... I have honest-to-goodness chilblains.

[kaberett]

I thought you weren't supposed to get those unless you were, like, a servant in a Victorian novel. Body, no.

Also if anyone has any bright ideas about the intersection of "Reynaud's" and "sensory processing disorder" with respect to "slippers" or otherwise keeping my feet warm, that'd be great, bearing in mind that the main thing that sets the Reynaud's off is my extremities having even the vaguest inkling that they might have ever met the concept of cold. (I am currently trying to work out if there are a pair of sufficiently bulky non-allergenic socks around that I can just wear those as a second layer.)

Comments

[littlebutfierce]

:((((( I didn't realize chilblains were a thing either.

[kaberett]

I mean on the upside I now don't have to go talk to my doctor about Why My Feet Hurt?

[ghoti]

Fleece socks?

a la http://m.llbean.com/product.html?skCatId=70789&bc=474-906#70789

[kaberett]

Huh, good to know about -- thank you!

[rydra_wong]

How do you find bamboo socks? They work very well for me in sensory terms -- if you can tolerate them against your skin, then maybe they could be a base layer with something else (or a second pair of socks) over the top?

[kaberett]

Hmm. I'm doing alright at having cotton socks as a base layer but I should perhaps consider bamboo as well (I'm using double layers of socks now; the main sensory problem is having something loose-ish banging around underneath my ankles).

[highlyeccentric]

I have had those too! Ugh.

Double-layering your socks, yup. In the short term, a heat-pad thing (not directly on the skin) and wrap it and your feets both in a pleasing blanket?

[kaberett]

Yeah, I thiiiink my plan at this point while I'm hanging around A's during the day is going to be "stick the suspicious microwave owl/a hot water bottle in the pile of blanket and put my feet sort of near it". And also be a bit more careful about showering, ugh.

[hilarita]

Walking socks? They give me fewer sensory issues than ordinary socks (now I look out for those things), and it means I don't have to worry about not noticing that my feet are cold.

[kaberett]

*nod* -- currently borrowing a pair of A's hiking socks (mine are all in Cambridge Cambs) over the top of my normal cotton ones. (Part of the problem is that my feet can routinely be colder, inside two layers of socks and boots, having been inside for four hours, than the feet of people who've been walking around outside in one layer of socks and ordinary shoes. :-/)

[jelazakazone]

I got chilblains. I had the same reaction. For me, it was a combination of my feet being cold and wet. I used powder and the problem went away.

Are you allergic to wool?

[kaberett]

Alas yes all animal fibres are a No. (They're normally less No on parts of my body that aren't my throat and face -- I have a significant aversion to ending up with my jawline itching in allergic response, oddly enough -- so I can usually get away with wool trousers, but using a known allergen against inflamed/irritated skin seems like a... poor life choice.)

[sidheag.livejournal.com]

I used to get chillblains (when living in on the third floor of a house that was only heated on the ground floor: probably, in fact, in the very room the Victorian servant would have slept in earlier...). Sympathy. The sensory stuff is so personal that maybe the only thing to do is to suggest lots of alternatives, but cashmere and alpaca are both also materials worth considering if you don't already know you hate them.

[kaberett]

Ha! Poor servants. :-/

Alas animal fibres aren't an option for me, but I shall Continue Thinking.

[feanelwa]

Er, nope, I had chilblains from ages 5 to 18. They itch like fuck. I have no useful advice except wear leggings and trousers at the same time because it's the goddamn ankles that let the cold in every time.

[feanelwa]

Though I have spent most of my life feeling like a Victorian servant, so maybe it fits.

[j00j]

