Cold Joints

-
I am cold all the time. I get shivers down my spine all the time that give me muscle spams that are bad enough to get noticed. Which makes people stare, of course. 

I know very many people with autoimmune diseases that struggle with the cold. I am one of those people. Its not just that you're a bit chilly, its that the cold is actually painful. One time, despite being on holiday in a very hot and tropical area, I still wanted my jumper because it wasn't quite hot enough. My mum wouldn't let me have it: she told me I'd overheat. She was probably right. And, despite knowing its horrible for your skin, I bathe in hot water ONLY. Cold water is painful.

I don't really know why it seems people with autoimmune arthritis and related diseases seem to be affected by cold more. There doesn't seem to be much research out there about why feeling freezing is so common (if you come across any, let me know!). I think two of the best things you can do for a person with Arthritis, lupus or anything like that, Is to offer an extra jumper or blanket when it's cold and to never force them into a swimming pool.

Comments

  1. RArainbowApril 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM

    I think part of it may be due to the low hemoglobin levels (anemia) of many persons who have autoimmune forms of arthritis. You can read more here http://anemia.org/patients/information-handouts/arthritis. The next time you do blood work, ask your doctor about it. Keep warm and all the best! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Balancing Friendships and Psoriatic Arthritis

-
Image
   Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects every part of your life, even in subtle ways – including your friendships. After living with PsA since childhood, I assumed I knew everything there was to know about navigating friendships with arthritis. But after graduating from college and entering “the real world,” I was in for a huge shock. As it turns out, maintaining adult friendships is much more work than I anticipated. View the full article at HealthGrades.com .
Read more

My Arthritis Depression

-
In this post, I talk about a very hard time after I was diagnosed with arthritis. I share this because I think it's important for others to know that this is a hard disease. For the longest time I felt weak and that I was the only one weak enough to feel this way. But I know now that that is far from the truth: Many people feel this way and it's because they are strong. I know I'm not the first when I say 'I don't want to be alone in this disease.' I don't think anyone has ever said, 'I want to fight this alone,' and actually meant it. It's an ongoing thing that never seems to end, with surprises at every corner. I couldn't go on if it weren't for the wonderful people behind me. I know that for a fact because there was a point when I had almost no one. I did it almost alone for a long time. I had my mum, and she had me. Even then, sometimes there was a wall of fatigue between us. I was newly diagnosed and was taking methotrexate. It
Read more

Leflunomide, Calcium Oxalate Crystals, and Kidney Stones

-
Updated: October 2022 My name is Elizabeth and I will never have an easy disease to diagnose. It took several years ro get my diagnosis. I've taken a few different drugs, but none of them truly worked out for me. Methotrexate didn't work well. But Leflunomide changed my life. Not so much arthritis-wise, as I responded well. However, I began experiencing possible thyroid and kidney problems while taking leflunomide. I have calcium crystals in my kidneys, which could later become stones. As my mum says, "I'm sparkling on the inside."  We found this as blood was found in my urine many times. I also had to do a twenty-four hour urine sample, which is when you collect all the urine you produce in twenty-four hours. It really is quite embarrassing walking into the hospital with a container of your own urine, but it's worth it. I'm currently seeing a specialist for this problem and we are taking care of it right now by discontinuing leflunomide and lett
Read more