Fife teenager won’t let Raynaud’s syndrome ruin her darts dream

ROBYN Bassett has already seen Raynaud’s syndrome wreck one dream.

Now she’s hoping the condition in which the small blood vessels in the extremities are over-sensitive to temperature changes, causing numbness and pain, doesn’t destroy another.

As Robyn explains: “I was at college last year on an animal care course that involved a lot of practical work on a farm.

“I was outside in all kinds of weather but it became too difficult as I couldn’t wear hats or gloves in case it startled the animals.

“I did explain about my condition, and one of the lecturers said she had a mild case herself, but it just wasn’t possible for me to wear anything on top of the protective equipment.

“That forced me to rethink my plans and now I’m doing a course related to health.”

Robyn, who’s 19 and from Cowdenbeath in Fife, continues: “I love my darts, too. I’ve been playing for a few years now.

“It’s something I really want to do well in. I’ve represented Fife for two or three years, and I want to do it professionally, keep playing for my county and hopefully make the Scotland squad.

“But obviously, for darts, you need good control over your hands and fingers.

“It’s all about how you hold your dart. Sometimes I find it hard as my hands are very cold and just gripping the dart becomes a challenge.

“When I’m on stage and struggle to grip them, then I get anxious.

“I try to stay warm and calm for an hour before I play, but it can be difficult as if I don’t feel comfortable in my skin, I don’t feel comfortable throwing.

“Being pubs, most of the venues aren’t too warm. Some I’ve been to have been like Antarctica!

“I just haven’t been able to hold my darts it was so cold, and with shaking so much, I haven’t been able to control where the dart’s going.

“I was diagnosed with Primary Reynaud’s at the age of 17 but I’d been having attacks ever since I can remember,” recalls Robyn.

“When I was about eight, I would turn blue inside the house as well as outside, and at 13, my fingers turned black during the winter.

“I knew something really wasn’t right when, after that, my fingers, toes and lips turned blue even in summer.

“It’s quite frightening when it happens. Raynaud’s usually makes your skin go white, then blue, then red, but I skip the white stage.

“But it’s so much more than just changing colour.

“I get pain to the point of tears, then there’s the horrible sensation of not being able to properly move your fingers and toes, the inability to tell people why your lips have turned blue without confusing them, the uncontrollable shivering, and the time it takes to heat back up and feel comfortable in my skin again.

“I used to play a lot of football. I was a defender in a local team. I try to play a bit now — just going out and having a kickabout — but it’s too much to play for any length of time because of the pain in my feet and hands.

“It takes me hours to get back to normal. The longest attack lasted four hours.

“Most of the time, I jump in the shower or huddle under lots of blankets.

“The attacks have become worse since last year, the pain is more intense. I struggle a lot with it,” Robyn admits.

“Walking hurts, using my hands is painful and when an attack happens, I get quite stressed as I can’t use my hands properly.

“I was prescribed Nifedipine to treat the symptoms but it wasn’t doing anything for me and the side effects of dizziness and migraines were just awful.

“I’ve tried a few medications, in fact, but none work so I’m slowly learning to accept that, for now, this is my lifestyle.

“I struggle to cope and don’t really have anyone my age or anywhere near me dealing with the same thing. It’s just hard not feeling in control of things.

“I’ve had a look online to try to find people, but there’s no one locally that I could find with the same problem.

“But Scleroderma UK have been really helpful in terms of helping me understand what’s going on, and my boyfriend, Ciaran, and family and friends keep me positive.”