Just Diagnosed - Is Cold Weakness Common?

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Blondrea

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Joined
Oct 27, 2014
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88
Reason
CALS
Country
US
State
CA
City
Sherman Oaks
Hello. My partner of ten years was just diagnosed. When his hands get cold, they stop working. When they warm up, they start working again. I've never read of this in the forums. Have any of you ever heard of or experienced this? Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
 
We had a thread a bit ago about temperature. Some do better when it is cold. Others ( I am one) do better in the heat. Cold definitely makes it harder for me to move
 
My husband does better with the cold and is more heat intolerant. Sometimes I think we should all swap homes since we seem to need the opposite temperature of where we live.
 
Yup, not uncommon. Even for summer in Cali, you might want to try fleece cut-out finger hand protectors. If you don't want to cut up/sew pieces of fleece or flannel, you can buy the kind used for more ergonomic keyboarding or fleecier ones at Buck & Buck. Massage/stretching is good for the microcirculation that in part mediates the cold feeling so we did it throughout the day.
 
>Others ( I am one) do better in the heat. Cold definitely makes it harder for me to move

Ditto that!
 
Thanks, everyone. I keep hoping that the fact that his hands stop working when it is even mildly cold then start working again when it warms up would point away from ALS. I am still praying with all my soul for something else, like MMN. But, sounds like some of you have experienced this. Thanks for your insight.
 
Yes, there was a recent thread on this - it is very common for the cold to affect weakness, and it did affect my Chris a lot.
 
I do much better in the heat, especially for my hands. I love it when it is above about 105 f, which only happens when I travel. Of course, I live in a place that is pretty cool year round, so am having to adapt to being more comfortable in cool temperatures.

I almost always wear a jacket and always have gloves with me. I have chemical handwarmers with me at all times. We buy them in bulk at Costco. They make an amazing difference.

Steve
 
I have always dreaded winter. It chills me to the bone but since being affected by ALS it is 10 times worse for me. My speech and hands are especially affected by the cold. Maybe time to move to Vegas :cool:
 
I was greatly surprised this week working in the barn to discover my left hand (left arm is weak) just about quit working. I couldn't believe it. My fingers couldn't even pick up a screw I was trying to use on a project. It was about 40 degrees. After I stopped and went inside....thank God, it started working again. New one on me.......but then so is everything.

God bless us all. Glenn
 
I have chemical handwarmers with me at all times. We buy them in bulk at Costco. They make an amazing difference.

Steve

What are chemical handwarmers Steve?
 
>Maybe time to move to Vegas

or houston :)
 
Cold completely stops my husband. It is very common complaint with pals actually
 
What are chemical handwarmers Steve?

Tillie

They are little packets that get hot when exposed to air. There are many brands, and they are often used for winter sports, like skiing.

Wikipedia says:

Air activated hand warmers contain cellulose, iron, water, activated carbon (evenly distributes heat), vermiculite (water reservoir) and salt (catalyst) and produce heat from the exothermic oxidation of iron when exposed to air. They typically emit heat for 1 to 10 hours, although the heat given off rapidly diminishes after 1-2 hours. [1][2]​

Steve
 
Thanks Steve they sound great!
 
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