Problems with cold Fingers.

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annj

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Type 2
Hi There. I have only recently been diagnosed and I need to ask a question. Over the last few days the weather here in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset has been very cold and its been -2c even during the day and while we have been redesigning our shop and wearing cloves I've been getting very very cold fingers especially at the end of them. They start to hurt a lot. I was wondering if it's part of being T2 or is it just old age I'm 42 on Friday. My diabetic nurse has said to look after my feet but she didnt say anything about my fingers. Hopefully someone will be able to give me some advice.

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to you all.

Ann 🙂
 
my son is 5 nearly every morning has cold finger so is not old age
 
Thanks Graham's Mum for your reply - and thanks for making me feel younger.
 
Hi Ann, Happy Birthday for Friday 🙂
Are your blood sugars still high from your recent diagnoses?
If this is the case high numbers can cause a few circulation problems. Hence why you feel cold.
Many diabetics also tend to have underactive thyroids and this can also cause you to feel cold. So best to keep an eye on that too.
 
cold finger tips

Hi Ann

By your standards I must be scheduled for the British Museum🙂

I have very cold finger tips and remembered from flying Tiger Moths that even when healthy we wore silk gloves under our flight gloves.

My companion found some recently and even when it's reasonably warm indoors, I find that wearing them is of great asistance.

As Sue has said, many of us have underactive thyroids; my thyroxine dose has only just been increaased.
Try thin silk gloves. They may help.

Happy Birthday for Friday
 
I have Raynaud's phenomenon. It is a condition in which you are incredibly sensitive to the cold and you freeze from the toes up and fingertips in. Since developing type 2, my husband has become far more sensitive to the cold in both feet and hands. It is quite strange when he complains of the cold - has taken quite some getting used to!

You might find some of the advice for Raynauds is helpful to you. I find wearing thermal underclothes helps my circulation, but only at a baseline - my hands still are painful. The Raynauds association sells silver gloves, which I assumed would be good from an anti-bacterial perspective but it seems to be all about reflecting heat http://www.raynauds.org.uk/potioncms/viewer.asp?a=132&z=12. If you scroll down they also have socks suitable for people with diabetes containing silver.

My husband swears by thin liner gloves inside thicker gloves - I think his are "thinsulate" ones sold in camping shops like Millets but silk sounds a great idea. I might have to look for some.

I personally swear by isolating my hands from each other, warm drinks to hold, never trying to warm up too quickly, sheepskin gloves and wearing gloves in cold weather for touching nearly anything.

I notice companies are increasingly selling "wrist warmers" http://www.celtic-sheepskin.co.uk/cat.asp?productCode=FB - the ones here are expensive as they are sheepskin, but I'd love to know has anyone tried them and do they keep your hands warmer?
________
British Cooking
 
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Hi AnnJ
Apart from saying I get, tingly fingertips when my sugars are low I can't really help - but the typo in your initial post that you were wearing "cloves" did give me a bit of a chuckle!
Happy New Year
 
I have been feeling the cold too. Part of it is I lost weight as I was rather (ahem) ample before.

The main time I find cold hands a problem is when I want to use my puncture kit (aka glucometer) mad I can't get enough blood to do the test with.

Try plenty of warm drinks and keeping active. If I have to hang washing when it is very cold, I put on a pair of rubber gloves.

I have a four year old who has cold hands and my grown up son also has cold hands. I think some people are just naturally cooler than others. We always say cold hands and a warm heart.
 
My husband swears by thin liner gloves inside thicker gloves - I think his are "thinsulate" ones sold in camping shops like Millets but silk sounds a great idea. I might have to look for some. quote



Wendy bought my silk gloves from a camping/climbing shop in Edinburgh
 
Thank you all so much for your kind birthday wishes and for all your advice. I will certainly try thinner gloves inside other ones and see if that helps. One of the problems is that when I am serving in our shop I cant use the till with them on, and as our shop is on an industrial estate and in a unit that is to large to keep warm (we only keep our office warm) I will have to give it a go.
 
