Teacher Tom Waltham from Huddersfield has proved to be a real class act when it comes to dealing with his mild Raynaud's but he's keen for his experience to be a lesson to others.
Raynaud's, a condition that affects an estimated 20% of the UK population with around 90% being women, results in painfully cold hands and feet. In a small number of people Raynaud's can be associated with other conditions such as scleroderma, a disease which affects the connective tissue, immune system and can damage the internal organs and their blood supply.
Luckily for Tom, 26, that has not been the case and he was quick to get an early diagnosis after first experiencing the symptoms a decade ago.
“I was walking to college one day and suddenly noticed I couldn't feel my fingers and toes. It was a warm day so it clearly wasn't the weather and when I got to college I noticed my fingers had turned white. They then started tingling almost like pins and needles.
“I immediately went to see my GP who recognised it as Primary Raynaud's and sent me for a couple of tests. Luckily there were no underlying conditions. It was just a case of circulation to my hands and feet,” added Tom who has been teaching for four years and hails originally from Hull.
“I started to wear gloves around the house and still do to this day when I'm at work. The doctors put me on Adalat Retard, a channel blocker with the active ingredient of Nifedipine, but I blew up like a tomato! They then prescribed another channel blocker in Amlodipine which I took for a few years.
“I then carried on taking herbal remedies such as ginkgo biloba and ginger extract which I still take to this day during the winter months.
“I combine this with wearing gloves and heating aids recommended by the Raynaud's & Scleroderma Association (RSA), a charity I found out about soon after discovering I had Raynaud's.
“The RSA was very supportive and helpful and answered any questions I had about the condition. Knowing that there were other people out there experiencing the same symptoms was a great relief, especially as a teenager growing up. I have since discovered that Raynaud's is very common in teenagers.
“My GP seemed to recognise the condition but looking back in hindsight I'm not too sure he knew all that much. I had another bout of Raynaud's when I was at university in Huddersfield and felt my GP there knew a lot more about it.
“They said it was highly likely that I'd grow out of it in my late twenties but was warned it could come back with a vengeance in later life.
“For a condition that affects so many millions of people in the UK you would have thought there would be more knowledge about Raynaud's,” added Tom who currently teaches at a primary school in Dewsbury.
Experiencing Raynaud's during his university years did have some impact on his academic studies as Tom confirmed: “I seemed to be affected a couple of times a week with painful cold hands lasting around 20 minutes. The attacks stopped me being able to type at a computer. Playing the violin or piano as part of my studies proved near impossible during an attack.
“People often used to ask why I wore gloves indoors and I simply had to explain that I had Raynaud's.
“I was lucky in the sense that I dealt with the issue quickly and was diagnosed almost immediately. The medical advice I received combined with the medications and the input of the RSA put me in a perfect position to cope with what could have been a debilitating condition,” concluded Tom.
If there's ever a lesson to be learnt from dealing effectively with Raynaud's then Tom is the perfect teacher!
