other names: Raynaud's disease; Zombie Fingers; Death Gives a Hand Job
If you've ever looked down at your hand and started cussing uncontrollably in a panicky, high-pitched voice, then you've probably had a bout of "zombie fingers," or as it's more commonly (and less amusingly) known, Raynaud's Phenomenon. The official name for this symptom makes it sound like some really cool sport of nature, like Northern Lights, ball lightning, or Adam Lambert. It doesn't even begin to capture the weirdness of realizing that your fingers have decided to show you what you're going to look like when you're dead.
In reality, Raynaud's Phenomenon only looks bizarre for the most part; you don't have leprosy, you're not turning into a flesh-eating zombie, and your fingers are really not going to drop off your hands like a bad episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Just give them a couple minutes, or up to an hour, for the circulation to come back. Only in very severe cases where it happens constantly (or doesn't go away) does Raynaud's phenomenon cause circulation or tissue health problems, so don't panic.
Raynaud's Phenomenon occurs when the blood vessels in your fingers (or even your toes, ears and nose) constrict suddenly, limiting blood flow; the affected area will look dead and pasty at first, and then a lot of times become blue at the tips. In most cases, it doesn't last very long, and for most people it isn't painful-- although some people get some pain and tingling because, you know, there's no blood down there.
As to its causes, it seems like a lot of things can tell those blood vessels to clamp up-- things like cold, pressure on your fingers, or getting really stressed out. The underlying causes can range from low thyroid to certain medications, sensitivity to drugs that affect circulation, to arthritis and injury. In fact, it's apparently a workplace hazard of professional pianists. Autoimmune diseases, obviously, are a possible cause too, because of the havoc they can wreak on connective tissues.
If you ever have Raynaud's phenomenon, it's obviously good to chat with your doctor about it. For most people it's not a sign of the zombie Apocalypse. Instead, the next time it happens, enjoy it! Get yourself the Thriller soundtrack, a zombie suit, and go scare some little kids.
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