Cold hands and Cold Feet

Daylight savings has ended and I'm still adjusting to it. I'm still having issues staying asleep so this sun coming up at an earlier time thing is not helping me. Making the room darker won't really work, as the cats have ways of letting in the light with their affection for sitting on the windowsill. Plus they, well Gabby mostly, start whining once they determine it's time to be fed. I've just given up. With the light change also comes cooler weather. Of course this hasn't affected the temperature inside the house as the Boy likes it on COLD. Me, I hate it. We have thermostat wars all winter long. He says I can put clothes on. I agree but I say that I shouldn't be freezing inside my own home. I also state that I shouldn't have to wear freaking gloves in my own house. I have this same problem at work too. Can't win either way. You see, I have Reynaud's phenomenon. It's a circulatory disease that basically means that when it's cold outside (and in), the arteries and veins in my hands and feet constrict making it difficult for blood to flow to my digits. This results in pain and numbness in my hands and feet. They turn a blueish tinge first and then turn white, which is almost frostbite. This happens at 65 degrees. Easily. I can't even hold a cold drink in my hands without it hurting after about 15-20 seconds. I always keep a coozie with me now for this purpose or I use a napkin, wrapped around the drink. Rummaging around the fridge and freezer is hard. I usually have something like a towel for grabbing things. I mean, it hurts. I remember one time, when I first started issues with my hands, I had to drive my boyfriend home. It was about 40 outside and my hands just went nuts. I had gloves on but it didn't matter. My hands hurt so bad I could barely move them. All I could do was clutch the wheel. I was crying because it hurt so bad. Warming up was even worse. It took me a while for me to be able to move my hands. When the blood starts flowing it starts to hurt too. So for me COLD=PAIN. It really stinks. There's no cure. It's a tissue thing, which means I should see a rheumatologist eventually. It's also potentially linked to Lupus as about 25% of those with Reynaud's get Lupus, for which there is also no cure. But I also think it's hereditary, as my mom has it. I know of 3 other people who have this problem. And we all have different symptoms. One of them, S, her hands just turn purple. They've never really been a normal color. She isn't as sensitive to cold but her hands are just funky. She has the link to Lupus as it runs in her family. Another girl just has cold hands. Another one actually has Lupus. Me, I lose feeling. My hands and feet also go numb when I cross my legs for too long, sit cross-legged, sit with my head on my hands, lean on my arm, stuff like that. I mean my arm goes completely numb, to sleep as most people would say. It really stinks but you get used to it. It really sucks that there's not much you can do about it. There's little medication out there and it helps about 3% of the people who have it. (I'm not one of them.) Exercise helps but trust me, it doesn't do as much as I'd like. The best solution is to keep your hands and feet warm. The feet are easy. It's the hands I have issues with. I have really good gloves, but I can't wear them all the time and they don't always work as well when it's colder. Mittens are the best but have you ever driven or tried doing lots of stuff with mittens? Not much mobility in the hands. I'd wear gloves to work, but even the thin ones inhibit typing and stuff. People have suggested I wear the ones with no fingertips, but that just means that my fingertips go white and numb. It's a no win situation. I've learned to sit on my hands when I need to and even stick my hands under my armpits to warm them up. I know it's weird and all Mary Katherine Superstah and all but it's one of the warmest places on your body and it works. I'm also rather good at one-handed typing now. My gloves are already out for the season. It's hard. I feel so weird wearing just a long sleeve shirt and gloves but I have to. I carry them everywhere now. That's about the only thing I can do to make my hands and feet feel better: keep them warm.