Most people dislike the cold, but Raynaud's makes it sheer agony for TV presenter Jenni Falconer
Most people would envy Jenni Falconer’s job on GMTV’s Entertainment Today, interviewing some of the biggest stars in showbiz at red carpet events. But when that premiere is taking place on a cold, wintry evening, it’s not quite as much fun for Jenni as she makes it appear, for she suffers from a circulatory condition that means just a gust of wind can temporarily cut off circulation to her fingers and feet, causing agonising pain.
“I can’t allow it to rule my life, but there are times when my fingers go so numb when I’m doing an interview that it’s difficult for me to hold the microphone”, she admits.
Jenni first noticed symptoms of the condition when she was 16. “I was at school and my right index finger became so numb I couldn’t control my pen”, she says. “It turned white, then bright red and was really painful.”
Initially Jenni ignored it, thinking it was a freak incident, but it began occurring more frequently until, at the age of 18, she went to see her doctor and was diagnosed with Raynaud’s.
There are two forms of the condition. Primary Raynaud’s is triggered by the cold and sometimes stress, although doctors don’t know what the underlying cause is. Secondary Raynaud’s derives from medical problems such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma.
Jenni suffers from primary Raynaud’s. “The doctor said that there’s sometimes a hereditary link, but no one in my family has it”, she says. “There’s also no cure and, although medication to manage the condition is available, I don’t take it because it can cause migraines - which I already suffer with - and blood clots.”
Since her diagnosis, Jenni’s condition has worsened. “It’s gone from something that was freaky but didn’t bother me to something that affects all my fingers, toes and even my feet”, she says. “My feet can get so numb that I feel they’re like china and could shatter if I walk on them. When the blood starts flowing again it’s so painful, like someone is stabbing me with cocktail sticks.”
Despite not allowing the condition to rule her life, living with Raynaud’s means that some outdoor activities, such as running in winter or skiing, are a no-go area. “One year when I went skiing my foot became numb and then felt like it was burning. I had to take my boot off at the top of a slope and stick my foot into the snow to cool it down, which didn’t help at all.”
With no hope of a cure, Jenni, who lives in London with her partner James Midgley of Cutting It fame, has learned to cope with her condition. “I take heat pads with me wherever I go when it’s cold and a little box that I can light charcoal in, which a co-producer gave me”, she explains. And luckily I work with some great people who are always giving me hand rubs between filming when I’m outside, which really helps.”
An upside of the condition, she adds jokingly, is that she gets some great Christmas presents. “I get a lot of woollies for Christmas. Last year I got socks that heat up, lavender-scented pocket heaters, pillows that heat up, hot water bottles. I love them all!”
Bar moving to a warmer country, there isn’t much else Jenni can do. “It’s painful and it isn’t fun when I have to stand outside in the cold’, she says, “but that’s why I love my job on Entertainment Today - at least I’m in the studio most of the time!”
Article taken from Now Magazine
