Heat and Cold Intolerance.

[Judi4]

Does anyone experience heat/cold intolerance? What are your symptoms? I'm not sure if this is related to ms but I feel like Ive been hot most of the summer with feeling like I'm on fire and having the sweats. I never really had a problem with the heat before. I have always had issues with the cold. I walk around my house in the winter wearing my down coat. Is this normal for ms?

[jimeka]

I have problems with heat and sweats. Sometimes even while I am washing the dishes, with my hands been in hot water it brings on discomfort and sweating. I can feel as though I have the flu some days if I get too hot. I would love to go to Iceland to see the northern lights but it's the cold that puts me off, and what it will do to the ms. Hope you find the answers you are looking for. Cheers Jimeka

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador]

Hi, I can't take the heat at all. anything over 85 degrees outside or 80 indoors puts me into sweating like I've just had a tough work-out.. even the warm water jets at the local pool bother me.. Today was one of the coolest mornings we've had all year and my feet feel as though they are in blocks of ice. The arches ache, ball of the foot feel like a lead weight and my toes feel disconnected.. I stayed in bed all morning with the electric blanket on.. better now, but I'm wearing 2 prs of socks and slippers. I am just adjusting to all these symptoms as I was diagnosed by 1 neuro with MS on August 2. Lynn

#CalfeeChick

[Shelly36]

I also have heat intolerance, I live in Las Vegas, l I hate the summer here. I use a cooling vest and neck wrap to lessen the body heat. I'm looking forward to winter here, it doesn't get below 50 here. I used to live in North Dakota and I loved the coldness there. My husband thinks I had ms before moving back to las vegas, the cold temp kept it dormant. Sounds plausible. But if you can, try a cooling vest and/or a neck wrap to help keep you cool in the hot temps

[jimeka]

Thank you I will look into that, I have thought of trying a cooling vest and what you said does sound plausible

[Pbargal]

Well there went my theory Judi4 I was hoping since I had problems with the cold that I wouldn't have to worry about the heat Sorry your having this problem. The cold really makes me hurt.

[WAshingtongirl]

The heat sets off my symptoms and my previous neuro even went so far as to say the heat set off a bad relapse years ago, while living in HI. I was pretty I'll most of the time there. Heat, combined with humidity, does me in. We moved to the Pacific Northwest and I felt so much better (due to the change in weather) that I eventually was able to walk without the forearm crutches and AFO for nearly 5yrs. 70 degrees seems to be my comfort zone. Much above that and I feel lousy. However, in the cooler seasons, my feet are painfully cold even though the rest of me is quite comfortable. I wear wool socks and waterproof leather shoes (no tennies with mesh tops which allow cool air in!) then.

[Eleyne92]

I have trouble with both heat and cold. My tolerance level for both seems to be narrowing, too.

Cold causes me to have spasms. I get rigid for upwards of a couple of minutes, sometimes, and it's painful. Even that oh-so-necessary air conditioning can get too cold, and I have spasms.

Heat is by far more problematic, though. If I get too warm, my thinking becomes muddled, I lose stamina, and I'm unable to even make the needed transfers in the bathroom. My feet act as if they're nailed to the floor. And recovery takes hours.

Here in Texas, in the summer, I get to experience the ill-effects of both too hot and too cold on any given day, thanks to air conditioning.

[Judi4]

Thank you everyone for replying. I feel bad that everyone has this. I guess you learn to make adjustments in your life and go on from there.😊

[Fancy1959]

Judi4, it's Fancy1959 and I would like to welcome you to this wonderful chat room. The first thing you should realize is that MS effects everyone differently. No two persons MS symptoms are the same. I too, experience heat and cold intolerance, although my heat intolerance is much different than yours. Your heat symptoms remind me of what I went through during menopause. The hot sweats and the feeling I was on fire taught me to always dress in cool layers. My MS heat intolerance limits the time I can spend outside on if the temperature rises above the low 80's., especially if I'm trying to do any physical labor. If work or am outside in the heat I literally turn into a limp noodle. Sometimes so limp I can't even walk.

