I am cold

[Vidalia]

Quick question Is being cold all the time part of MS??? Since the start of this winter, and it's been VERY VERY cold, I swear to you I have not been warm since November. Everybody (and a lot of what I have read) says hot temps are bad for MS. Let me tell you, for me, a 90 degree day is like a slice of heaven and anything below 40 is almost umbearable. I have four layers of heavy clothing on, it's in the twenties here, and I shiver. When I go out I have that PLUS a down vest and a wool full length coat. From the time I leave for work until the time I wrap up in 5 blankets at night, I am cold. So cold that even though people remark about how much clothing I wear, I don't care and want to cry. I do not sweat, ever. I never have. I have always been cool natured but this is getting to be more than I can stand somedays.

It's quite likely not anything so serious to go see the Dr for. What's he going to tell me, "Dress warmly". I do. It don't help and I don't need the added stress of him making me feel stupid and whiney added to my plate.

Just wondered if anyone else had this or if it is just me.

Thanks for reading....Peace, Vidalia

[Lyon]

Hi Vidalia,
My wife is the one with MS but even though you always read about the heat bothering people with MS, the heat doesn't bother her at all either, it's the cold.

I can't say what is or isn't MS but the bottom of this page does mention cold bothering some people with MS http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Sourcebook-Heat.asp

Bob

[Vidalia]

Thanks Bob, I'd like to move to a warmer climate however, I like to eat and have a roof over my head too. UGH Thanks V

[Lyon]

Same here!

I wanted to add that what my wife experiences is not that the cold makes her ms symptoms worse, just that the cold REALLY bothers her.

Some of this stuff is impossible to separate what is caused by MS and what is personal tendencies which would have existed with or without MS.

Bob

[scoobyjude]

V, I live in Chicago so believe me I understand your pain. I too have had a hard time staying warm this winter. One thing I have found that has helped me is wearing heavy socks at all times. I know it sounds stupid but if my feet get cold, the rest of me follows. It seems to have helped me. Also, have you tried an electric blanket? It helps loads at night. I have one that adjusts to your body temp so you don't wake up roasting. I have kind of always been like this so I've never even thought about MS causing it. And heat doesn't affect me unless I'm in an exacerbation. Hope this helps.

[connieb]

Me three-- I'm always cold and love very hot weather, which we don't get nearly enough of where we live. I have some macrobiotic cookbooks-- they have a whole tradition about making your food choices season- appropriate, so there are a lot of recipes for warming dishes-- mostly grain based of course and a bit oiler than in the summer months. They would also say to take most of your veggies steamed or cooked and eliminate salads and fruit, especially tropical fruit, as those tend to be more cooling. Also certain spices like ginger and (I think Korean?) ginseng are supposed to be warming. But with all the talk about heat being a bad thing for MS I'm afraid of heating myself too much so I pretty much stick to layering.

[Toyoterry]

Controlling your body temperature is one of the many functions of your autonomic nervous system. MS definitely messes with this system which if I'm not wrong, includes things like balance, blood pressure, body temp. and a million other things. When I get too cold my fingers and feet are extremely painful. Just the feel of a seat against my back or even the sheets at bedtime, makes my skin feel like cactus needles or tiny paper cuts. This usually happens when it is too hot or too cold.
Terry

[jimmylegs]

hey there, personally i haven't run into too much problems with my thermostat yet, but as a ski instructor the mention of warm socks triggered another cold fighting strategy. my boss will say on a particularly cold day that it's a "double-toquer" (yep, canadians) out today. since we lose most of our heat straight up through the top of our head, having a hat on will mitigate and having two on works even better. now this will not stop people from bugging you about wearing so many clothes but i will have a look into the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and see if i can find anything helpful.
hot drinks all round!
legs

[lyndacarol]

There is so much here that I agree with I hardly know where to start!

V--I do not sweat either. Never have.
I am usually cold. I have read that the Basal Body Temperature is low with excess insulin.

Feeling cold can be a function of low metabolism, I believe. Thyroid is involved with the rate of metabolism; so maybe your thyroid hormone levels should be checked. Do you gain weight easily?--another pointer toward thyroid.

By the way, thyroid problems (Hashimoto's Disease or Graves) are in the group of "autoimmune" diseases and likely to be a second or third diagnosis for those of us with one already.

