Feeling Cold

pk
pk Member Posts: 192
edited August 2022 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Those of you who have been through treatment: What's with this feeling cold all the time. Bob(my husband) is 5 months out - all is well, but he is always complaining about being cold. Anyone else out there feeling "chilly" when no one else is????? Just wondering?
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Comments

  • fsdman
    fsdman Member Posts: 51
    #2
    brrrrr
    Hi pk,
    I am 10 months out of treatment. I am sitting inmy den in Southern California with blanket on me. Iwas carrying a glass to the sink the other night and started shivering so bad I spilt the water. Living in L.A. now as a former NYer I was never cold-never wore a jacket in "winter".Now I always wear something or at least keep one in my car.I attribute the problem to loss of fat. I lost 60 lbs which arent coming back.Its still a small price to pay.Good luck and stay warm.Its our new normal.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #3
    fsdman said:

    brrrrr
    Hi pk,
    I am 10 months out of treatment. I am sitting inmy den in Southern California with blanket on me. Iwas carrying a glass to the sink the other night and started shivering so bad I spilt the water. Living in L.A. now as a former NYer I was never cold-never wore a jacket in "winter".Now I always wear something or at least keep one in my car.I attribute the problem to loss of fat. I lost 60 lbs which arent coming back.Its still a small price to pay.Good luck and stay warm.Its our new normal.

    i'm a mess
    i am down almost 40 lbs, and just a tiny little thing. skin and bones now. i am always freezing too, until i break out in these crazy sweating frenzies. so mine is the opposite. i never ever sweated like this before treatment. hot flashes, yes. sorry, guys. been there done that, but this is awful. the night sweats are even worse. i wake up wringing wet. i live on top of a hill in rural pa. i have snow, my window is open, and i am in a cami, and my cancer sucks shorts. holding naked dog in left arm, and if i get any hotter, he is going to have put some jammies on for his warmth or get under his blanket. i am getting too sweaty to hold him.
  • cwcad
    cwcad Member Posts: 117
    #4
    sweetblood22 said:

    i'm a mess
    i am down almost 40 lbs, and just a tiny little thing. skin and bones now. i am always freezing too, until i break out in these crazy sweating frenzies. so mine is the opposite. i never ever sweated like this before treatment. hot flashes, yes. sorry, guys. been there done that, but this is awful. the night sweats are even worse. i wake up wringing wet. i live on top of a hill in rural pa. i have snow, my window is open, and i am in a cami, and my cancer sucks shorts. holding naked dog in left arm, and if i get any hotter, he is going to have put some jammies on for his warmth or get under his blanket. i am getting too sweaty to hold him.

    subject to cold spells
    Being cold started as soon as the treatments began. I thought, at the time, that the treatments were the cause hence when treatments ended I would not be cold any longer. Wrong...almost three years out of treatments and I still am walking around the house with sweaters and sweatshirts on each day.

    At nite the sweats hit often and hard. It has slowed some but never the less it still happens. I am at a loss as to why but am glad that it is not as often as it once was.

    I often think I am cold because of the large weight loss I had. Having spent most of my adult life above the arctic circle, heat had never been a problem for me. Now I freeze in my new Texas home every day. I am at 195 pounds and I am not gaining weight any longer. Hands and feet are always cool and sweating.
  • Glenna M
    Glenna M Member Posts: 1,576
    #5
    cwcad said:

    subject to cold spells
    Being cold started as soon as the treatments began. I thought, at the time, that the treatments were the cause hence when treatments ended I would not be cold any longer. Wrong...almost three years out of treatments and I still am walking around the house with sweaters and sweatshirts on each day.

    At nite the sweats hit often and hard. It has slowed some but never the less it still happens. I am at a loss as to why but am glad that it is not as often as it once was.

    I often think I am cold because of the large weight loss I had. Having spent most of my adult life above the arctic circle, heat had never been a problem for me. Now I freeze in my new Texas home every day. I am at 195 pounds and I am not gaining weight any longer. Hands and feet are always cool and sweating.

    Always cold...
    I've never been sure whether my weight loss or the loss of muscle was the reason I am alway cold. I wear layers of clothing all day when I'm inside but it never seems to be enough, my hands and feet never seem to warm up. The strangest part is that everynight at about the same time I have about an hour that I am so hot that I have to take the extra sweater off as I feel like I am burning up.

    The weather has finally warmed up enough (the temperature is finally up in the 30's) that I try to go for a walk everyday to try to regain some of my muscles to see if this helps me stay warmer.

    If this is my "new normal" then I guess I will just have to accept it and stock up on sweaters - LOL It sure beats the alternative ;-)

    Take care and stay warm,
    Glenna
  • Chefdaddy
    Chefdaddy Member Posts: 170
    #6
    Glenna M said:

    Always cold...
    I've never been sure whether my weight loss or the loss of muscle was the reason I am alway cold. I wear layers of clothing all day when I'm inside but it never seems to be enough, my hands and feet never seem to warm up. The strangest part is that everynight at about the same time I have about an hour that I am so hot that I have to take the extra sweater off as I feel like I am burning up.

