Andie333
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posted
I was dx in June and though a lot of my symptoms have significantly diminished, I still feel chilled. I don't know what I can do about it.
I was just in FL for my Mom's 80th birthday. On my second day there, I had a terrible herx, and I could NOT get warm. My parents were in short sleeves. I had on a camisole, sweats, heavy socks. I was wrapped in a blanket with a second blanket wrapped around that, and I was shivering.
Today, in anticipation of snow this week, I bought a fleece blanket, flannel sheets, a down comforter.
I'm trying to keep heating costs down this winter, because there's NO extra money. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas at all?
Thanks! Brrr
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Funny you should talk about the cold. My daughter with Lyme had QiGong today. SHe was told how important it is to stay warm with this illlness. Suggested to drink warm tea with fresh ginger sprinkled in it, no cold drinks. water should have a little warm water added. Suggested a space heater to put on in her room about 6:00am to slowly warm her room before she gets up. No ice cream, etc. We are going to try this and see if it helps.
Posts: 488 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2004
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cantgiveupyet
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Hey Andie, i know i am fairly new too this. But today when i was having the herx...when i got warm i felt better, so i think staying warm is very important. I have this very warm chenile throw that i wrap myself in...i also have 10 fleece blankets on my bed...
if you dont have a robe you might want to buy one if you have some extra money....i have a fleece one from oldnavy...its very warm. Fleece blankets are great for wraping in as well...some stores have them for 5.00 Fleece has helped me so much during this illness so far. Its much warmer then regular blankets.
Have you tried any heat packs or anything like that?? i know they can be expensive, but they do help with warmth. just some ideas.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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Andie333
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posted
Thanks everyone for your responses. I do actually drink ginger tea. My acupuncturist had already given me the drill about cold foods.
Now, I wouldn't have them anyway; they just sound cold.
Lou, duck endo said my thyroid levels are slightly elevated but not enough to cause serious concern. Or enough to merit treatment, she said. Duck GP agreed.
I don't understand what you mean about calcium blockers...
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I was frozen for the last year. A few weeks ago I sort of returned to normal. Last summer my feel froze during a heat wave and I had to thaw them in a hot tub.
Here's what helped me with being cold. Soaking in a hot tub. Drinking hot tea, wearing leg warmers on my ankles and on my wrists, always wearing gloves outside and sometimes inside, extra scarf, putting a fleece throw above my pillow and then pulling it over my shoulders at night. Using instant heat hand warmers. I put them in my gloves on the way to work then kept them on my desk to warm my frozen hands on. They last over 12 hours. They were on sale for 88cents a pair at sierratradingpost.com hats
Posts: 956 | From MA | Registered: Nov 2004
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groovy2
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eletric blanket ia what I use-- Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Calcium channel blocks used by some lymies for heart palps. Side effect of cold hands and feet. Beta blockers used for same purpose, don't know about side effects on that one. However, being cold is also a typical lyme symptom. Ketes evidently like cooler temps. Maybe this is why they interfere with thyroid, to lower body temp. Not sure thyroid tests reliable indicator of who might need supplementation. Lot of controversy in this field too.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
It is snowing our first snow of the year as I type this to you. I'm constantly cold and I'm in an old house that is a bit drafty. We have $10 heating pads all over the house, on the couch, in my bed, etc. Warm baths and straight to the couch with the heating pad so the chill never sets in.
Lets all think warm thoughts to get through this winter that has just begun. Posts: 460 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2005
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mbroderick
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Hi Andie,
My daughter, Adrian, had been complaining about always being cold. We had some blood work done and discovered that her thyroid was on the very low side of normal. Her blood was cold! it can also cause cognitive problems. Check that out...
Posts: 2097 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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5dana8
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Hey for a quick warm up I wet my hair and blow dry on high heat (wearing alot of layers of clothes.)
Heating pads, hot baths and space heaters but close the door. It gets so hot in my room my dogs are panting!!
Stay warm
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
I stay cold all the time. My husband finally broke down and bought be an electric blanket because he was heating my blankets in the dryer all the time and it wasn't enough. I keep mine on high all day long most days!!
Posts: 44 | From GA | Registered: Nov 2005
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char
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Andie, Come see me ands we shall sit by the fire.
