Cold Hands

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dldugan

Distinguished member
Joined
Oct 5, 2018
Messages
203
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
09/2018
Country
US
State
illinois
City
Mahomet
My hands are very cold today and purplish here and there. Also getting cold at night even with 2 or 3 blankets on.
 
Several things can cause this.

Being cold seems to be pretty typical for us. Having extremities that turn blue is not.

My hands and feet respond to cold by turning blue because I have Reynauld's syndrome, secondary to an autoimmune disease I have. So, when my hands turn blue, I at least know why.

If your extremities are turning blue for reasons you don't don't already know about, it may be worth a visit to the doctor. Obvious things that could be involved are poor circulation and low oxygen saturation.

Steve
 
As Steve says, purple is worth getting checked out the first time. You may see it later in your lower legs/feet, in which case Vasowraps will help.

Massage toward the center of the body as you do for edema, long strokes in one direction only, is good for this.

For being cold at night, I always recommend a low voltage heated mattress pad that works with a regular or hospital bed. It can go under your top sheet or under an overlay. The difference may amaze you.

For cold hands, there are fingerless fleece "hand protectors" available at online adaptive shops. There are also adaptive mittens for going out, though hopefully it's warming up for most of us.
 
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Now I am running a little fever, 100.5, have chills and a little sore throat. With the exception of ALS I have not had fever or been sick in many, many years. Took a couple of ibuprofen.
 
Hope you feel better. Have a low threshold for calling the doctor if you start with cough/ chest congestion. Respiratory infections can be dangerous!
 
Feeling better this morning, but will be cautious. Are there Dr’s or nurses that will make house calls?
 
Maybe. It depends on your location. Worth searching in advance of need. There is also teledoc but I would want someone who could physically assess you. I don’t want to be an alarmist but I worry a lot about PALS who get sick. A cold killed my sister. She was significantly respiratory compromised by then but I think she would have had months more without the cold
 
Any suggestions on over the counter for a sore throat?
 
House calls are rare these days. There may be nurse practitioners in your area that do this. If you’re plugged into a home health agency, they can often send a nurse out urgently. Your doctor has to write an order for home health.

Urgent care centers are another convenient venue, but you have to physically go there. If things occur during regular business hours, I always suggest calling your primary care provider’s office first.

I agree 100% with Nikki. When you have ALS, your system is a lot weaker and you can not throw off a cold as easily as you could in the past.

Especially if there is a fever of 100.5 or greater, there is more risk of it becoming serious, such as pneumonia. It’s important to watch these closely and have a low threshold for seeking help if it seems to be getting worse. Sometimes that entails going to the hospital emergency department.

Unfortunately telemedicine doesn’t replace a trained health professional listening to your lungs and doing a general exam.

Dugan, you started this thread by talking about cold hands. Have the cold hands been coming on over days or weeks, or did they just develop within a day or two of the fever and sore throat? If it’s the latter, then it suggests the cold hands may be associated with the current infection, and that could be more worrisome for a serious infection. Be vigilant and have a low threshold for getting it checked out.

For sore throat, there are all sorts of lozenges and sprays you can get over the counter. Keep well hydrated. Sore throats usually improve within a few days. It’s coughing, breathing, and phlegm issues that are more of a serious concern.
 
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Just developed in last few days. I have been using Trilogy mask at night, but the Trilogy In the mouth piece often during the day. Could that be messing up my blood gasses?
 
The Trilogy with appropriate settings, whether with a mouthpiece or mask, would only be improving your 02/CO2 ratio.

I did a quick search and see at least one service that provides house calls under Medicare assignment, in your county. [Google Lafayette Indiana NP home house calls]. They have NPs and docs.
 
Agree with the others that any kind of cold/respiritory issue needs to be taken much more seriously when you are a PALS and have weakened breathing muscles especially if there is a temp. Hope you can get checked out. My husband was trached/vented and we had to be vigilant about any temp or even change in the consistency of his secretions. We found that increasing fluids helped thin the secretions and increased the use of the cough assist to get it out. Do you feel it's gone into your chest? If it has, do you have and use a cough assist? Something that helped my husband when he had a sore throats was hot or warm water with a good amount of honey and a squeeze of lemon. Kate
 
Doesn’t seem to be in chest yet.
 
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