That horrible cold on dialysis!

[CatonTheRoof]

Has anyone of you experienced frequent chills, or at least a bigger vulnerability to the cold temperatures while being on dialysis? 

In this moment my hemoglobin is around 13, so I don't know if that's the cause for feeling such cold and humidty.  But for example,  when I take a shower and I get my hair wet, I feel like I was about to die.  I have taken my blood pressure about taking a shower but it shows everything is ok, except that heart rate increases a bit. 

I hate this because I'm living in the capital of Colombia right now, which is situated in the mountains and the temperature is around 12 to 18 degrees usually.  During december which is when we have the sunny period, I was feeling quite energetic and such.  But these days full of rain I feel like just sleeping.

[jeannea]

I've always been cold. But especially if you take beta blockers for blood pressure you will get chills.

(I had to think for a minute if 12 degrees was cold or warm. Some of us only use proper units in the chemistry lab.)

I was also always cold when hooked to the machine for hemo. Hated that.

[Whamo]

I felt like I had the flu this weekend, but I think it was due to the Hep vaccine shots I got on Friday.  I do feel cold in Hemo sessions.  They could hang meat in our kidney center.  Some days are worse than others.  It makes you wonder. 

[deniferfer]

Yes I get that all the time. I live in the mountains too, it gets cold around 40 degrees here but I find I get colder then everyone else it seems. I put on a coat and bundle up and I still I'm cold. The other time I get really cold is if I get over exhausted and wear myself out. Then I start to get like cold chills and all I can do is curl up in a blanket to try and feel better.   

[lmunchkin]

I believe there is something going around.  J has had a pretty bad cold w/ flu like symptoms.  His temp has been 99.7 or 8, so it is low grade but higher than ususal.  His son came to see him last Saturday (a week ago) and he was sick.  J said he didnt know why or where he got this, but I informed him that his son was sick when he visited with him.  He agreed, that is probably where he got it.

I swear, his kids just don't think!  Only of themselves.  Had I known that he was sick, I would have asked him not to come, but no, he comes while Im at work.  But I have to be the bigger person here!  But I don't like it at all!!!!!

God Bless,
lmunchkin
 

[kitkatz]

I take a warm pack I buy at the athletic stores to dialysis, a hand warmer. I put it on my chest under the blanket to stay warm.

[Whamo]

I don't know how people handle the cold.  I live in Southern California, and we had the mildest winter I've ever seen, and I still hated it.  Yesterday, the sun was out, it was 70 degrees, at least, and I'm yelled out, "It's spring!"  I was so happy.  I do get cold in the kidney center during dialysis.   You could hang meat in there some days.  I'll be chilling even with a blanket on. 

[kitkatz]

Yes, I am in So CA too.  They keep that D center COLD!!!

[Riverwhispering]

The question.... WHY? do they keep the dialysis centers so cold?  Anyone know?

[cassandra]

Here in UK cold too. The answers they gave my about the sub zero temps at the clinic were: 1. They have to keep the room cold cos the D-machines get very hot, and that's bad (apparently...) 2. Some people are always very hot (which is true, I've always had at least one strange person who was hot, and complained about the heat cos the window was closed in mid winter) 3. the techs are all menopausal.

Best thing to do is put your dialysate temp on 37,5 C and take 2 blankets with you.

love Cas

[CatonTheRoof]

Concerning life of peritoneal dialysis  I have found out that if I dont go jogging 2 km each single day I''ll start getting chills like if I was in the middle of Europe's winter.   I have no idea why this happens, blood pressure is fine, heart too, hemoglobin is not high but at at leasr in a good number and such.
Only explanation i have found is of the ancient chinese medicine which states that the kidneys handle the "fire of the body"  so weak kidneys means less fire power inside.   I try to eat spicy things and such, which make me feel warmer, however the cold remains sometimes..