Here via littlebutfierce. Imagine my dismay when I discovered a few years ago that chilblains were a thing and that I, in fact, had them, thanks to Reynaud's.
I don't have a sensory processing disorder, so I'm not sure how helpful my comments will be, but a few things that have helped me...
- layering socks has been tricky because often they seem to become too tight, limiting circulation. Also hard to wear in shoes/boots unless I buy a large enough pair that the shoes don't interfere with circulation. Too tight= bad for Reynaud's.
- I like to wear loose, fleecy socks (usually synthetic; wool can irritate me) around the house and to bed. They keep me warm without irritating my skin. My ankles get itchy if I'm wearing more constricting socks for too long, for whatever reason. So I've been trying a lot of different socks over the years. Sock Dreams has been a good source since they let you search by material, and for looser socks, warm socks, etc, but you may want to look elsewhere for UK shipping unless there's a good sale.
- A lot of the stuff I've read on Reynaud's says that sudden temperature changes can be a trigger-- I think that's my usual one (other people have exercise-induced Reynaud's, or it's induced by vibrations like working with machinery or riding a motorcycle). So I try to avoid doing things like stepping on a cold tile floor with warm feet, or going directly into a scalding hot shower with cold feet (as tempting as that is). Being a bit more cautious sometimes helps me avoid getting to the point of having chilblains.
- Being in a less drafty home and having carpeted flooring (as much as I otherwise dislike it) has helped me. The worst time of year is usually when I visit my parents in Illinois for Christmas-- it's a colder climate and an old, drafty house with hard wood flooring. Family time is worth it, but I've had to learn to be really careful there.
- I historically haven't been a big fan of slippers-- I like feeling the floor under my feet and would go barefoot all year if I could get away with it, but I can't because LOL Reynaud's. But I got these http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1e68/ for Christmas and they're ridiculously poofy and super warm (like my feet actually get *hot* in them sometimes!) and just generally silly, so I enjoy them. However, they're made with inexpensive synthetics and that may very well not be good with sensory issues. The bulk may also be a trip hazard for some.
- Other thing that help when I'm at home: Having a heating pad or a rice/grain filled thing to heat in the microwave and put at the end of the bed. A heated mattress pad would also probably be great if I were in a colder climate, since getting into a cold bed means it takes forever for my feet to be warm even if the rest of me is.

Being out and about is trickier, particularly when I'm waiting for a late train in the cold. Moving around to the extent I can helps a bit, but I've often wished it was as easy to get some kind of foot warmer into my boots as it is to stick them into gloves (my fingers almost never do the Reynaud's thing). I'd do it before leaving the office if I *knew* the train was going to be late, but if I knew that, I'd delay leaving the damn office! So I'm still working on that.

Exercise is the one time my feet are consistently warm, so I don't have a problem being outdoors for running/walking as long as I'm wearing decent socks and shoes with enough room.

Your mileage may vary with all of this. I hope some of it is remotely helpful.

[worlds_of_smoke]

wrt: toe warmers: there are these and similar products. I haven't used them, but maybe it'd be worth getting a couple to toss in your purse so you can put them in your shoes if you need to wait for the train.

[birke]

I don't know what sensations you have the most problems with or what your animal-ethics settings are, but.... when I was a child I had a pair of fur-lined moccasins and they felt wonderful. (Actual fur.)

[kaberett]

I'm a bit shrug about the ethics of it; in practice I'm allergic to animal fibres and while I can normally get away with them on my lower body, the combination of known allergen + inflamed/irritated skin is probably one to avoid! Thank you for the suggestion, though, it is definitely a form factor of possible footwear to keep in mind.

[vass]

WTAF, kab's body? :(

I just did some online research, and apparently there's such a thing as toe warmers. Like those disposable heat pads for period pain or muscle pain, but designed to be worn inside socks and shoes.

[kaberett]

Nod. I'd be a little concerned that those would encourage me to fuck up my posture worse (if standing) or hit the sudden-temperature-change risk criterion, but they're definitely something to bear in mind - thank you.

[syderia]

I very recently acquired a variation of these (the ones on the left in the row of three types) and they are very warm, and fluffy and soft. (They supposedly have aloe vera in them, which might be an allergen).

[kaberett]

Thank you for the link! Aloe vera is in fact something I'm fine with, thank goodness. :-)

[azurelunatic]

Seconding the heat-pad-and-blanket idea.

Also due to sizing, allergens, and sensory, the best oversock might be a knit one? Which of course does not address the immediate WHAT THE FUCK, FEET thing.

[kaberett]

but I don't WANT to knit one uuuugh. (on the other hand having made a positive identification of what is wrong with my feet I can take appropriate action to hopefully stop it getting worse without having to go see a doctor, hurrah.)

[shanaqui]

Silk socks have proven the best for my Raynaud's, and come in a variety of textures from smooth to ribbed, and can be knitted on spec too. I definitely recommend silk, so warm.

[kaberett]

Alas it's an animal fibre and (in a constraint I didn't mention) I'm basically allergic to all of them, yes, including silk (it is VERY FRUSTRATING to be a knitter, let me tell you). So while I can normally get away with animal fibres on my lower body, I think the combination of known allergen + inflamed/irritated/delicate skin is probably not a brilliant plan. WOE.

[ewt]

Not sure which sensory things are going to be a problem for you but I can talk about what works for me:

For wearing around the house I have a pair of Crocs that keep my feet fairly warm, at least to the point that I really notice how cold my feet get if I don't wear them. They're quite loose, so if I need extra socks I can wear them easily, and they're very lightweight. I also wear them in the shower (sans socks!) as they stop me slipping. What they don't do is anything to keep my ankles warm. I have quite an assortment of socks, and also some leg-warmers (often made by cutting the arms off jumpers that just don't fit me anymore or that I don't wear because they don't fit quite properly or whatever).