My cold intolerance actually has a name, it's called the Raynaud's Syndrome.. And boy is this syndrome no fun. During extremely cold weather I become obsessive about protecting my hands and feet. I own several pairs of extremely well insulated boots and lots of top notch ski gloves. The first and only time I was introduced to it was on a cold Sunday night about two years ago, I went out to the barn checking on a sick horse. As I was coming back to the house I realized just how cold they were. I had just gotten into the house when the pain started. It felt like someone was driving a thousand Nails into my hands all over. The pain was so intense I wound up on the floor with my hands cradled to my middle screaming in pain. It lasted a good 10 minutes or more. I'll never forget how much that hurt. They say it also affects feet often in the same way.

Pray that you never suffer from Raynaud's Syndrome. And there you have the story of my hot and cold intolerances.

[Judi4]

Fancy1959 Hi there, I believe I am experiencing menopause symptoms, but the feeling I've been having this past summer I've noticed is when I'm outside I can stand the heat and I always liked to be out in the sun. I used to be a runner and had to stop due to problems with broken bones in the balls of both feet, I'm only able to walk. This has become difficult because when I'm out in the heat it feels like my legs are weighted down and become weak. My husband had to walk back to our house just recently and pick up the car to come get me, I couldn't go on. I feel ill being in the heat and if it's humid, it's worse. After being in the heat, i usually have to lay down. As far as the cold intolerance, I don't believe it's Raynaud's. My husband has this and his hands get so bad they turn grey/purple in the cold. He also has to wear well insulated gloves. He is even starting to have problems with his grip. My children have this condition too. What I feel is all over chills and I can't warm up. My hands and feet get a pins and needles prickly feeling and go numb, but no stabbing pain.

[SWEETCAT]

Oh yes hot and cold are a bothering effect of MS. While hot and humidity is awful,I have to say the cold is very painful. Can hardly wait for menopause to happen..NOT!!!Well my best toU all.

[K5of6]

Hest is My enemy. Just stay away from the heat. I use the coolong wrap around my neck. Surprising it works really well. I also avoid direct sun, shade, stay down wind. Always look for the A/C. My biggest anotance is my feet will become blocks of ice When I feel it coming on, I will take a Calcium tablet,Itb works for me. I will aslo take one jst before bed and wake up to non ice feet. Hope ot works for you. We all have to figure out what works for us. Good luck!

Luckily the Heat doesn't last that long in Chicago.The Dew Point is also a warning sing for me. For me the moisture (Dew Point) gets high, it drags me down.

I also stay out of Hot Tubs. It I go in one I will be numb the next day.

[Fancy1959]

Judi4, hi from Fanncy1959 and a big welcome to this wonderful chat room! Heat and cold intolerance goes hand hand with MS. Heat melts people with MS like butter. It drains our energy, reduces our stamina, and if we get hot enough can exasperate our MS by overheating us. In other words if we go outside and work and get too hot normally it takes a matter of 30 or 40 minutes on very hot days we then crawl into the house pull ourself up on the couch and crash for the rest of the day. We are done and we feel very bad for the rest of the day and sometimes the next as well. Depending on how hard you push. When everyone else has jackets on sometimes I notice I'm comfortable without one. Our memory foam bed makes me so hot I can't stand to stay in it. My husband will be sound asleep next to me and he'll have a sheet and a blanket on and I'm laying on top of the sheets dying of heat.

Severe cold intolerance that becomes bad severe can be related to a syndrome called Renaldi syndrome. With Renaldi syndrome when your hands or feet become extremely cold begin to become pale and then they turn whitish. After that the fun begins as it feels as if your hands and your feet are each individually attacked, by having a thousand small nails driven into them. The pain is unimaginable and it can take 10 minutes or more to subside once it sets in. Judi, I had delivered all three of my sons naturally, (not by choice), and this pain surpassed my labor pain! My hands right now don't even like extremely cold tap water for any length of time.

It was my pleasure to chat with you. We welcome you into this wonderful family. So free and feel safe to post any questions you have. The wonderful part of this chat room is that you will receive replies from many different people with different points view. That gives you an opportunity to gather information and learn about your MS. Please remember that information is always our friend. And that together we are stronger!