Question: Always cold?

nwasen
nwasen Member Posts: 235 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
since the weather dropped from the 80's to the 50's and now colder at night, I find myself constantly cold. Even layers of clothes don't seem to hold off the cold from my bones. I seem to be ok at work with a sweater added to my wardrobe (and most of the other workers are too warm) but at home I just freeze.
Does anyone else find this to be a problem? Does anyone know of anything to help (i.e. vitamins, supplements etc.)? I hate to work just to pay my gas bill this fall and winter.
Thanks.....

Comments

  • noelles_jim
    noelles_jim Member Posts: 12
    #2
    Cold!!!
    I live in the mountains of north Alabama, a year out from treatment and COLD! I have been cold since about a month after the treatment ended. In my case it was body mass. I am about 6 feet tall and pre-C was 165-175 pounds. I lost down to 120 pounds right after treatment ended, and I was taking a lot of pain medication.

    In my situation the answer was to cut the pain meds as much as I could stand and still function (I had a lot of nerve damage due to radiation, and am still on some heavy medication). But EAT, if i thought I was hungry, my wife made me eat. As I slowly put some of the pounds back I began to warm up a little. The pain meds made me cold because they slowed me down. But my wife, God Bless her, is a good cook and she has me back to respectable 150 pounds. With that I have cut the heater off in the office, and just wear long sleeves when I go out.

    Hope this helps a little. God Bless and in our prayers.

    Jim
  • nwasen
    nwasen Member Posts: 235 Member
    #3
    noelles_jim said:

    Cold!!!
    I live in the mountains of north Alabama, a year out from treatment and COLD! I have been cold since about a month after the treatment ended. In my case it was body mass. I am about 6 feet tall and pre-C was 165-175 pounds. I lost down to 120 pounds right after treatment ended, and I was taking a lot of pain medication.

    In my situation the answer was to cut the pain meds as much as I could stand and still function (I had a lot of nerve damage due to radiation, and am still on some heavy medication). But EAT, if i thought I was hungry, my wife made me eat. As I slowly put some of the pounds back I began to warm up a little. The pain meds made me cold because they slowed me down. But my wife, God Bless her, is a good cook and she has me back to respectable 150 pounds. With that I have cut the heater off in the office, and just wear long sleeves when I go out.

    Hope this helps a little. God Bless and in our prayers.

    Jim

    cold....
    thanks Guys.
    I did have my thyroid checked and it is fine. I did drop alot of weight but have slowly been working my way back so maybe it is just the less weight. When I was young I was very thin and always cold.
    Thanks again for your input!
    Nancy aka toughcookie
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #4
    Hi Nancy
    It is part of our new normal; I too am always cold at home and at work. Nothing I tried helps it, I love 80 and 85 degrees weather but anything under 75 I don’t like. I sleep with two blankets at night because my wife is always hot and needs the AC set on 74 with the ceiling fan running.

    I am thing of moving to Honduras for the winter and coming back to the US for the summer like a snow bird

    Hondo
  • Hal61
    Hal61 Member Posts: 655
    #5
    Weight and cold
    Hi Nancy, my experience has been like Jim's. I'm about one and one-half years out from 35 rads and chemo x 3, and then a later partial dissection. My almost constant coldness has decreased on its own over time, but putting weight back on did make a difference. I still get cold hands, feet, and head, so I keep a pair of cotton gloves and a light-weight alpaca
    cap--with those ear flaps and strings hanging at the sides, nearby. I look like I belong in a funhouse sometimes, but I stay comfortable.

    best, Hal
  • buzz99
    buzz99 Member Posts: 404
    #6
    Cold
    Buzz is always cold. He wore flannel pjs all summer! I have heard that this problem may be related to anemia. He remains anemic 1 year after chemo. Do you have that problem? In the meantime, LL Bean has lots of very warm clothing although a bit pricey. Karen
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #7
    Common Observation
    It seems to come up often....

    Have you had your thyroid checked?

    Usually it's done with your blood tests, TSH and Free T4 are the main indicators. Being cold can be an indication of the thyroid taking a dive.