    The weather has finally warmed up enough (the temperature is finally up in the 30's) that I try to go for a walk everyday to try to regain some of my muscles to see if this helps me stay warmer.

    If this is my "new normal" then I guess I will just have to accept it and stock up on sweaters - LOL It sure beats the alternative ;-)

    Take care and stay warm,
    Glenna

    I feel like I moved to the
    I feel like I moved to the North Pole and nobody told me.
  • santa6
    santa6 Member Posts: 29
    #7
    Whew!! I thought it was just me
    I'm almost 5 months out and have been freezing since early in treatment. Before getting sick, people used to wonder at me because I was still using the AC in the car in Nov(I live in Iowa). I can't get warm enough now. I lost 75lbs going through treatment - pounds I needed to lose - I now weigh exactly what I did as a 3 sport athelete in high school. Always a silver lining. Also eliminated hypertension and related drugs.
  • delnative
    delnative Member Posts: 450 Member
    #8
    santa6 said:

    Whew!! I thought it was just me
    I'm almost 5 months out and have been freezing since early in treatment. Before getting sick, people used to wonder at me because I was still using the AC in the car in Nov(I live in Iowa). I can't get warm enough now. I lost 75lbs going through treatment - pounds I needed to lose - I now weigh exactly what I did as a 3 sport athelete in high school. Always a silver lining. Also eliminated hypertension and related drugs.

    Jack Sprat and his wife
    I'm 17 months out of treatment and I still get cold, though nowhere near as bad as I did in the first few months.
    What makes it more difficult is having a menopausal wife who's always hot. But, bless her heart, she hasn't made me turn the thermostat down. She just wears lighter clothing.

    --Jim in Delaware
  • pk
    pk Member Posts: 192
    #9
    delnative said:

    Jack Sprat and his wife
    I'm 17 months out of treatment and I still get cold, though nowhere near as bad as I did in the first few months.
    What makes it more difficult is having a menopausal wife who's always hot. But, bless her heart, she hasn't made me turn the thermostat down. She just wears lighter clothing.

    --Jim in Delaware

    Thanks Everyone!
    So now we know that the "chills" seem to be NORMAL!!!!
    Jim- your posts always make me laugh!!
    Your wife is nicer than I am, as I turn the thermostat down.
    PK
  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #10
    pk said:

    Thanks Everyone!
    So now we know that the "chills" seem to be NORMAL!!!!
    Jim- your posts always make me laugh!!
    Your wife is nicer than I am, as I turn the thermostat down.
    PK

    Neck Warmer
    Had the same, not so bad now 7 months out. I found using a skiing type 'Neck Warmer' to really help as it's easy to carry, take off, etc and would give me that extra bit of warmth to put in the comfort zone. You lose a lot of body heat around your neck as the main artery is close to the surface.

    You're definitely no alone.
    Scambuster
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #11
    Scambuster said:

    Neck Warmer
    Had the same, not so bad now 7 months out. I found using a skiing type 'Neck Warmer' to really help as it's easy to carry, take off, etc and would give me that extra bit of warmth to put in the comfort zone. You lose a lot of body heat around your neck as the main artery is close to the surface.

    You're definitely no alone.
    Scambuster

    neck warmer
    those things really work, just pop them in the microwave for a bit. i used to take three to bed with me every night. one around my shoulders/back, one i would tuck up under my shirt on my belly and chest, and i have slippers that you heat up. lol i like the room cold to sleep because i cannot breathe in a hot room. they kept me warm for hours, and the neck one and the feet ones had soothing lavender and flax in it, smelled nice. the one i tuckd under my shirt was just a home made one out of rice. my chinese hairless crested would be beside himself with glee when he saw me getting them out of the microwave.

    awesome for cold people, because they can be comfy without turning up the heat. good call scambuster, i forgot about them.
  • pk
    pk Member Posts: 192
    #12
    sweetblood22 said:

    neck warmer
    those things really work, just pop them in the microwave for a bit. i used to take three to bed with me every night. one around my shoulders/back, one i would tuck up under my shirt on my belly and chest, and i have slippers that you heat up. lol i like the room cold to sleep because i cannot breathe in a hot room. they kept me warm for hours, and the neck one and the feet ones had soothing lavender and flax in it, smelled nice. the one i tuckd under my shirt was just a home made one out of rice. my chinese hairless crested would be beside himself with glee when he saw me getting them out of the microwave.

    awesome for cold people, because they can be comfy without turning up the heat. good call scambuster, i forgot about them.

