Question:
I am cold all the time

This is so unusal, me who would turn the air on in winter Now I cannot get warm, last night I even got the electric blanket out, and I live in Alabama anyone experience being cold after surgery? 15 days post -31 lbs    — Jeri P. (posted on May 21, 2002)


May 21, 2002
I am 5 months and am still cold all the time. I am not sure why but you are not alone. It has gotten a bit better then it was when I was really new but it still happens.
   — Andrea P.

May 21, 2002
Oh my gosh, I freeze all day long. It's been unseasonably cold here in TN and I've had my heat on for 3 days. I'm 6 months out and it doesn't seem to be getting much better but I think our bodies are adjusting to the rapid weight loss. Maybe someone else will have a more scientific response. Congrats on 31 lbs in 15 days, that's awesome!
   — Rachel M.

May 21, 2002
I too am ALWAYS cold! For the first time in my life, I've had to buy a cardigan sweater to wear around the house. Maybe it's the lack of fat in our diets? Regardless, I can't wait for the summer's warm weather. Congrats. on the weight loss. That is awesome!
   — Leah H.

May 21, 2002
Well, this disturbs me. I am pre-op and have been freezing for a long time.. years..My body temp is around 96 degrees.. I wear long sleeves all the time unless in direct sunlight.. that is about the only way i am not cold.. I am only comfortable at 85 degrees or more... geeeeesh, what's it gonna be like after surgery?
   — Angela G.

May 21, 2002
I'm 11 months post-op, and still freezing. I keep a heater under my desk at work, and turn on my electric blanket every night. Of course, I do live in North Dakota, maybe that explains it! But it's something like 75 degrees out today, and I'm still cold! I don't think I'll ever be warm, but it is getting better.
   — Becky H.

May 21, 2002
I am 16 months post and I am cold all of the time. I weigh about 120lbs after losing 144. I can not get warm. In Ohio, we are having unusually cold weather and I have been wearing my winter coat and using a blanket at my son's baseball games!! This past weekend, my husband and I went to see a movie. The movie cinema is always cold so I took my warm blanket with me. I am sure I got a few looks, but I did not want to freeze-I wanted to enjoy the show. I sat there and covered up with my blanket and was fine! Shelley
   — Shelley.

May 21, 2002
I am alittle over 5 months post-op and let me tell you I AM ALWAYS FREEZING!!! We were having 90 degree weather and I still have to have my electric mattress pad on plus my heating pad on my chest!! Our house inside temp would be 70 and I turn on the heater to get warmer!!! I can't get enough of the sun now. In the long term, I hope this gets better with time. Best of Luck to you !!!
   — Laura G.

May 21, 2002
HI. I'm 3 years out and I am always cold. Now, I am also extremely anemic but the cold that I feel is in my bones. I must take at least, 3 showers a day to warm up. I just think that we don't have the insulation that we used to have and the cold goes right through us. Guess it's better than sweating all the time right? I haven't perspired in years now. Just wanted to let you know it's normal. Good luck and congrats in your loss.
   — Barbara H.

May 21, 2002
oh my gosh ,now I am scared!! I have been freezing since having surgery and cannot stand it! I have to use 2 quilts everynight, and thats after taking a hot bath to warm me up. glad to hear I am not the only one!!
   — rebecca N.

May 21, 2002
If anyone knows of a scientific reason for this I sure would like to hear it. And to all my cold friends out there, I am glad I am not alone,
   — Jeri P.

May 21, 2002
i don't know why, but it is normal. i've always been a "cold" person, but the only time i'm really really cold is when i get into bed. i'll take a scalding hot shower and my feet are like ice cubes...(guess i just need somebody to warm them LOL) i've heard that after major surgery you will be cold all the time...
   — candymom64

May 21, 2002
Yep me too... between hot flashes no less!!!
   — Denise W.

May 21, 2002
This is very common; if you look thru the library, you'll see lots about this. I am 2 years post op & still cold all the time. The only good thing I can say about it is it's better than being hot & sweaty all the time like I was before. It's easier to add clothes & blankets than to strip past a certain point. :) Boy, do I love my wood stove now!
   — Kathy W.

May 21, 2002
I was always sweating. Even in the winter. It would pour off me like rain. (No kiddding). I'm now a year post op and I'm always freezing. I can't get used to it.
   — Danmark

May 21, 2002
I am always cold as well. Just chalked it up to not having all of those extra layers of fat to keep me insulated. Congrats on your loss!
   — Ginger J.

May 21, 2002
I'm freezing most of the time also~ and I live in FL! It's so nice though...I'm not sliding out of seats from sweating too much!
   — Kristin R.

May 21, 2002
I can't wait to be cold. I sweat and turn red just from doing dishes. If I have to dress up I put my nylons in the freezer for an hour before I get ready. I have to sit in front of a fan to put make up on. I would love to not have sweat dripping from places it shouldn't be (from between my back fat rolls or from under my boobs). I have to admit you guys don't sound very thrilled about being cold, but I personally can't wait and I really hope I turn out to be one of the ones that is. Janine
   — Janine S.

May 21, 2002
I ALSO AM COLD ALL THE TIME, MY 3 FRIENDS THAT HAD THE SURGERY WITH ME ARE ALSO ALWAYS COLD, LAURIE
   — laura B.

May 21, 2002
As I sit reading this post I am laughing to myself - I have my fuzzy hooded jacket on that I used to wear as a "winter" jacket. Now, almost six weeks post op, I wear it in the house because I am cold. Yes, and I live in Hawaii. I would rather be cold anyday that to be dripping wet and sweating.
   — Lisa J.

