Are PwPD more affected by the cold?

[quirkyme]

My husband always used to be the warm one in the family. Now with PD he's cold

9 months of the year.

[maryalice]

I'm usually too cold or too hot on and off all day. When it.s cold it's much more difficult to move also. I think my muscles tighten up more then usual.

[quirkyme]

I think the cold makes our muscles tighten up even without PD. My husband doesn't want to go out when it's cold, and his balance is not as good as in summer. He has trouble latching his seat belt, putting on his gloves, all those things, whereas in summer he can do them easily.

[quirkyme]

this is from two years ago.

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

[quirkyme]

this is also two years ago and makes a surprising (to me) link between shoulder pain prior to onset and later PD diagnosis. PD is sure a baffling disorder. Is anyone collating all these early signs of PD and all the quirky things PD patients feel as helpful subjects for future study?

[Adele_D]

My understanding is that PD affects the sympathetic nervous system that manages, among other things, body temperature so we have lower tolerance to both heat and cold. One more thing to learn to grin and bear...

[Pete-1]

I find I am more intolerant of either temperature extreme. Probably the worst is overheating, Even in cold weather I find a summer weight quilt on the bed is quite often too hot and have to get up to cool off. I can't adjust the amount of bedding as I am not alone. Having said that my wife (not a PWP) i often too hot as well.

[firefly0780]

I have always suffered from cold feet, even as a teenager. Acupuncture has almost eradicated this problem for me. I would recommend that you try this as it helps to balance the body's symptoms.

[grandmasanta in reply to firefly0780]

My hands were always cold...acupcture helped me, too.

[Aleagles]

Yes my right hand and foot get colder than before pd and worsens the tremor trying SAD lamp as aid plus yoga

[quirkyme in reply to Aleagles]

thanks for your post. I'm going to get out my SAD lamp for my husband. That helped last year.

His right hand and left leg swell and don't work well since he had a tumor in his right wrist removed and the surgeon replaced it with a piece of bone from his lower leg. Since then his wrist action has been limited which now make it hard for him to feed himself. My point is that some of us have had injuries that make the PD symptoms harder to deal with. As another person here wrote, another 'opportunity' to 'grin and bear it.'

[PatV]

Yes, meds take longer to kick in and wear off sooner when temp is cold !

[etterus]

Having just moved from Arizona to Oregon this year, which is breaking records for low temps and snow, I can conclude that I don't tolerate heat or cold. I still think it is easier to bundle up than to strip down... just can't get enough off to matter.

[quirkyme in reply to etterus]

we lived in NC and before that VA before moving back to Mass. We told ourselves that good warm clothing would make us comfortable. Layering, as you suggest, is the answer but I, for one, hate the weight of clothing. We have warm clingy garments close to the skin and that helps.

[wifeofparky]

My husband did not tolerate any extremes in temp. When it was too hot, he fatigued quickly. When it was too cold he stiffened up. Wish Spring and Fall lasted longer. AS etterus posted, when it is too hot, you can only take off so much. At least in cold weather, he could layer up and stay more comfortable.

[wifeofparky]

cuddle duds are great for layering. They are silky and light weight but keep you nice and toasty.

[arwenmark]

Since getting PD my husband is cold all the time his hands and feet are freezing to touch, and when he is cold his shaking is much worse in spite of where he is in his med cycle. he wears a jacket and hat and blanket when sitting in the living room and in bed has electric blanket and a comforter over that.

[quirkyme]

Are his hands blue and swollen? An RN told me once she'd seen a lot of PD patients with swollen/blue hands.

Will's think part of my husband's difficulty is inactivity of his hands and the fluids don't get

back into the veins and go back to the heart. So they swell. Our muscles tend to get cold and don't work as well, for many of us as we get older so those with PD have extra challenges. Thanks for writing.

[PatV in reply to quirkyme]

Is he on sinimet or on a dopamine agonist? When I was on D.A. (the devil drug!) my feet were a lovely shade of lavender

[quirkyme in reply to PatV]

yes, he's on dopamine agonist. Just today started carbadopa/levadopa

but coninues on amantidine.