We have gotton cold hand and aches relieved with these fabric pillows filled with seeds.
You can get fancy ones at the mall or whole foods or the mall that smell nice.
My favorite is a square bag filled with field corn that a young girl made.
This cost nothing to make, I am sure.
Heated corn reminds me of childhood on farm.
Warm wishes,
Char
PS I just posted minutes after you did asking about cold as a herx! What abx are you taking?
Posts: 1230 | From US | Registered: Nov 2005
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char
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OOPS.
Idea is you heat fabric bag in microwave.
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posted
I have late stage lyme, was finally dx last summer and was always cold, ran the heated seats even in summer. My LLMD put me on heparin 5000u subQ twice a day for 3 months then had me add natrookinase twice a day. I'm warm all the time now - even my hands and feet and I live in Minnesota!! I've just stopped the heparin and am to restart it if my hands and feet started getting cold all the time again.
Posts: 17 | From Minneapolis | Registered: Aug 2005
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Andie333
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Thanks everyone for your great responses and suggestions!
Too and Lou, I have an appt with LLMD in 10 days and will ask about this then. I have other symptoms now (some of them new) which I think may mean a co-infection.
Marian, I probably need to have thyroid retested. Was slightly elevated a year or so ago.
Corgilla, the stove sounds awesome. And Char, I'm on my way over. Bringing a big pot of homemade soup with me!
Actually, I got a down comforter on sale that's helping a lot at night. I also took everyone's suggestions and got a big old fleece blanket to wrap around myself at night. Finally, I've ordered these things called Wristies, which I will probably wear when I type. They're fleece and designed to keep your hands and wrists warm. I'll let you know!
In the meantime, I stayed inside today -- didn't go out in the snow (though snow has always been one of my favorite things). I built a big fire and drank a lot of hot tea! Then I took a detox bath and have been herxing like crazy ever since!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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JillF
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I am cold all of the time (except the times I'm sweating because of Babs). At night, I wear a sweater, socks, robe, use a blanket, etc.
Even in the summer, I would be cold. My hands and feet are the absolute worst.
Even in bed with 5 blankets, I'm freezing. Even with thermal socks, my feet are sometimes so cold under the blankets that I can't sleep.
We bought a Northern Nights comforter from QVC. I've never been so warm - don't even need to wear socks in bed for the first time I remember. It's the only cover/comforter/quilt we use now, too. It makes the bed so nice and toasty.
So, you might look into buy something from Northern Nights. They come with a 3 yr warranty too.
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map1131
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I hate winter because I will be cold no matter what until May. Even in the warmer seasons I have a thermostat problem, but then I can go in the sun and let it warm me to the bone.
Taking detox baths will help change my body temp for several hours.
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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robi
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I am cold all the time too.
I just bought a set of Fleece sheets at Kohl's. On sale for $35.00 for queen size. They are usually around $80.00 ..... so go now while they are on sale!!
They are much warmenr than flannel!!!!
robi
-------------------- Now, since I put reality on the back burner, my days are jam-packed and fun-filled. ..........lily tomlin as 'trudy' Posts: 2503 | From here | Registered: Apr 2004
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Andie333
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posted
Robi, I actually just bought some flannel sheets on sale at Kohls. I don't have the energy to remake the bed, but I'm going to try them out tomorrow!
I don't think I saw fleece sheets....I don't think I've ever even heard of them.
I'll look into it; thanks for the tip!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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johnnyb
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Hi, Andie!
Hope all is going well with Dr. E. I, too, am frequently cold. Sometimes I will just start getting chills out of nowhere, but everyone else in the room will say the temp is fine. I'm thinking it could be a lyme herx, or maybe babs, which Dr. E just tested me for. Not ever being the type to put on weight, lyme made me lose even more, which doesn't help the situation.
Hot showers, hot tea, microwaveable herb packs, all help quite a bit. You might want to try cayenne to promote healthy circulation / warmth.
I love fireplaces, but don't have one. When we visit my sister-in-law in PA, they make fun of me because I throw too much wood on the fire!
Stay Warm!
- JB
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5dana8
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One last tip. Throw clothes in dryer with a damp cloth.Run on high for 15 minets.(Multi layers.) Put on right out of the dryer.
