My Blog
My Blog
Vitamin E
I didn’t consider writing this until I saw a thread on UKClimbing website about Raynaud’s.
School rugby was sometimes played in miserable weather and my fingers would go white, the other player (out of fifteen) who had the same problem was Norman MacPherson, I did a lot of climbing with him later.
Getting useless white fingers when the temperature dipped was just an annoyance that I accepted.
Brian Williamson and I went away on a climbing tour on our motorbikes. One day we did Black Mamba (VS) at the Dubh Loch, I was fine leading a VS pitch low down but couldn’t second an easy pitch above with numb hands. Brian then wanted to climb on Lochnagar but I refused as I wouldn’t be able to climb higher up. He was angry and insisted I go and see my doctor.
My GP was keen to help and asked if I smoked, after I replied he said; “Don’t start, but take a dram”. He sent me to Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow. I arrived on the bike with white fingers then sat in the waiting room getting hot and sweaty. The doctor there was also keen and got a bowl of iced water to put my hand in but my body was hot so he didn’t see any white fingers!
My doctor gave me beta blockers. Beta blockers were unpleasant, half an hour after taking one my face and hands would be hot and flushed. If I thought I was going to get white fingers in half an hour I had a choice, take a pill or sit beside a fire, I thought the latter was a healthier option.
A few years later I had back problems because of work so went to see Dr Cox who was a chiropractor in Saltcoats. I told her about my fingers and asked if that was related to my sore back, she said no and told me to take 500 units of vitamin E every day.
I had been doing a lot of climbing with Neil Horn and Neil had worts. After seconding him on jam cracks and getting bloody knuckles it was inevitable that I also grew worts.
When I returned to Dr Cox I told her my worts had gone and she said that was because my circulation had improved due to the vitamin E.
I was sore after she beat me up and I expected climbing would be discouraged but she said climbing was fine so the bike took me home via Arran. I nipped up Glen Sannox and soloed some routes I hadn’t done before; Mystic (S), Hode On (S), Herpolhode (HVS) and Slapstick Wall (S). I also tried to solo a new route but backed off 60m up. I felt much better after a quick trot up the glen and 500m of climbing.
Later that year I went to Kilt Rock on Skye with Morris MacLeod, he was struggling with the cold and was amazed that I could still climb. Over ten years we had often climbed together so he knew I couldn’t climb on cold days. Photo of Kilt Rock above
In recent years I’ve been taking 400 units of vitamin E (but not everyday) I occasionally get white fingers, photos below were from 2015.
I’m astonished that people still don’t know what to do about Raynaud’s, I was told how to treat it thirty years ago.
Friday, 5 May 2017