I have been experiencing terrible stiffness and numbness in my hands, especially when it is cold (and even when it's not). I thought about having some hand-warmers around and using them when it's really bad, but they are not always convenient. Does anyone else experience this and/or have any suggestions? Thank you so much!!

yes, me too -- I live in N.E. Fl, and most stores, dr offices, etc are just absolutely freezing to me. i've been trying to train myself to take a sweater with me, but sometimes i'm in shorts and then my legs turn blue -- haven't tried the hand warmers, i do wear mittens when it is winter around here (believe it or not but we do get down to 32 once in a while, i know you're laughing right now).

the cold weather is very intolerable for me too. i find that i am always way way colder than everyone else around me in the same environment. you may have raynaud's? do your hands turn bluish or discolored? are only your hands affected?
are you on beta blockers? they do affect peripheral blood flow, one's hands can often feel very cold with beta blockers.
i find that my issue is more of an overall temperature irregulation. my body temp drops really low in cold temps and then gets really high in warmer temps.

Last winter, I had purple toes and chillblains for 4 1/2 months. Doctors were perplexed because I've never had this before. I had a skin biopsy that showed vasculitis, which caused this chronic form of frostbite.

Does anyone else here have vasculitis???

My dysautonomia symptoms came on full-force this past June.

I know that vasculitis can impede circulation and is most evident in your feet and hands. It also makes the joints in my fingers and toes hurt horribly if I get too cold.

I'm working to keep my feet warm this winter.

Gracie - I am on Nadalol but I have had this problem for quite some time. Janied- I also had the dysautonomia come on full-force in April, and one of the worst symptoms I had was stiffness in my hands. I could hardly button a shirt or write (still have that problem). I have never heard of vasculitis but I'm going to check that out. My hands and feet feel like they are totally frozen at times and they are also painful. I recently found a ball that you can put in the microwave to heat up and then you squeeze it - I may try that too. Thanks everyone for responding!

This definitely happens to me. Funny thing is, I don't have neuropathic pain any other time of year, but in winter I have numbness, tingling, pain burning, even periods where the pain becomes so bad I have to stop moving my hands or feet for some time. Like they're extremely asleep.

Also, they get so cold it's awful. And I turn blue not just in my hands and feet, but up my arms and legs. Something that made it terribly worse was when I tried swimming in a warm water pool last winter.

My doctor had me take body temps, and my temp is chronically low, often it won't even register on a thermometer. I'm thinking I'm a lizard. If it's not warm outside, it's not warm in here :-)

I use hand and foot warmers so I can keep walking, since the docs said to stop swimming immediately out of fear of frostbite. I wear wool socks and leather gloves and shoes to ward off the cold. I use them well into the spring, and early in the fall, long before anyone else has theirs out.

I have an electric blanket and a space heater to try to keep from boiling my husband and son in our home.

I find that sipping mint tea helps, it keeps my hands warm and warms me from the inside. It's stimulating without the negative side effects of caffeine. Sometimes, I'm tempted to soak my toes in it, but I've never actually given in to the tempation :-D

I have yet to figure out a way to deal with the more serious issue of the pain. The doctor had me try topomax briefly, but I simply couldn't deal with the side effects. Plus, the pain is only in the winter. I'm not quite sure what to do with that but ride it out. And be grateful that it's not there year round! I know others who do have it year round.