood when coldness strikes goes to your inner organs as they are more vital. If you have any vascular issues and the bloodflow to your hands is already reduced, it only complicates the situation.
tracy

Two of the things that can cause discoloration of the palm of the hands and fingers are RSD and Raynolds Phenomen. Not sure I spelled that right. The RSD can cause pink and white blotchy hands and fingers and I do believe others have talked about purple and blue. The cold also comes with the CRPS or RSD. My right hand gets those colors and stays cold at times. My feet also do it. The nurse put socks on my feet in the hospital because she said my feet were like ice.

You might want to go to Dr. Hooshmand's sight and read up on the discoloration of RSD.

Ada

I know when I get chilled or cold - I tend to clamp my arms to my sides and hunch my shoulders/neck against the cold.

this tightens up the armpits/ pec minor areas.
maybe making that whole area get tight and then clamps down on the structures there - nerves, muscles and lymph nodes.

I wonder if you or someone gently tries a lymph massage for those places if it would relieve some of it or not?

lymph info & technique
they updated the look of their site- it seems to have more detailed info now too -on the muscles and everything - {from our stickys}

http://deeptissue.com/articles/lymphatic_article.html
http://deeptissue.com/articles/lymph_technieque.html
http://deeptissue.com/learn/learn.htm

glove-wearers, unite!

Hi Mark, I get something similar but a little different. After walking on a warm day my hands will be swollen and will look really freaky - the knuckles will be all white and the fingers will be swollen and red - quite attractive!! None of my doctors, including Dr. Togut, have been able to explain that one. You mention your fingers burning from the cold - have you noticed them being overly sensitivity to cold? If so, it could be Raynaud's phenomenon, as DreamBeliever suggested. I have Raynaud's. When your hands do turn cold, have you noticed whether they also turn ghostly white? When I have a Raynaud's attack - which can be triggered by something as simple as brushing my teeth in cold water, or, like you say, the frozen foods section - my fingers will turn completely white and burn, ache, and turn numb. As they come back to life they turn bright red and purple and feel like electricity is running through them - it's horrible. (I wear gloves to the grocery store year-round, and living in Texas I do get some strange looks!:eek: ) Is that similar to what happens to your hands in the cold? Just a thought.

Hugs,
Nolina:

I thought the blue and mottled appearance was a clear sign of venous TOS, a situation where blood can flow into the arm, but a compressed vein keeps it from being able to flow out again.

see this link, I can't find exactly what I am looking for, but this is similar, and I don't have time to keep looking. here

Be careful...perhaps put a call in to your doctor if you haven't had the blue color before.

Have a good evening everyone-
Johanna

PS, this type of TOS is more prevalent in men....

Hi Mark,
Do You have inflammation going on?

Does your arm feel heavy?

When you press above the clavicle is the pain more intense?

Are you like light headed at times?

I think us, the unlucky ones got this vein and vascular stuff from a rough injury, or being very physically active.

I had subclavicle compression and vein. PM me Mark if you want. Hugs, Roz