Yes, this is snuff-related.

I started experiencing extreme pain in my left leg, saw the toes of that foot intermittently turning purple, and felt my hands getting very cold. I went to a doctor, where I was diagnosed – after many tests – with Buerger’s disease (Thromboangiitis obliterans), “a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet. It is strongly associated with use of tobacco products, primarily from smoking, but also from smokeless tobacco.”

That’s from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thromboangiitis_obliterans

I’m not here to lecture, so I’m keeping this short. I’m one of you. I love exploring, buying, and taking snuff. I’ve been a member here for years, mostly lurking. Check my profile. I didn’t just sign up to scare you. Buerger’s disease only affects susceptible individuals. You may not be one of them. Then again, maybe you are.

What I am asking is that you read that Wikipedia article so that you know the symptoms, and, if you start to experience pain, numbness, color changes, or cold in your extremities, that you see a doctor immediately. I’m being told that this is an irreversible disease, but that cessation of my tobacco use is the only way to slow its progression. I’m giving up something I really enjoy, and hopefully I’ll get to keep my foot. Keep an eye out, fellow snuff-takers. Please.

Best of luck,

Joshua in Pasadena

Oh wow, that looks painful. Keep heart, some things are much more important than any hobby, like extremities for example. I wish you the best of luck and the fullest recovery possible.

Thank you, Hitsuzen.  I’m trying to keep my spirits up.  It’s frightening.

Best of luck, Joshua, and thanks for the information.

That’s rough but keep your spirits up. I hope for the best for you and yours.

Are you also diabetic?

No, not diabetic.

Also check therapeutic doses of instant release niacin powder. I’m sure your physician is working closely with you for options. Also diabetic socks might help some. Best of luck, I read that wiki article, seems complete nicotine cessation is needed unfortunately. I hope reading these posts doesn’t make cessation harder than it otherwise would be.

Thanks for the support, knowledge, and research, guys.

I’m now on a high dose of a prescription vasodilator.  My doctor pulled some strings to get me an appointment with a USC Keck Medical Center vascular surgeon, which puts us squarely in the “if anyone can do something…” seats.  I’ll be seeing her next week.

I wish the red wine were an option, because if there were any time for a drink!  But alas, I cannot.

I’ve been ordered off caffeine, too (it’s a vasoconstrictor), so my wife is having to deal with a man in double detox right now.  Fortunately for me she’s wonderful and patient, and work has given me some time off for treatment.

Again, I really appreciate the support.  I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d get, to be honest – part of me worried people would think I was just some anti-tobacco crusader trying to scare people – but I appreciate the help, and maybe someone will stumble by a on Google search for “snuff tobacco purple toes” or something and can catch it early.

Honestly I was worried how people would react to this post, too. I did a video once where I simply said that there is no “safe” tobacco, and the emails I got in response were downright hateful. It actually turned me off to Snuffhouse for a while because I know at least a couple of them came from members here whom I had previously had great interactions with. I just recently came back to this forum after five months of absence, which had occurred after over a year of very happy membership. Tobacco is a wonderful hobby that I would sorely miss if I had to do without it, but I enjoy it with full knowledge that it carries risks, and if ever the risks grew to where they threatened the well-being of my wife or kids (who depend on my income), I would make the same choice you were forced to make. Maybe we can keep this thread active and help you through this difficult time. I know when I had to temporarily give up caffeine and nicotine (after my second grand-mal seizure, when I switched from Dilantin to Keppra), Valerian Root Tea kept me from losing my mind. Ask your doctor if it’s a safe option for you for the next couple weeks or so.

I hope the best for you. I know Cinnamon Is good for the blood flow.

Plant Information Cinnamon is both a spice and an herb and comes from the inner bark of cinnamon trees which grow in certain parts of Asia, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh. The bark contains numerous medicinal plant chemicals and nutrients, including coumarin, beta-carotene, camphor, cinnamaldehyde, mannitol, tannin, chromium, copper, manganese and potassium. Cinnamon bark also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and C. Cinnamon is well known for its sweet, spicy taste.

Herb Uses Cinnamon is known for its many health actions and uses. It has traditionally been used in improving peripheral circulation, or blood flow to your arms and legs, and treating conditions such as diabetes and uterine hemorrhaging, according to Phyllis A. Balch, certified nutritional consultant and author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Medical doctor Alan R. Gaby, author of "The Natural Pharmacy," recommends taking 2 to 4 g of cinnamon powder daily to achieve health benefits. A larger volume of clinical research trials may be helpful in determining the true effects of cinnamon on your peripheral circulation.

Additional Information Decreased blood flow to your legs is often a cause for concern, which a licensed healthcare provider should always evaluate. Though herbal remedies have long been used in improving your circulation, herbs alone may not be sufficient to resolve your underlying health problem. Herbal remedies should only be used if you are under the guidance of a healthcare professional, and herbs should always be treated with the same degree of caution you would use when taking prescription drugs.

@McGeesOrg, wishing you the best!

I have a health issue that means I’m much more likely to stay alive for another few decades if I don’t drink alcohol - like, practically none (I remember proudly telling the doc I’d got it down to two drinks a day and he gave me a look and said, “That’s still about seven times the amount you should be drinking”). I never thought I had a problem with alcohol, although I enjoyed drinking with friends, having dinner with wine, going out to parties where drinking was a big part of socializing. So it felt hard to give it up. Funny, though, while I missed it a lot for the first year, by the second year I’d found completely different ways of socializing and doing things and felt generally a lot healthier, quite unrelated to the specific health condition that made me stop. So, maybe you have to stop drinking coffee, using tobacco, lose weight, do more exercise, and maybe all those things seem difficult and unpleasant right now. But you never know, there may be a silver lining in there somewhere. It may not be what you would have chosen, but you might end up just being a generally healthier individual and finding that that has many positive impacts.

Again, hope things work out well for you.

They’ve ruled out Buerger’s!

They still don’t know what it is, but they’re crossing things off the list, one by one.  It’s non-autoimmune, non-vascular, and non-diabetic.  I’m having a full neurological workup of my legs in two days (finally got insurance to approve it), but no one is talking about amputation any longer.

I hope this thread can stay up, because (obviously) Buerger’s is very real and of concern for snuff-takers, and if someone stumbles by, searching for the symptoms I described in the initial post, it would be worth bringing up with one’s doctor.  I’m just incredibly lucky to have dodged that particular bullet: they consider the blood tests conclusive, and I’m in the clear.

Thanks again for the support, everyone.  It meant (and means) a lot.

Take care.

@McGeesOrg glad they ruled out buergers. Also the fact that they don’t have to amputate it is good. Have they ruled out Raynauds? Hope they figure it out.