Blood Pressure Dropping In The Cold?

[Janey]

I've had a terrible day. I went to one of my cake sales. They told us there were going to be heaters there, but there weren't. I sat in the freezing cold for five hours (with my POTS lack of layers on - I'd predicted the heaters would be making me sweat.) Anyway, I started to feel worse and ended up passing out when I stood up in front of everyone. I'm at home now, lying down, feeling awful. I grabbed a bag of crisps and ate them in one go to try and get some salt. I thought the cold was meant to raise BP? Is it because I have an autonomic disorder that my body doesn't react to temperature like that? I've never worried about being too cold before. And now I just can't warm up. I have the fire blazing and the heating on full blast but I'm still shivering. I feel so nauseous and my body is in pain. What can I do?

Janey

[brownsea]

hi janey

sorry your feeling so unwell.

i know the cold effects me so bad. the only way i can warm up, and i try not to get stone cold, is to have a warm bath, even hot if i can manage it without feeling too awful. even as a child the cold would go right through me to my bones and i couldnt get warm

after a bath, i get under the covers, by then im normally too hot!

i also know what you mean with the heat. recently ive been christmas shopping, but i made sure i just had two jumpers on, no coat, as i was in a wheelchair in a shopping centre and the shops are sooooo hot. i knew with a coat i would be feeling nauseous. i was fine, just a little chilly when i had to hit the high street for a bit.

it seems you just cant win.

hope you feel better soon.

emma.

xxx

[Tachy Phlegming]

I do very well in cold teperatures but I remember once coming in from 20F into a heated place and almost immediately feeling weak to the point of collapse. At the time, it made absolutely no sense to me and I just figured I had a lower end of temperature tolerances which I had not previously suspected.

[prettyinpink]

I'm almost never cold. It was 16 degrees outside her yesterday and I was outside throwing a ball to lucy where a tshirt and jeans and I was fine. That being said on the rare occasion when I do get cold my POTS is terrible. I don't know if your body just gets soooooo overwhelmed with actually being cold that biases itself toward keep you warm and "forgets" to send the signals to keep your pressure up. In general when you are cold your veins contract so its typically easier to keep your pressure but typically isn't in our vocabularly lol

[kayjay]

I have MAJOR problems with the cold. I think my body works to hard to stay warm and I think I am almost "bracing" or tensing against the cold. I don't know if that makes sense. I hated cold even before I got POTS and was always a beach girl.

Now I find I I lay in the sun too long I can Black out.... BUT IT STILL FEELS good to me!

I have Hyper POTS- is this a factor I wonder?

I hope you are feel better by now... It does help me to drink Hot liquids. I think the cold must just be harder on some of us.... TAKE CARE... I will be thinking of you- let us know tomorrow that you are feeling better!

[shadesofgrey49]

It's definitely difficult layering up enough in the cold, but being able to strip down when the crazy heat is on in stores and offices and whatnot.

I hope pressure doesn't drop in the cold...I usually feel better when I breathe in the cold air, but then I get freezing because the blood's not circulating to my extremities. It's a trade-off, I guess...Gotta make sure you have good socks and footwear and gloves on, but then my feet can overheat and start sweating too! AHHH