I have cold hands, and a possible explanation for them
Tarragon
on 10/5/11 3:21 am
on 10/5/11 3:21 am
I am posting this for others who may be experiencing the same thing, as a potential explanation for it.
I (and a friend who also had DS) have been having cold hands. We're not having any of the symptoms of Raynaud's, so I suspect it's a combination of low blood pressure (Mine hovers around 100/60, drinking up to a gallon of water a day) and low metabolism. Primarily low metabolism.
I have an experience with how dramatically a low metabolism can affect one. When I was about 24, I did a ten-day fast, in which I ate nothing and drank only water. I won't go in to the dangers of fasting (it was for spiritual reasons) but suffice ot to say I will never fast as a post-op.
Anyway, on day 7 or 8 of my fast, a group of people, including me, piled into a car that had been parked out in the hot Texas sun in July. The car had no air conditioning. I could feel the sweltering heat, but it didn't boither me a bit and I didn't sweat. I thought this most bizarre since I'm a northern Minnesota native, used to much cooler temperatures. I figured what happened is that my metabolism dropped so low, my body was producing only a fraction of the heat it normally does, hence my being unaffected by the external heat.
A few days later, when I started eating again, the heat hit me full-force and I would start sweating as soon as I stepped outside, and getting into a hot car at that time would have been akin to torture.
I believe that after losing a lot of weight (230 lbs in my case) the metabolism is in slow motion and producing little body heat, and combined with the low blood pressure, the 72-degree temperature at the office is too cold for me. It's easy enough to work around, I simply put on a light jacket and my hands warm up within a quarter hour.
As side effects go, this one is pretty tolerable. You won't hear me complaining about it. :-)
I (and a friend who also had DS) have been having cold hands. We're not having any of the symptoms of Raynaud's, so I suspect it's a combination of low blood pressure (Mine hovers around 100/60, drinking up to a gallon of water a day) and low metabolism. Primarily low metabolism.
I have an experience with how dramatically a low metabolism can affect one. When I was about 24, I did a ten-day fast, in which I ate nothing and drank only water. I won't go in to the dangers of fasting (it was for spiritual reasons) but suffice ot to say I will never fast as a post-op.
Anyway, on day 7 or 8 of my fast, a group of people, including me, piled into a car that had been parked out in the hot Texas sun in July. The car had no air conditioning. I could feel the sweltering heat, but it didn't boither me a bit and I didn't sweat. I thought this most bizarre since I'm a northern Minnesota native, used to much cooler temperatures. I figured what happened is that my metabolism dropped so low, my body was producing only a fraction of the heat it normally does, hence my being unaffected by the external heat.
A few days later, when I started eating again, the heat hit me full-force and I would start sweating as soon as I stepped outside, and getting into a hot car at that time would have been akin to torture.
I believe that after losing a lot of weight (230 lbs in my case) the metabolism is in slow motion and producing little body heat, and combined with the low blood pressure, the 72-degree temperature at the office is too cold for me. It's easy enough to work around, I simply put on a light jacket and my hands warm up within a quarter hour.
As side effects go, this one is pretty tolerable. You won't hear me complaining about it. :-)
Tarragon
on 10/6/11 10:16 pm
on 10/6/11 10:16 pm
On October 6, 2011 at 6:57 PM Pacific Time, walter A. wrote:
YOU describe hibernation, humans don't do that. your fasting episode sounded more like a symptom of heat stroke. I suggest that you seek out a doctor. 
Tarragon
on 10/6/11 10:22 pm
on 10/6/11 10:22 pm
My iron is OK, but you make a great point--anemia can cause cold hands, too! I agree with you that anyone who gets cold hands too easily should also have their iron checked.
It (my iron) is in the low normal range (actually higher than when I was pre-op, I was low in iron when I had my pre-op labs done and had to bring the levels up before surgery.) But I'm trying to bring it up to the nid- or high-normal range because I know how hard iron can be to raise, so I want to get it up in advance so I have more room if I start to drop. I'd prefer not to have to get any transfusions if I can avoid the need for them.
It (my iron) is in the low normal range (actually higher than when I was pre-op, I was low in iron when I had my pre-op labs done and had to bring the levels up before surgery.) But I'm trying to bring it up to the nid- or high-normal range because I know how hard iron can be to raise, so I want to get it up in advance so I have more room if I start to drop. I'd prefer not to have to get any transfusions if I can avoid the need for them.
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