    neck warmer
    we have some of those tucked away in the linen closet - will tell Bob to give em a try.
    Sweet - love the comments you include about your dog - our springer sleeps with us too - some people just don't get that but ohhhhh they are so warm a cuddly!!
    P
  • MaryRC
    MaryRC Member Posts: 114
    #13
    pk said:

    neck warmer
    we have some of those tucked away in the linen closet - will tell Bob to give em a try.
    Sweet - love the comments you include about your dog - our springer sleeps with us too - some people just don't get that but ohhhhh they are so warm a cuddly!!
    P

    neck warmer
    I was wondering about the cold feeling people get, do you think
    the radiation does something to your thyroid? I have read that it could make you feel cold. I am taking all this in since I havent even had my surgery yet.
    I use the neck warmer on my neck all the time since I get alot of tension headaches. I also sleep with my 2 little dogs( Penny and Daisy) I get their backs to me, my husbnd says he gets their claws on his back!
    Mary
  • GRAVEY
    GRAVEY Member Posts: 83
    #14
    I had a big issue right
    I had a big issue right after my last treatments with getting hot in the bed. I wouldnt sweat, but I could be fully clothed or completely naked and burn up in the bed. It slowly went away, but it kept me from getting good sleep for almost a month after my last treatment.


    GRAVEY
  • micktissue
    micktissue Member Posts: 430
    #15
    MaryRC said:

    neck warmer
    I was wondering about the cold feeling people get, do you think
    the radiation does something to your thyroid? I have read that it could make you feel cold. I am taking all this in since I havent even had my surgery yet.
    I use the neck warmer on my neck all the time since I get alot of tension headaches. I also sleep with my 2 little dogs( Penny and Daisy) I get their backs to me, my husbnd says he gets their claws on his back!
    Mary

    hat
    I get shivering chills once a day and then I get very hot (but don't sweat). I wear a knitted hat when the chills come on and that seems to help. These are rad symptoms and I've been told they go away. We'll see.

    Best,

    Mick
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #16
    Cold
    Hi pk; Part of the new normal Bob, my wife sleeps with only a sheet and I sleep with three blankets. In my office and next to my bed is a little space heater that I don’t think I could live with out, I actually need 80 to 85 degrees just to feel normal. I believe it is almost time for me to move back to Honduras
  • pk
    pk Member Posts: 192
    #17
    Hondo said:

    Cold
    Hi pk; Part of the new normal Bob, my wife sleeps with only a sheet and I sleep with three blankets. In my office and next to my bed is a little space heater that I don’t think I could live with out, I actually need 80 to 85 degrees just to feel normal. I believe it is almost time for me to move back to Honduras

    Honduras
    Yup, I think it's Honduras for you!!! No lack of heat the there!!! P
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #18
    pk said:

    Honduras
    Yup, I think it's Honduras for you!!! No lack of heat the there!!! P

    thyroid
    Can relate to this cold thing. Some think it has to do with the thyroid being impacted by treatment. If you research the functions of the thyroid- could be what's going on. Told my Rad Dr. about it, and she ordered blood tests, which came back okay. She said the chills were likely caused by thyroid abnormalities going-on.

    fyi

    kcass
  • stevenl
    stevenl Member Posts: 587
    #19
    Kent Cass said:

    thyroid
    Can relate to this cold thing. Some think it has to do with the thyroid being impacted by treatment. If you research the functions of the thyroid- could be what's going on. Told my Rad Dr. about it, and she ordered blood tests, which came back okay. She said the chills were likely caused by thyroid abnormalities going-on.

    fyi

    kcass

    Cold
    Hey everybody,

    Just the opposite around here now. I'm cold and she's hot!

    Steve
  • sportsman
    sportsman Member Posts: 97
    #20
    Feeling Cold
    You probably have a "fried" thyroid gland. Another thing they failed to tell me that would happen because of radiation. Have your blood test and and see if it is the thyroid. I am now three years out of treatment (35 Radiation treatments) and get cold easily both winter and summer. My hands and feet are the main areas of the body that stay cold. I take Synthroid for my deficient thyroid. Your doctor can regulate the dosage on this medication after completing your blood work. Again I am now three years out of treatment and find something out new almost every day. As many of the survivors state on this site; "You must get use to the new normal". Its not fun but we are still above the ground.
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #21
    sportsman said:

    Feeling Cold
    You probably have a "fried" thyroid gland. Another thing they failed to tell me that would happen because of radiation. Have your blood test and and see if it is the thyroid. I am now three years out of treatment (35 Radiation treatments) and get cold easily both winter and summer. My hands and feet are the main areas of the body that stay cold. I take Synthroid for my deficient thyroid. Your doctor can regulate the dosage on this medication after completing your blood work. Again I am now three years out of treatment and find something out new almost every day. As many of the survivors state on this site; "You must get use to the new normal". Its not fun but we are still above the ground.

    Above Ground
    Well put, Sportsman. 3 years- excellent (I'm 16-months).

    Of note: this past summer was just about the most tolerant I've ever had, due to the chills in the summer heat. I have not experienced the chills I had back then, and it seems the chills became less noteworthy when I started gaining my weight back. Again- for all of head and neck, a Wikepedia reading of the Thyroid can be helpful.

    kcass

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