Living With the Temperature Sensitivity of Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Temperature sensitivities that come along with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) can make this time of year especially hard. I find myself spending more and more time planning how I dress - not to look my best, but to be able to deal with the heat and cold.
If you're cold sensitive, of course the trick is to stay bundled up. If you're heat sensitive, you don't dress as warmly as others. When you're both, though, it gets more complicated.
My temperature is all over the map, and heat and cold each make certain symptoms worse. This time of year, things like family gatherings and holiday shopping pose a special problem - it's FREEZING outside, so I need to dress warmly, but will the house/store be hot or drafty?
The best thing I've found is to dress in layers, and shop in stores where I can put those layers in the cart so I don't have to haul them around. My feet are often the key to my overall temperature, so I make sure to keep them warm and dry, but if they're getting too warm I slip into a bathroom or dressing room to take them off and cool down for a few moments.
At family gatherings, the house generally gets too hot, so I make sure to avoid anything heavy, and I step outside now and then to cool off, or go into the bathroom and run my wrists and hands under cold water. I also think a lot about the temperature of what I'm drinking.
What are your tricks for staying not-too-hot but not-too-cold? Share them here, or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome community forum (under Newsletter & Blog Topics.)
Suggested Reading:
- Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
- Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Living With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Photo © Gary S Chapman/Getty Images
Comments
Adrienne - I hope you were talking about taking off your socks (and not your feet), lol.
I’ve found that my kitchen becomes a boiler room while cooking. My way of handling this is to open the freezer on the fridge and just hold my face there for a minute to cool down.
I keep a robe handy around the house. I can put it on if I get chilly or toss it over a chair should I get to warm.
My hands get cold easily, so running warm water over them is a quick way to get them heated.
I also fluctuate with my temperature and it’s difficult to manage, but i’m learning.
Hi there!
I use hand-support thingys called Hand-eze (sp?). When my hands get cold I tuck hand-warmer packets into the hand-eze and it helps keep my hands warm. I HATE cold hands!
I broke down and bought a fuzzy hat that has ear-flaps and you can tie the little tassel-things so that the ear-flaps stay snug against your ears.
I got mine at Macy’s ($22 w/ coupon) but it doesn’t appear to be available online.
I walk or take the bus everywhere I go, so I have to stay warm, and it makes a HUGE difference to have a warm hat. I never would have imagined!
Plus, these types of hats seem to be pretty popular this year. I bought mine after I saw a lady walking down the street with one on. Warmth before fashion, though! This was a good choice!
Oh yeah… forgot to mention. I also sometimes take a restroom break and run my hands under hot water for awhile. I have Raynaud’s!
I thought I was the only one. I have hot flashes one minute then I am cold. When it is really cold outside or if I am working around cold things my hands and body hurt so bad. In the summer I can’t stand it too hot but then I can’t stand the air conditioner on my skin or even a fan blowing on me. Some times it comes out of the blue. I dress in layers too.