[Loobie]

Vidalia,

I hate the cold as well. I shake like a dog crapping a razor blade when I get cold and get to the point where I'm shaking so bad people get concerned. The hot does make my eyes go foggy, but I don't feel bad like when I am cold. You should see me try to jog in the cold. I start out shivering and jog really stiff legged which is very jarring. Then I start sweating and I can't see well! What are you gonna do?

When you say you don't sweat, have you always been that way, or is it a result of Ditropan or some other medication? I'm just curious about that because being someone who sweats like a hooker in church, I want to watch for that if it's MS related.

Lew

[REDHAIRANDTEMPER]

hey me tooo right here...cant stay warm enough around here for me.....i love warm weather and am always wearing a sweater plus a t shirt plus long underwear..heck it takes me more times to get dressed and undresses then it does for me to make a meal sometimes......lol....always cold and my feet are always always cold...have to have two pairs of socks on and slippers.....so understand completely where ya are coming from...

chris

[jimmylegs]

http://www.lef.org/protocols/metabolic_ ... ion_01.htm

The thyroid gland uses iodine (mostly available from the diet in foods such as seafood, bread, and salt) to produce thyroid hormones. The two most important thyroid hormones are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). While a small amount of T3 is actually made in the thyroid gland, most of it is converted in the tissues from the T4 released from the thyroid gland into the blood. T3 is the active hormone that affects the metabolism of cells.

Subclinical hypothyroidism is estimated to occur in a significant percentage of the adult American population (Hollowell JG et al 2002). One side effect of thyroid deficiency is high cholesterol. It is very possible that many people are being prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs while their underlying problem—low thyroid function—goes unaddressed.

The most common cause of overt hypothyroidism in the United States is an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (Lorini R et al 2003). This condition is characterized by an overactive immune system response that floods the thyroid gland with white blood cells that attack the gland. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is more common in women than in men, and there is a genetic component to the disease.

There is evidence that the standard blood test reference ranges may cause many cases of hypothyroidism to be missed. (legs edit: big suprise!!) The standard reference range for TSH is between 0.2 and 5.5 mU/L. Any reading more than 5.5 mU/L would signal low thyroid hormone and possible hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, this TSH reference range is very broad. Many clinicians and scientists believe that the upper limit of the established “normal” range is too high to permit detection of people with significantly low thyroid function.

In reality, a TSH reading of more than 2.0 may indicate lower-than-optimal thyroid hormone levels.

Okay as we all know when I hear autoimmune I say vitamin D so perhaps try that, in addition to some good iodine foods to give that thyroid what it needs to do its job!

[Vidalia]

I have gone from feeling slightly freakish to not feeling so odd afterall. Thanks.

Jimmylegs, interesting article regarding the thyroid... I read it with great interest your awesome and I appreciate your effort in researching that aspect. I wear heavy socks, gloves, and a hat when I can and don't have to worry about smashing my hair.

Lew, I have always been a nonsweater. This bone chilling cold however is a new wrinkle. What bothers me the most is I stiffin up when I'm approaching ice cube status. I take Avonex only, I'm not a medicine taker by nature. Some of the stuff my neuro wants me to take I do not tolerate at all and I have had to choose between hurling every 2.2 seconds or being able to fuction but not take what he wants me to.

I have gone so far as to buy those little heater packs that hunters use (my son informed me that he also used those when he was in the Army during the winter in Kosovo and Iraq) that last for 10 hours. I'm currently looking for a full body type equilivant !!!! I wish!!!

Lyndacarol, I usually rollar coaster with weight. Up 20 lbs about every two years, then I loose it. It's never a quick thing up or down. I probably wouldn't notice it unless my britches didn't become illfitting.

I work so hard at being "normal" I don't want to look for something else to be wrong with me. MS is bad enough. Peace, Vidalia

[Loobie]

Vidalia,

I noticed that you are from Ohio. Me too; what part? Dayton here and it's been mighty cold this Feb. around here too.

Lew

[Vidalia]

Lew, I live in the NW corner of the state. It's a stones throw to MI and another stones throw to IN. You are right, it's been a very cool winter. There for awhile it wasn't half bad then BOOM winter on crack!!!!

It's odd but the past few years, winters around have not been as I remembered them from my youth. I remember snow and below zero temps as the norm not the exception. I recall one winter of actual temp of 35 below with a wind chill of some 60+below. It had to have been in 84-85ish.

I would not step foot out of my house if it was that cold now. Quite likely, I could not. Global warming is good for something I guess?????

Nice to know a fellow buckeye Lew. Peace, V