Freezing hands and feet

[Taramc]

I can't keep my hands and feet warm as the weather starts to cool off. I find myself sitting on my hands at work, then using the hot pad on them in bed. And my feet - freezing! I'm going ask santa for battery heated socks!

Anyway I think I read something in here about that being related. Anyone else have this symptom?

Thanks everybody,
Tara in SLC

[dking2]

Cold hands and feet are a symptom of fibro, my nose is also painfully cold.
I wear gloves as much as possible.
The cold hands and feet are also a symptom of Reynald's.

[bluetart]

maybe i am wrong but I was told cold hand and cold feet can be due to poor circulation and that women are more likely to have poor circulation in those areas. My hands and feet are usually cold. If there not than I am tucked into bed or have a fever.

[vm]

I think some thyroid conditions can also cause cold extremities.

[mlzippy7]

I have lots of issues with cold hands and feet as well!

[amaranthe]

Definately do a search on the web about Reynaud's Syndrome. It was also the first thing that came into my mind. It is an auto-immune disease and if you have it, your GP can refer you to a Rhematologist who would be the one to treat it.

Although, VM is also correct that thyroid problems can also cause these symptoms.

Lastly, one other thought is if you are a smoker, then that could also be the cause of it.

The main thing is that you dont need to just dismiss this thinking it is just a minor, annoying inconvience, since it could be indicative of a serious problem, such as a thryroid condition or auto-immune disease. So, please make and appt with your GP or Family Practicioner to talk about this.

Hope you get it figured out soon so you can be on the road to feeling better!

Kind regards,
Amaranthe

[georgecoolname]

I do, but I also have Fibromyalgia, along with IC. You guys are going to laugh at this too, but I have this problem living in Hawai`i. I freeze when it's below 75 or so. My physical therapist today noticed how cold my hands were and I was shivering. This also happens outside and other places, such as my feet. I bundle up as much as I can, but moving around helps a bit. I was hot at the beach when it was sunny this morning (it rained this afternoon) and I loved it! But yeah, I have an electric blanket I sometimes use and I need socks for bed. I am going to the mainland for the holidays in 2 weeks, so I will be freezing my butt off even more then.

[april ryan]

I was looking into Raynaud's desease, which I find a little extreme (hands blue and all that):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_disease

I was quite impressed a few months ago at the Science museum. They had a thermocamera that showed your body parts according with the temperature, from blue to red. All the other people passing by were more or less red, and me.. ahhh! My hands were half blue and half red, my nose completely blue, in general my temperature was very inconsistent. I was pretty impressed and my friends were all "what's wrong with you!!".

Anyway, I would say what my doctor always tells me: if a symptom is not so strong that actually stops you to function, then it's probably not an illness. Very annoying though!

Hugs
April

[Taramc]

I've been considering a referral to a rheumatologist. I think ANY auto-immune diseases are reasonable in my case, considering all of this started from a first time UTI I got from a hot tub, which gave other people eye and ear infections, and the one other time I was in that tub I got bizarre and deeply painful skin sores.

The thing is, I saw an infectious disease doctor at 8-10 months after the UTI and she couldn't find anything. My ANA levels are high, but no active infections were discovered in a Lumbar Puncture. Then I did 3 spinal MRI's to look for inflammation (anything to investigate all this nerve pain!) and they showed nothing.

What do rheumatologists do? My hands and feet are UNREASONABLY cold, worse than they've ever been. This is after months and months of them tingling and falling asleep, and of course there's all the STABBING NERVE PAINS and CONSTANT TWITCHING OMG.

I wish I weren't so different from you guys. Neuralgia sucks.

[Taramc]

My feet are like ice!!! To the point of distraction no matter how busy I am. It's a good thing I'm limber enough to sit on them at work. I'm sitting on my hands, too. Everybody out there with the same problem keep posting! I need solutions to this one!

I mentioned this to my urologist yesterday and said you all suggested it could be an auto-immune reaction. She said "yeah, like RAYNAUDS." I said "I looked into that and it seemed extreme..." She said "yeah you don't have the white (something I can't remember)"

Anyway, what the hey? This is making me nuts! When I put a hot pad on my feet or hands they just fall asleep. This is after 18 months of them tingling all the time. Am I going to lose feeling in them altogether or what?

Thanks everybody! I left a message for my neurologist. He's probably sick of me because I just faxed him last week because my nerve pains have traveled into my face and head and STAYED THERE.

This must have been some wacky infection.

Update 12/12: Neurologist wants to see me ASAP.

[Dreamlove15]

I get the cold in my hands and feet alot...its mostly tied to poor circulation.

I have fibro and the dr's are watching me for lupus.

But I have been asked about Reynauds or the "red, white blue" disease...

Something else to look into though as well besides the above.

