In any case, things have been pretty busy this week. I've been applying for a few jobs which I find a painful and time consuming process. I think it will be a little easier now that I have the first few done (it's been awhile since I actively looked for a new job).
Alex is out of town for the next week and I decided to take two days off work to make my life happy instead of the rushed, busy craze it typically is. It's dark out now by the time I get to the barn on weekdays, so riding outside factors high on my priority list for those days.
On to the subject at hand. I literally froze my feet yesterday at the barn. I could feel some toes were pretty numb while I had my lesson but it wasn't until I was cooling out that it became aparent that they were really cold. It was somewhere between 0°C and 5°C, so they really shouldn't have been that bad. Granted, it was partly my fault since I forgot good socks and had to ride in my dress socks (I went to the barn straight from work).
When I got home I stripped my socks off and a couple of my toes were a greyish white. I'm not kidding, they looked dead. I had an issue with this about 10 years ago when my toes would go black-ish but they hadn't felt particularly cold while I was out. I vaguely remember seeing a doctor about this but nothing came of it beyond "keep your feet warm". To be fair, I guess that's all I really did need to do but the fact that I couldn't really tell they were cold maybe should have made me (and the doctor!) more concerned.
I guess I managed to do a number on them since my feet felt cold and sore this morning even while sitting in my 23°C office. I did some Google research (known for
being valid and reliable, lol) and I stumbled upon something I hadn't
heard of called Raynaud's disease (see articles
here and
here. Not that I generally recommend self-diagnosis via
internet but of the many, many accounts I've read, this phenomenon
sounds a lot like me. It doesn't really change anything but it's
interesting all the same. Good thing is I know all my systems are in great shape, so I don't have secondary issues to worry about.
Fortunately, I had
planned better today and had several pairs of socks :) so I swapped my
normal socks for Smartwool socks and passed the day happily. I also have
an extra pair of wool socks at the barn now, and my Sorel boots in the
car - they will be my winter barn boots.
Bring it, winter, I'm ready for ya!
5 comments:
It's been my experience that telling winter in eastern Ontario to "bring it" usually gets one's wish granted sooner rather than later ! :)
I know, I'm asking for it :-) That's ok, I mostly like winter. I'm hoping my challenge will bring snow sooner rather than later. What's the use of cold and dark if you don't have snow, I ask? I hope to continue riding Will outside as much as possible throughout the winter, and for that, I need good snow!
Ugh - cold feet are the worst...well, maybe closely followed by cold hands. Endurance lady has Reynaud's and she has to work hard at keeping her extremities warm.
Smartwool socks are the best. I try and buy a couple of pairs every winter (pricey suckers!)...to keep my feet toasty. I'm hoping my new paddock boots help a bit too.
I agree with you about the snow. The worst part of winter in Ontario IMO is waiting for it to snow ! Perhaps the second worst time is waiting for the snow (and the attendant mud) to disappear in March.
My Mom has Reynaud's - in her fingers. Has for years. Ask her about it! :) Jess
Post a Comment