May 21, 2002
Yes, yes...many of us were cold following surgery. I sould say it lasted about 2 months ...maybe even less. Then it went away.
   — Caren S.

May 21, 2002
I too, am cold a lot. But, I'd rather be cold and wear a few extra layers that I can take off as I want. Before WLS, I couldn't take those "layers" of fat off!!! 8 ) Love, Donna in AL
   — Donna S. C.

May 21, 2002
My daughter and I had our surgeries 2 1/2 years ago, and we haven't been warm since.....even my hot flashes went away, and there are days when I would kill to have one! Our surgeon explained it as simply losing our layers of insulating fat. However, a co-worker who shares my office weighs only about 105 lbs., is pre-menopausal, and complains all day long that I keep the office too hot for her. We play the "battle of the thermostat" throughout the day, but I try not to turn the air conditioning off until my nailbeds are a deep shade of purple :-) This is a different "cold" than I've ever experienced....it seems to start from the inside and is bone-deep. My advice is to invest in some warmer clothing and buy a dual-control electric blanket for your bed.....socks are also a "must" if you wish to keep your sleeping partner. However, I wouldn't trade one shivering moment for the joy that this surgery has brought to my life. Best wishes!
   — Diana T.

May 21, 2002
I've been cold since I woke up from the surgery!! Literally, my skin is always cold. If someone touches my arm, there amazed at how cold my skin is. I have a space heater at work that I have on daily because I'm always freezing. I'm just curious to see when it starts getting warmer how my body will react. I've always hated summer because of the heat (I don't like to sweat) and maybe this year I won't!!
   — Patty H.

May 21, 2002
I have always suffered from the cold. That is one of the reasons I moved to Florida. But my husband wanted the Air Conditioning as cold as it was up north, so my problem wasn't really solved. I had to go outside to be warm. Now that we both have had the surgery, we keep the airconditioning at a bearable level. My reaction to cold in no worse, but his tolerance for heat is much improved.
   — faybay

May 21, 2002
Me too, cold all the time. Often get a shower to just get warm. <P> Looking forward to summer and the heat. It will be my FIRST summer thin, and I wonder what it will be like? I was ALWAYS hot pre op, its a nice change. Being thin has its downsides, cold, sore bum from lack of fat cushions, cant shove furniture around like I used to. Sure GREAT to have these problems!
   — bob-haller

May 21, 2002
OH my goodness!!!! I thought it was just me. I was always the hottest person...slept with the window open in the dead of winter and I live in OHIO. Since the day of surgery I have been shivering and have not stopped. My boyfriend and I fight over the heat...I want it on 80 and he wants it OFF!!! Everybody keeps saying that it is because I am shedding fat that kept me warm, but I dont know what to think.
   — Maria A. M.

May 22, 2002
I feel the exact sme way. I am driving my family crazy. I have the heat on 80 all the time
   — Linda A.

May 22, 2002
Hi Jeri! I too am an Alabama resident-Birmingham to be exact. I had my surgery in December and for the first month I lived in my nightgown with a sweatshirt over it and my robe over that! For someone who had spent the last 15 of my 41 yrs in what I referred to as "perpetual meltdown" it was funny to say the least. It does improve but I am still more "cold natured" than I ever was, barely break a sweat for any reason and wore a sweatshirt Monday because we had a "cool spell" 65 degrees and I was chilly. It's okay, beats hot any day.
   — jsuggs

May 22, 2002
This affects everyone differently. Some people continue to be cold all the time even long-term post-ops. Some are only cold for a short period of time and then their body adjusts. I am 6 mo post and still cold all the time. It was explained to me that our bodies need time to adjust to the loss of insulation. So it isn't the LACK of insulation, its the body trying to acclimate. I was looking forward to some warmer weather, but since it has started warming up a bit, everyone wants the air cond. on. In the car, I am comfy and everyone else is burning up, complaining so I have to turn the air on. Then I'm freezing again. I remember someone saying to start a sweater collection. I have one that I take everywhere with me. I plan on starting a collection when I get to goal. And I must add: being cold sure does beat the heat!
   — Cheri M.

May 22, 2002
Roll Tide! Also a Bama Belle, and still cold two years post-op. Doesn't bother me a bit! I'd rather be cold at 183 than pouring sweat in the dead of winter at 355!
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 23, 2002
Jeri, I am 6 months post op and am still cold all the time. I live in Oklahoma and I made my DH buy me a twin size electric blanket for my side of the bed, and I use it every night. Also I carry tissue with me everywhere cause I get so cold my nose runs constantly. But like the others say, I'd rather weigh 125 lbs and be cold than 250 lbs and be hot.
   — Lynda T.

August 15, 2002
I'm 12 weeks post-op and freezing all the time! I used to be the one with the fan on and windows open...but now, no fan, close the window and ues two comforters! I'm freezing!! AND I LIVE IN ALASKA! I am cold now and it's only about 65 degrees...imagine below zero! I'm worried about winter this year! But, one nice thing is I haven't worn sweaters in years...I've found there are some really nice sweaters that complement my new body! Oh, yea, I wear socks now too! But, tis' so sweet to be on the lighter side of life! Cold or not!
   — Kim M.

August 15, 2002
I am the same way, and by the look of the responses, so are many others! 3 months ago (Before my surgery) I used to sweat ALL the time. I would sweat in the winter!! And now i am soo happy, I am actually cold when it is hot outside. I guess it is all the weight we are losing! I don't know what it is, but i'm personally just happy that i'm not sweating anymore.
   — Lezlie Y.




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