I know that when my potassium gets low, I often have worse symptoms of numbness, weird pains in my legs...

also your thyroid being off high or low can cause coldness in your extremeties. just something to look into.

hope ya figure it out soon.

take care.

[Taramc]

..my neurologist sent me for a thyroid test. That will be like my 3rd in 2 years. And I'm to see a physical therapist for tension. That's it! Guess it's not such a big deal after all. SURE IS ANNOYING, though.

[yvette]

I can't really add more than what everyone else has posted. I've posted before that I think some IC people have cold hands & feet because the blood is always being redirected back to the bladder because it's always trying to be *healed*.

Tara, if you can find them after the holidays (on sale)....Cashmere socks! I bought a couple pairs from the place I freelance at (they only charged me $2 ea. b/c they are samples) My feet always feel like my piggies are going to freeze solid and shatter off the ends of my feet. ;)

I wore mine today with sneakers and they were comfortable and toasty without being all sweaty and clammy all day! And I just throw them in the wash with the rest. I can't be bothered with special care, and they've held up just fine :)

Good luck with the neurologist, I hope they can give you some answers and some releif! :D

[Taramc]

I'm wearing battery operated socks or wrapping my feet in a hot pad 24/7, at work and at home. I'm usually sitting on my hands trying to warm my fingers up. But NOTHING is getting rid of the FREEZING feeling in my extremities. The thyroid test came back normal. Has anybody else heard any theories on why we would be suddenly struck with ICY COLD FEET!?

[georgecoolname]

I have it too and I am cold easily in general. Even in Hawai`i, it happens! Sad. I have IC, but also Fibromyalgia, so who knows?

[AbbeyLew]

Who do you go to for a diagnosis for Reynauds? My hands, feet and nose are always FREEZING!!!

I wasn't wearing socks around the house the other day for awhile and my mother was over and pointed out my feet were BLUE, sure enough I looked down and they were actually BLUE!!!

[Dreamlove15]

You would probably benefit from seeing a Rheumatologist...reynauds has a common look to it.

red, white...and then blue.

Hope this helps.

take care.

[Trishann]

Taramac another medical condition can be neuropathy. My feet for the longest time feel like ice but yet burning feeling, then suddenly tingling, numbness and pain started. I thought maybe it was just the way I am but it was a medical condition.

I hope you can found out what is going on and what condition is causing it.

Hugs, Trish :grouphug:

[Taramc]

Thanks, Trish

My hands and feet are freezing to the point of DISTRACTION, day and night. I'm always trying and failing at getting them warm.

My neurologist has no clue, but in the past he thought I had neuralgia, because of burning, stabbing, and numbness all over.

My feet have only been numb a few times, but they've been through the stabbing. My hands - omg they're either stabbing or numb WHILE freezing.

I appreciate ANY ideas anyone has on ANY of this weird neurological stuff! I've finally gotten my bladder flares under control through taking CystoProtek and Desert Harvest Aloe as directed (expensive!) and keeping up with the instills. But SOME foods will still cause my arms, legs and fingers to burn! SO WEIRD!

[purpleviolet]

I'm cold a lot too. Even in the herbal world I think IC has a cold component - I mean an acupuncturist thought I needed more "fire" in my kidneys. From an ayurvedic perspective I am "vata" - cold. Maybe western medicine does not look at IC this way but we probably don't have the best circulation. In traditional Chinese medicine "stagnant blood" is a huge problem causing pain so herbs are prescribed to increase circulation for some people who present themselves as cold. OK my herbalist teacher after "muscle testing" me (which I don't believe in) told me to take red pepper (ouch for most ICers)in capsules. I actually tried it but did not flare. I don't know why. I stopped after 2 months, because I just don't believe it couldn't be irritating but from his perspective he saw me as "cold" and needed to be warmed up.

[bluetou]

Just a thought...cold hands and feet are also a sign of yeast in the body..you may want to do a check into this....you would be amazed of the signs and symptoms that are yeast related, and YEAST in the body creats MORE IC pain...and exasperates IBS, FIBRO...etc...

I have been rigidly following a candida cleanse, and I am amazed at how WONDERFUL I FEEL!! no more frequency, no more bladder pain.... all of my IC symptoms are gone.

NOT saying that this is what will happen to you, but my body was strugglign with yeast for over a year (my gyno feels)....and now that I am treating my yeast STRICTLY, my ic symptoms are gone....it is amazing....

just a thought....

peace
blue
:pray:

[purpleviolet]

Hi Bloutou,

I know you PM'd me about tea and I think you were asking about the valerian tea, but I'm not sure. Anyway I can usually drink herbal tea combinations but not when they are too tart. Some have a lot of hibiscus in them which is red which I think is tart. Sometimes I drink regular tea that is weak. If I let it brew then I'm in trouble.
I'm feeling relatively OK of late. Might be because I have a cold which seems to help IC. Immune system changes I guess or might be all the supplements I have been taking. Don't know!