Many elderly people like to talk about their illnesses. For some, the severity of the illness virtually becomes a status symbol among their friends. As an example, one person may proudly state she takes five pills each day, but that person’s prominence is diminished when another says she takes ten pills a day.
I’m not “extremely” elderly, and I don’t normally talk about pain and suffering. I, however, developed puzzling symptoms in my feet in the middle of winter about three years ago. Dr. Seuss never wrote about anything like this in The Foot Book. Several of my toes became inflamed, and it was painful to walk. The bottoms of one or two toes on each foot swelled and turned shades of bluish red. The podiatrist diagnosed it as Raynaud’s Phenomenon, a perfect example of a misnomer because it is anything but phenomenal. It is named for the French doctor, Dr. A.G. Maurice Raynaud, who identified this condition in 1862. Raynaud’s is a circulatory problem which manifests itself in cold weather and is more common in women than men. It can also affect fingers, nose, ears, and other parts of the body. Persons of any age can incur symptoms, but it typically begins between ages 15 and 25. Unfortunately, there is no medical treatment unless Raynaud’s is accompanied by an underlying disease. Avoiding cold temperatures, caffeine, and certain medications will lessen the severity, and warm weather eventually eradicates it. This is true in my case, but it retur
ns the following winter. I thought I was going to be “Raynaud’s free” this winter, but several weeks ago it started again – a good example of “the good news and the bad news.” The bad ne
ws is a couple of my toes hurt. The good news is warm weather will be here soon. This reminds me of the story of Androcles who pulled the thorn from the lion’s paw. Later, when Androcles was condemned to be thrown to the lions, that same lion spared Androcles’ life. I’m waiting for warm weather to get these thorns out of my paws!
I’m not “extremely” elderly, and I don’t normally talk about pain and suffering. I, however, developed puzzling symptoms in my feet in the middle of winter about three years ago. Dr. Seuss never wrote about anything like this in The Foot Book. Several of my toes became inflamed, and it was painful to walk. The bottoms of one or two toes on each foot swelled and turned shades of bluish red. The podiatrist diagnosed it as Raynaud’s Phenomenon, a perfect example of a misnomer because it is anything but phenomenal. It is named for the French doctor, Dr. A.G. Maurice Raynaud, who identified this condition in 1862. Raynaud’s is a circulatory problem which manifests itself in cold weather and is more common in women than men. It can also affect fingers, nose, ears, and other parts of the body. Persons of any age can incur symptoms, but it typically begins between ages 15 and 25. Unfortunately, there is no medical treatment unless Raynaud’s is accompanied by an underlying disease. Avoiding cold temperatures, caffeine, and certain medications will lessen the severity, and warm weather eventually eradicates it. This is true in my case, but it retur
ns the following winter. I thought I was going to be “Raynaud’s free” this winter, but several weeks ago it started again – a good example of “the good news and the bad news.” The bad ne
ws is a couple of my toes hurt. The good news is warm weather will be here soon. This reminds me of the story of Androcles who pulled the thorn from the lion’s paw. Later, when Androcles was condemned to be thrown to the lions, that same lion spared Androcles’ life. I’m waiting for warm weather to get these thorns out of my paws! 
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