    This is also very common among us who've had a lot of radiation to the throat.

    Easily treated with Synthroid or other meds.

    Mine has been going south for awhile, just not to the point of meds so far.

    ***updated*** I just re-read this...I didn't mean to imply that it was your thyroid, just a possibility. I'm sure there could be tons of other reasons as well.

    Best,
    John
  • Greend
    Greend Member Posts: 678
    #8
    Bad News
    I don't think it ever gets a lot better. Not only am I cold but my wife is one of those who is always hot (no comments Skiffen) and so we are always in a "discussion". She reminds me that there are only so many clothes she can take off so I'd better bundle up - what a great problem to have.
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #9
    buzz99 said:

    Cold
    Buzz is always cold. He wore flannel pjs all summer! I have heard that this problem may be related to anemia. He remains anemic 1 year after chemo. Do you have that problem? In the meantime, LL Bean has lots of very warm clothing although a bit pricey. Karen

    Hi buzz
    What you say we cut the winter and head south to a warmer climate, if I don’t have 80 to 85 degrees I am freezing. I guess we can bring the caretakers Wife’s with us but where I am thinking they don’t have air condition. So we might have to bring a refrigerator with us to keep them in. lol

    ops sorry Karen :+)
    Hondo
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #10
    Ms Toughcookie
    :) I went the opposite way after rads. I got all hot and sweaty all the time, which is gross for a girly girl like me. I used to always be freezing to death, now I get overheated and sick quickly. One of the things you might want to try are the microwave bags filled with rice or beans or flax. Some people make them or you can purchase them. I have booties of flax, a 'U' shaped flax for my neck, and a square one that some one made me that is full of rice. I would stick those suckers in the microwave and it was just awesome. Plus when I was married we couldn't afford the heat past 62-65 tops. I can also highly recommend a naked dog. They are like little hot water bottles. Nizzy is wonderful in the winter to snuggle with, though a bit icky-sticky in the summer sometimes. Lol. Sometimes I still charge up one of the microwave things if I'm sore. The dog tries to plop himself down on it before I can get it positioned onto whatever is sore! Sheesh.
  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    #11
    Feeling the Cold
    I haven't given this much thought, primarily since I live in the tropics and it never really gets cold here. Last December and January it felt a little cooler than usual to me, though I was only 4-5 months out from treatment then.

    The next few weeks will be a truer test of this as I am heading back to 'Sweet Home Chicago', into Wisconsin for a bit and then on to Maryland. It will be interesting to see if the cool weather there effects me any.

    This will be my 1st trip back home to see family and old friends since I was diagnosed. Looking forward to a really good trip. Chicago pizza, hotdogs, Italian beefs and some crabs in Maryland..oh yeah. Cheers.

    Jimbo
  • BrianKrashpad
    BrianKrashpad Member Posts: 188
    #12
    weight loss?
    I do chill a bit easier, though I'm not always cold. Of course, north central Florida is one of the warmer climes in the US (though it does get cold here, below freezing overnight for a couple weeks, and every couple decades there will be a freak snow flurry).

    In my case, I lost 45-50 pounds, which I don't really have any intention of regaining (back almost to my high school weight, at age 53), and I think mine is just from having less natural "insulation" (fat!) on my body to keep me warm. One of the rare upsides to this whole deal.

    Fwiw, ymmv.

    Be well!
  • ggpierce
    ggpierce Member Posts: 30
    #13
    I stay cold also. Even when
    I stay cold also. Even when it's warm outside and I am working with my crew, the guys will be sweating like crazy and I do not. As far as being at home, if it gets less than 73 in the house I am cold.
    Maybe you will get better.
  • KTeacher
    KTeacher Member Posts: 1,103 Member
    #14
    Fleece
    I layer my clothing and have a fleece vest (Land's End, Columbia) and scarf. I need to wrap the scarf over my chin when it is cold outside. I also have a fleece 6 in one hat, I don't care what I look like, just so I am comfortable. (I do try to color match)

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