This works for only a short time but feels like heaven. Unfortunately I have to hang out by my dryer with extra clothes.But no problem when I am on couch & dryer is like 6 steps away.
You can never be too kind or too warm
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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Andie333
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"you can never be too kind or too warm" I like that, Dana!
JB, I do have a fireplace and love it. There's nothing like it in the snow!
Also, I've wondered about babs. I'm seeing my LLMD in a couple of weeks and want to check that out. I did test negative for all the co-infections before, but it seems I have this new constellation that makes me suspicious.
How have you been doing, Johnny?
Great to hear from you!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Michelle M
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Oh, this topic WARMS MY HEART!!!
In winter, I just cannot get warm.
I am hypothyroid too.
Andie, your Endo Duck ought to know a person's TSH should be between 1 and 2 who isn't having thyroid symptoms. "Slightly elevated" can give you lots of trouble. Ask your LLMD for a trial of a very small dose of Synthroid and see if it helps. This -- like Lyme - is a very controversial area and Endo ducks like to withhold.
I have bradycardia. I am always making monitors go off, my heartbeat is so slow, in the 40's.
I particularly enjoy getting in a car that's been sitting in the sun and just baking in it. Aaaah.
I built a house out of straw bales mostly for the superior insulating quality of straw. It stays really, really warm. I like it 75 in here, and am known to push it to 78, though others may object. I live at 3000 feet in snow couuntry in the mountains.
A heated mattress pad (electric) is a Godsend to me! I found it much better than an electric blanket.
Ski socks and micro-fleece liners (tops and bottoms) for going out are necessities.
I never complained about early menopause.. I told my Gyno Duck (when she tried to put me on HuRT): "Hey, I'm really LIKING the hot flashes -- it's the first time I've ever been WARM!!!!!
Hurry, summer!
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Are you being treated for babesia? I tried to look through the posts but couldn't tell.
On my first visit to my LLMD, I wore a turtleneck, sweatshirt and carried in a sweater. I rode the 3 hours with the heater on. It was mid August on the east coast.
Fortunately we went to FL on vacation the end of August for 2 weeks were I sat in hot tubs and I was very comfortable.
I just started my 4th bottle of Mepron and I'm warmer than I have been in years. I'm hypothyroid and take a t3& t4 med. My thyroid meds have been well balanced for the last few years.
elle
-------------------- When I feel blue . . . . . . its time to take another breath Posts: 296 | From East Coast | Registered: Aug 2005
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Andie333
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Michelle, I never thought I would look back fondly on hot flashing, but you bring up a good point.
Elle, I haven't been treated for babesia. My initial test came back negative and haven't been repeated since (I don't think). My acupuncturist seems my constellation of symptoms now as being very malarial in nature.
That makes me suspicious of babesia, especially knowing the inaccuracy of the tests.
I think I'll call my llmd tomorrow and see if they can fax me a lab prescription for a thyroid test. I see the Lyme doc in 10 days, and it would be good to have thyroid results when I go in.
If anyone has any other thoughts about this, I'd welcome them. The whole thyroid thing sounded so complicated when presented by the endo that I just walked away. I was pretty Lyme-brainy by then.
Andie
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5dana8
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I boiled a chicken last night and put tons of whole garlic's in it and tons of onions. Drank a cup of broth (luke warm) and I was warm for about an hour.
I honestly believe it was the garlic.I take garlic supps but Maybe their is somthing to fresh garlic? The only draw back was the house stunk and I am sure so did I.
Take care.
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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Andie333
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Today, I was my acupuncturist for the first time in 10 days. She couldn't believe how cold my hands were and concentrated the session on getting me warmed up.
Here are some of the things she said (maybe they'll be helpful to someone else) By the way, she's the one who originally suspected Lyme for me, so I highly respect her opinion.
-- She said I couldn't get warm by gloves, etc., because I'm actually cold inside. Abx are chilling, she told me; they rob the body of its heat.
-- She gave me a Chinese herb mix to drink as a tea but also said I should supplement that with ginger tea. Use ginger as another supplement this time of year, she said.
