Because Trigeminal Neuralgia Wasn’t Dramatic Enough— “Hi, Raynaud’s.”
🔹 Intro: The Diagnosis You Didn’t See Coming
• Quick context: “I was already dealing with facial nerve pain, chronic illness, and a puppy who thinks I’m her personal butler. And then Dr. Sammi looked at my frozen hands and said, ‘Yep, you’ve got Raynaud’s.’”
🔹 What Raynaud’s Actually Is (in Real-Person Terms)
• Blood vessels in fingers/toes go into lockdown mode in response to cold or stress
• Skin turns white, blue, purple, red—like a mood ring with trust issues
• Painful, burning, or numb sensations—cute!
🔹 What It Feels Like
• Like your fingers are turning into popsicles from the inside out
• Or like tiny angry elves are clamping down on your blood flow just for fun
• Bonus: the anxiety flares it too. Because of course it does.
🔹 The Layering Olympics
• “I now dress like a Victorian ghost haunting a ski lodge at all times”
• Gloves inside. Slippers outside. Heat pads = holy relics. Did you know.. they make heated boots, jackets, vests, gloves… and all other types of clothing? Neither did me, or my Mastercard.
🔹 What You Wish People Knew
• “Yes, I’m cold. No, I don’t want to hear ‘you just need to move more.’”
• It’s not about just warming up—this is a circulatory issue, not a personal failing
🔹 Why It Matters in the Bigger Picture
• Chronic illnesses like this stack, and they affect daily function way more than people realize
• It’s not about one bad day—it’s about thousands of small, exhausting moments
🔹 Ending: I May Be Cold, But I’m Still Hot
• Humor, sass, and a nod to the emotional strength it takes to deal with body betrayal every day
• “I’m not just surviving—I’m thriving with mittens on”
