Easily feeling cold even after transplant

[Chris]

When I had renal failure, I started to notice I could get cold real easy. I would need more blankets or clothing to keep warm even in the summer. Now that I have had my transplant, I still get cold easily and it doesn't take much to start to shake. Nothing like wearing a coat in class while the a/c is enjoyed by everyone else. Doctors have said nothing about it, but was wondering if anyone else feels this way. Rather if you had a kidney and pancreas like me or just a kidney..
Chris

[goofynina]

I have not been blessed with a kidney BUT i know exactly what you are talking about being cold all the time, heck, i am shivering in me boots as we speak (or as i type)    I think it all has to do with immune system and all that, i am sure other members that have had the transplant can probably tell you better 

[stauffenberg]

During dialysis patients develop clogging of the arteries and damage to the nerves, and both of these phenomena can cause an increased sensation of cold. This kind of structural damage from dialysis does not go away after a transplant, so the coldness persists. Also, even after a transplant, many patients continue to suffer from anemia, since the single kidney after the trauma of surgery and chronic allograft nephropathy cannot stimulate the production of red blood cells sufficiently, and coldness is a classic symptom of anemia.

[Chris]

That's the most complete medical answer I have gotten. Doctors and nurses have never said that.  As far as anemia, I think without looking t my labs, my red blood cell count has been good. Just don't quote me on that...lol Anyway, to bad that this won't go away or diminish like my neuropathy has in my legs. I use to have severe pain attacks, like getting electrical shocks in my legs and feet, but after my transplant, I only get a small amount of pain infrequently.
Chris

[Romona]

I was told by a pulminologist (I don't know if I spelled it right)  that you can have great red blood counts and good iron, but B-12 can be low. Which can cause fatigue and other problems. I wonder if that could make you cold. A check of ferritin should tell you.
I get pain in my hips, legs and feet. Sometimes it is pretty bad. 

[tamara]

Cold as I write ! 

Bloody kidney problems ! Allan's kidney better be extra warm I tell ya 

[angela515]

I still get cold pretty easily compared to someone who has never been sick. However, I started this when i was dx'd with Lupus... so dunno what it's from, but I'de rather keep a sweater or something handy to get warm then be cold AND on dialysis.. right?

As for fatigue... I notice I can easily feel tired or sleep ALL day, if I have nothing to do.. and no goals to accomplish. (Since I don't have a job yet) So, I did this little test with myself.. and I noticed no matter how much I sleep, if I don't have things to do during the day (cause I am stuck at home) I will sleep my day away until my kids come home, however, if I have things to do, such as school work, cleaning, laundry, or w/e else I find to do, I will be energized and not be tired... So I think alot of fatigue (in my ase anyways) has to do with being active and not being active... Just thought that was something interesting to share.

[paddbear0000]

My doctor actually said to me, when I complained about my anemia and being cold all of the time,that women just get colder as they age! Idiot!

[goofynina]

Question?   When you all get cold, do you shiver so bad that you cant even hold anything?  That seems to be my problem, i get so cold, i cant even read a book cuz it is moving too much,  Now i dont know if that it is from being cold or is it from something else?   (ohhhh great, something else to worry about)  It's not all the time though, the shivers come and go, but when i get them at a restaurant or anywhere in public, it is embarrasing!!! 

[MyssAnne]

Oh man!!!! that is so embarrassing!!! I've been that cold, and it seems to take FOREVER to get even mildly warmed up!!! I hate it!!

[Chris]

Yes, I can shiver so bad that I can't read or better yet, hold a cup of coffee. It is embarrassing in public I admit.
Chris

[goofynina]

THANK YOU!!  I am sorry you all have to experience that too BUT it is nice to know i am not the only one       

[Chris]

If we fill a room and we are all shaking, would the room collapse?..

[okarol]

It's about 80 degrees here at the beach today and Jenna had her sweatshirt on. I asked her about being cold, and she said she thinks she's always been sensitive to cold, even before starting dialysis. Not sure if she would really remember as she's probably had kidney failure for years before it became bad enough to cause symptoms. Her hemoglobin is 11.3 and the docs don't want to mess with Epo for now.

[goofynina]

If we fill a room and we are all shaking, would the room collapse?..

Nope, but i am sure there would be alot of spilt coffee and stuff

Okarol, glad Jenna's Hemogloblin is good, even though mine is good right now, i am still freezing to death!!!  could it be cuz i was low on iron?  but i got some at my last visit, i dont know, but i wish it would go away 

[paddbear0000]

It was 88 degrees here yesterday and i was in pants and a sweatshirt!

[MyssAnne]

Yup, I'm at work and have my heater on full blast. The first thing I turn on when I get here!!! 

[paddbear0000]

Damn air conditioning...

[Falkenbach]

Hi Chris

My situation is a bit different to yours. I have never had dialysis. I had end stage renal failure, and was lucky enough to have a willing donor in my father, so I had a pre-emptive kidney transplant (no pancreas transplant).

All my life I've been sensitive to cold, but I was definitely much worse immediately after the transplant. It didn't help that my transplant was done at the beginning of winter (in Australia), and when I was released from hospital, it was the first week of June. I didn't know it at the time, but it was to be the coldest June we have had in almost 20 years.

I had two heaters running almost constantly, as well as blankets wrapped around me, and still I shivered. The good news is that this excessive sensitivity to the cold stopped for me, after a couple of months approx. Of course, I'm still sensitive to it, but no more than I was previously.

Now that we're in the middle of Spring here, I'd kind of forgotten about how bad I suffered. It may just have been partly due to the trauma of surgery, as mentioned by stauffenberg, because for a couple of months, my dad (my donor) also suffered extremely from the cold.

[Chris]

Went to class this morning and it is 47 degrees out and the college has the A/C on, WT   Thank goodness I had heated seats in vehicle.

[paddbear0000]

My building at school is a closed system, so none of the windows open. They continuously run the AC year round to regulate the humidity! It SUCKS during the winter! People wear their winter coats during class.

[MyssAnne]

Oh for goodness sakes. How silly can you get. AC year round. gee yiminy.

[Chris]

Because they have Groundskeeper Willy brother working there. His cousin must be working at my college

[MyssAnne]

OOoooooh. Of course. How SILLY of me. 

[paddbear0000]

Oh for goodness sakes. How silly can you get. AC year round. gee yiminy.

It's because it's the art building on campus and we use a lot of chemicals. The air has to be filtered and recycled for some reason. But, yes, it's dumb. The art building at the University of MD, where I got my bachelors, was not a sealed building. I guess the school here is trying to be more "green" and not release toxic chemicals in the air.