Feeling abnormally cold

[LynneMcV]

Things have got off to a shaky start this morning.

My husband woke up literally freezing. It wasn't cold and he didn't feel cold to the touch, but to all intents and purposes he might as well have been standing naked in the snow and ice, so violent was his shaking and teeth chattering.

I managed to get him to the loo and then into the bathroom but he was shaking so much he could barely walk. He was so unsteady on his feet that I didn't even contemplate him having his normal shower - he had to settle for a very quick wash at the sink (or what my grandmother used to call 'a cat's lick and a promise') and then straight into his clothes to warm up.

He was very unsteady on his feet going down stairs but he refused my suggestion to sit down and edge his way down on his bottom.

We did make it down the stairs unscathed and I've wrapped him up in a sleeping bag in a nice warm room. He has had two hot drinks and some toast and has stopped shaking now. I've rung work to say I'll work from home today. I have no idea at this stage if he will be able to manage the stairs during the day, so I just want to be around in case he needs help.

I wonder if he is coming down with a virus which has made him feel so cold in what is a warm house. I suppose time will tell.

 

[marionq]

That sounds like an extreme form of what my husband has on a daily basis. He needs numerous layers at all times plus hat and gloves. I have an electric blanket on his side of the bed only. He drinks more tea than ever in his life and this too seems a bid to keep warm. I think it is a message from a damaged brain.

 

[Grannie G]

Hello Lynne

My husband also felt cold even on the warmest summer day. The heating was on and unbearable for me and if he sat out needed a fleece and a blanket to keep him warm.

Even so, there`s no harm getting medical advice. Your husband might be suffering an infection which can occur without any obvious symptoms.

 

[LYN T]

Hi Lynne

I was told by Pete's consultant that his Dementia brain damage had left him unable to control his own body temperature. Sometimes he felt hot and feverish (but no infections etc) but more often than not he was freezing-especially his extremities.

Perhaps you could phone his GP for some advice?

Love

Lyn T XX

 

[LynneMcV]

Thanks all for your feedback.

I've certainly witnessed the cold affecting my husband before. There've been countless times when it has left him pale, confused and exhausted - and where we've been sweltering while my husband shivers with the heating on full blast.

I think what shook me this morning was the degree to which it affected him. He was shaking top to toe, his arm and leg movements were uncontrolled and jerky and he could barely stand.

Things did improve considerably as the morning progressed and as he got more hot fluids and hot food inside him. He has been up and down the stairs several times throughout the day and has been very stable on his feet.

I do have an electric blanket which I can set just for his side of the bed, like marion suggested, so I will give that a go tonight to see if it helps.

The other thing that comes to mind is that my husband has never warn pyjamas to bed - he wears just his underoos and a pair of socks. I know that there were a couple of times in the early hours when the covers had slipped off him, leaving his back exposed. I think this must have contributed to the situation, with his body unable to regulate itself quickly enough, even when I pulled the cover back over him.

I've had a chat with him today to see if he might now consider pyjamas to help him keep warm. He agreed and I ordered some nice thermal ones before he could change his mind again.

Being a Scot he liked the practical advice that they wouldn't go to waste because everyone should have night clothes available just in case the ever need to go into hospital!

I'll keep an eye on things and seek medical advice if it happens on this scale again. I carried out a urine test at home and all was clear, so hopefully there's nothing nasty brewing.

 

[canary]

Being a Scot he liked the practical advice that they wouldn't go to waste because everyone should have night clothes available just in case the ever need to go into hospital!

Im sorry, but that made me laugh
I do hope they keep him warm though, and arnt just kept for hospital.

 

[LynneMcV]

Im sorry, but that made me laugh
I do hope they keep him warm though, and arnt just kept for hospital.

Haha - the pj's have arrived. He has been eyeing them up over the past few days but so far hasn't made it to bed with them. Maybe he'll succumb once winter hits