Raynaud's & Decreased sensory perception in fingers

[TimiT]

Hi all :)

So, I was diagnosed 4 or 5 years ago with Raynaud's & now that I'm a nursing student I am having the WORST time finding pedal pulses!!!!! It drives me nuts does anyone else have decreased sensory perception in their finger tips or any other disability that makes it difficult to find someone's pulse, especially the more difficult ones?

I don't know what to do, do I tell my instructor? Am I going to be failed if I can't feel the pedal pulse? I can feel the radial pulses, but not as quickly as some.

Thanks! Any suggestions welcome :) I already have a handicap placard for winter months, I wear mittens, have disposable heaters, keep the heat in the house at 74, etc. I just don't know what to do about having a decreased sense of touch.

[Moogie]

I would say something to the instructor otherwise he/she will think you just can't find the pulse. Maybe you could use a doppler to find pulses.

[TimiT]

That's a good idea, so it isn't like I can't be a nurse if I can't feel that pulse...I know it sounds dumb to say but it can be pretty darn important to monitor those in a lot of cases!

[ddd2012]

I suffer from MCTD (Mixed Connective Tissue Disease) and one of the symptoms of it is Raynaud's. I have a hard time finding pedal pulses, but my teachers told me to be patient about it, and when I couldn't find them (cause even on some people it's impossible to find without having decreased feeling in your fingers) then they let me use the doppler to find the pulse. I've also found that using other fingers or places on my fingers sometimes works better.