Feeling completely frozen

[Rp321]

Does anybody have the issue when it's cold or vaguely chilly your whole body kind of tenses as if you just stepped into -100 degrees or something. It really hurts all my muscles especially my arms and shoulders and ribs area? My arms cling into my sides and my shoulders go up around my ears if that makes sense?

I'm really trying to find a way to stop doing it, Its not something I seem to have any control over I can't even make myself do it to recreate it to show someone it does it all by itself . I have tried taking deep breaths or shaking my arms which does work sometimes to alleviate it a little but not always. I dress excessively warmly to try and avoid it - just wondering if anyone else has this happen or knows any idea she of how to help me to stop doing it.

[amd21]

I used to do this - I put it down to non-conscious hypervigilance/anxiety and used mindfulness & breathed into it and it would pass. since i've been on meds to manage my ray's its essentially vanished.

[Rp321 in reply to amd21]

I do wonder if it's because I'm stressing/ anxious about the cold so tense In a kind of stress / almost fear response rather than a cold response. Interesting idea mmmmmmm

[Hidden]

Have you experimented a bit - id be interested to see if you did some jogging/skipping on the spot for 5-10 mins & got your heart rate up then popped outside to see if it made a difference :0)

[Rp321 in reply to Hidden]

There's an interesting idea - my Zumba type classes will be the perfect experiment. I know I do it going into the gym and then again when I go into the studio because of the air conditioning. I can do the dance moves but it really hurts for the first few songs both from the tense muscles and the obvious raynauds hurting - so either I warm up and it stops hurting so much or it doesn't hurt so much because I'm having fun and not stressing about the cold. The question is does it do it as bad when I walk back to the car from being so hot after the gym class???? I will test it tomorrow 😜

[Lupiknits]

Yes I have. All hunched up while walking the dog along the road. When I get home, I try the waving arms and shaking fingers thing, then I wrap myself up in a thick wool shawl that goes from neck to knees, and sit for a time with an electrically heated lap blanket. I can stick my hands under that. Then I do something to make me stop thinking about it.

At the worst I use one of those aluminium survival blankets and lie down, with another fleece on top, to listen to an audiobook which takes my mind off it.

If you are able to do this (the suggestion was from a very fit young pain management consultant) try marching on the spot, swinging your arms. I can’t manage that 😂