-- As far as diet, she warned me away from salads or any other cold food, especially ice cream. She said I should drink my water at room temperature or warmer. Also, she said to stay away from foods that require a lot of energy to chew (really don't know what falls into that category, but anyway)...she said that energy takes heat away rather than generating it.
Hope this helps someone else! Since that treatment today, I've actually been warmer all afternoon. Not sure how long that's gonna hold, but it sure feels good now!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Michelle,I am very new at this site & with computer skills. Please bare with me.I am currently on I.V. Roceph.,Zithro. & Mepron.I live in MN. and am experiencing the opposite problem.I am so hot it gets embarassing.I have been treated since July.The heat intollerance is a bit better now that it is below freezing.I am 46. Could it be menopause? I'm not sure I can handle both Lyme & menopause.Has anyone gone through both and survived?
Posts: 7 | From mn. | Registered: Nov 2005
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I think this illness threw me into early menopause and yes I have had to deal with hot flashes from that. I do suspect babesia co-infection now because I have had all the hormone testing and am in pretty much good hormonal balance. Still I have these hot/cold flashes continually all day long. When it all started I wasn't sure what to tackle first but my MD is a very progressive doctor who tested hormones with a saliva test instead of blood. We then did bio identical hormones instead of the traditional prescription stuff. It has worked well but no periods for a while, so I guess I'm through menopaus now.
Hope that helps. Posts: 460 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2005
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Your acupuncturist sounds like one that my sister sees. Could it be Cheryl in New Hope?
Corgilla
-------------------- "I'll never forget good old Whatsisname." Posts: 694 | From PA | Registered: Jun 2003
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Andie333
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posted
Corgilla,
My acupuncturist is actually in Philadelphia, not in New Hope.
She's awesome, and what's interesting (and encouraging) to me is that she and my LLMD almost always see things the same way.
Saw LLMD just today. She doesn't think I've got a different TBI; she believes this has to do with the amount of toxins in my body. So I need to add some detoxy things...
Go slowly with it, she said, because my system is still so vulnerable.
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Michelle M
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quote:Originally posted by imalymeabean: Michelle,I am very new at this site & with computer skills. Please bare with me.I am currently on I.V. Roceph.,Zithro. & Mepron.I live in MN. and am experiencing the opposite problem.I am so hot it gets embarassing.I have been treated since July.The heat intollerance is a bit better now that it is below freezing.I am 46. Could it be menopause? I'm not sure I can handle both Lyme & menopause.Has anyone gone through both and survived?
Hi Ima! Welcome to LymeNet! Hey, treasure those hot flashes -- when they're gone, you'll be freezing your a$$ off with the rest of us! Kidding -- I sympathize!! My GP/gyno duck (she was trying to figure out my headaches, figgered it was coming from the early menopause) put me on bio-identical hormones. It does help turn down the heat. They also did a hormone panel - a little blood draw. Confirms you're "in the zone" hormonally speaking. I was WAY in the zone! Then eventually periods stopped altegether. At age 46.
When I figured out it was Lyme, I tossed the bio-identical hormones. Just too freaking much to deal with! Pills! Creams! Antibiotics! Yikes! Besides, by that time I was kind of hoping the hot flashes would come back because I was perpetually freezing.
You CAN do menopause and Lyme! Yes! Think of the money you'll save on women's delicate care products! Think of the reduced birth control stress! (My doc looked at hormone panel and said "HAH - no WAY you could get pregnant!) I said, "Is that subject to change? Could it change back, and I could show up as an OLD mother?" She laughed and repeated "no way."
Besides, with Lyme, you're too tired to feel like sex ANYWAY -- OOPS, that's probably for another thread ...
Hang in there!!! It gets better. Don't be afraid to ask your gyno duck for help. Get your thyroid checked too when you have your hormone panel run.
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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Andie333
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posted
I just wanted to update this post.
I have seen the acupuncturist now three times and been treated for the cold. Ever since her treatments and the Chinese herbs she gave me, the cold has dimininished.
It's winter; I do still get cold, but it doesn't feel like that bone-chilling thing I was experiencing at the beginning of the month.
In fact, by the time I saw my LLMD around Christmas, I only mentioned the cold as an incidental thing. I did get a prescription for a thyroid test, though, so I'll double-check those levels.
Andie
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