I have a pair of fleece mittens, which have flaps for all fingers together and thumb, so that fingers and thumb can be left free for fine actions, then replaced when not needed. These came from a Salvation Army shop on Mill Rd which sells off second hand clothing, boots etc from British Antarctic Survey - new supplies come in approximately July each year, when ships return from Antarctica.

Alternatively, I have used thin inner gloves with thicker fingerless gloves over the top for eg surveying using plane table in cold conditions - that dates me, but it also works for GPS these days, including for geocaching etc.
 
Hi all

I have developed cold fingers and toes recently. However I have been put onto Beta-blockers and chilly extremities are one of the side effects. I'm pleased it has not spread anywhere else!!

JOHN
 
I have worn these on their own when working on my computers, one of which is a netbook with v.small keys. I should think that they would be fine for operating the till.
They will retain the warmth without the outers for several minutes
 
JohnForster said:
Hi all

I have developed cold fingers and toes recently. However I have been put onto Beta-blockers and chilly extremities are one of the side effects. I'm pleased it has not spread anywhere else!!

JOHN
Click to expand...

I really sympathise with you there John. I was put on beta-blockers when diagnosed in May and spent the entire summer shivering, hugging a hot water bottle and extremely tired all the time - it wasn't just my fingers and toes, but my whole core. Plus, they were encouraging me to exercise, but because of the bb's I would get very tired after a very short run because my heart couldn't work hard enough. The difference it made when I stopped taking them was phenomenal. I feel like I've had 6 months of winter already because I never really got the benefit of summer. Hopefully, your experience will not be as bad as mine.

I still have problems with very cold feet and numb fingers at times, which I think may be partially explained by the fact that I am on blood pressure medication - apparently, lower blood pressure can also make you more sensitive to cold.
 
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im hannah and i suffer with cold hands and feet in winter although im not on beta blockers it very anoying been cold most of the the time im not sure if it is something to do with diabeties could it be?
 
Hi Northerner (and everybody)

I've got use to the heart slowing down, and my blood pressure seems to be dropping. It certainly was wierd at first. I felt like I was stoned all the time. Quite pleasant really!

My situation is that I work in a mostly open air museum. The weather this week has been a bit chiily. Luckily, my local ADSA are selling a Thinsulate hat and gloves set for only ?5. The gloves have been a 'fingersaver'.

Lets keep chatting

JOHN
 
Fact of life for me in winter I HAVE to keep warm. I wear a couple of pairs of gloves including when necessary a pair with fold back finger flaps.

Sometimes I wear a hat and a scarf to keep my ears warm. If my ears get cold I get earache and I'm out of action for several days. I have been refused admission to work in my warm wooly hat by the sometimes over zelous security on the staff entrance door, and you can see my face...
 
cold fingers

Hi Annj
I have type 1 diabetes and have exactly the same problem wiv my fingers. With having diabetes u do get other problems that link ie Raynards. My specialist doc said that i have raynards and they only thing u can do is wear gloves and wait for ur fingers to warm up. Sometimes my whole hand will turn white if the temperature drops a little, even in the summer!!!
gloves are not a good look in the summer !!! :D

oh and don't worry it is nothing to do wiv age or medication as i am on no medication other than insulin and i'm 24
 
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I tried to be "green" and turn the thermostat on the central heating down a couple of degrees two days ago. Result this morning was hands that were so white with cold that I couldn't get blood on a fingerprick test! Turned heating back up as can't quite bring myself to wearing gloves indoors - even fine silk ones!
 
Im really feeling the cold this winter, I picked up my daughter from school this afternoon and waited about 10 minutes for her to appear standing by my car as usual and I've never experienced the cold as I did today. Shaking with the cold is not a happy one. I think that ive solved the cold fingers - woolly gloves underneath thermal fingerless gloves - worked a treat today in our shop. Thanks again for all your advice from my friends here.
 
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