Before I took to wearing the Crocs, my favourite slippers were a pair of boot-type things made of 2 or 3 layers of old coats and jumpers. Moths ate them and I was sad. :-( I know it's possible to get things like this in synthetics if wool is a problem; another option might be some kind of lining in a fabric that is usually okay for you. There are also down-filled (or equivalent) ones from camping shops, usually called 'booties' or 'tent slippers' or similar, there are a bunch reviewed at http://www.trailspace.com/gear/booties/ and I think I saw something similar at UNIQLO once, but it was a few years ago.

I keep meaning to take a pair of cotton canvas lace-up boots with zips (like the 'All-Star' sneakers, but boots) and attach lots of scrumble to the outside to make them into warm boots, but I haven't done it yet.

[kaberett]

Hmm, this is lots of good pointers, thank you, and the Crocs are an excellent point -- they're a style of not-boot shoe I tend to tolerate better than most, and if I recall correctly they do a fleece-lined version.

[adeliej]

I haven't read through all the comments, but I get chillblains occasionally -- what tends to be the culprit is fast temperature changes. (Walking outside in bare feet in whatever passes for winter in east-coast Australia then getting into a hot bath will reliably do it.) Not so much the actual cold. (Avoiding things heating up quickly has allowed me to avoid getting chillblains while still having my extremities go numb from cold semi-regularly! it's great.)

[kaberett]

I think the issue might be the combination of my partner's flat's (lack of) insulation (it gets substantially colder than other places I've lived over the last few years) and the shower, which does The Thing of having a setting of "too cold" and a setting of "too hot" -- I think I'm getting a steeper temperature gradient because of how cold the house gets. So that's something for me to think about, yeah. :-s

[untonuggan]

for my sensory issues + i have plantar fasciitis or something something + blood pooling in my legs, so i have to be super careful with feet/socks, I do best with Smartwool socks or sometimes the kind they design for bicyclists or hikers. regular slippers give me shit support, but i have some clogs that are lined with fleece. (merrell encore ice) and they work well when i need slippers.

<3

best of luck. <3

[kaberett]

Heh, sounds like socks are probably the way forward, yeah. URGH why does nobody make slippers that don't drive me to distraction (I'm currently looking at some fleece-lined Crocs that are at well under half price and going "... I can't actually imagine being able to think while wearing you so I'm inclined to... just... not... bother...")

[pseudomonas]

I dunno about socks but am getting to be a huge fan of heated throws (easier to heat just me than my whole chilly flat), and heated slippers are likewise A Thing that the internet will sell you. Also, and I know this might not help too much if you have poor circulation, but cotton or silk long-johns can be got.

[pseudomonas]

these days throws are all thermostatically controlled so no burn risk.

[davidgillon]

Interesting intersections in not liking slippers as a rule, but I'm one of those people who's usually barefoot around the house,and I've a warm house, so I haven't had to do much in the way of having had to work out solutions. I have experimented with wearing canvas hightops as a substitute that does give some ankle support, and I suspect that might answer some of the issues with the general sloppiness of slippers. The other thought is whether German Hausschuhe might have something that suits, they do seem to go off in directions UK slippers doesn't.

And a throwaway thought on layering socks and barriers between Kab's feet and intolerable fibres, might compression socks work as an ultra-thin barrier/layer? I'd not encountered them before last year's adventures in surgery, but they are ultra-thin, reasonably warm, and hypoallergenic is pretty much a design criterion.

[rjw76]

I have a pair of slippers with wheat packs in the soles that go in the microwave. Is that a thing that would work for you? I find with thick enough socks that I don't get the sudden temperature change that you would get by putting your feet on a hot water bottle.

Also, would you like to be added to the Rosemary Sends People Socks list? I knit so that I don't fidget (or at least, so that my fidgeting is socially acceptable and constructive) and have too many of my own socks. I like to give people socks. If so, do you have constraints beyond "not animal fibres"? I reckon bamboo would be best for warmth, given that.

[kaberett]

Hmm. Such slippers might be a thing and I will contemplate them. (The problem I've been having with the suspicious microwave owl, which works on the same general principle, is that it says it wants to go in the microwave with half a cup of water -- which means that it ends up slightly damp and condensation-y in ways that aren't entirely pleasant. Perhaps I should decide I don't care about the half a cup of water.)

I would be absolutely delighted to go on the Rosemary Sends People Socks list! And yes I hear you on the Socially Acceptable Fidgeting. The constraint is not-animal-fibre, with prefer-natural-fibres; I would be very very grateful. Would you like to be reimbursed for materials? I mean, "I like to give people socks" suggests no but I still feel I ought to offer!