If Blood Pools In Our Legs Why Are My Feet Icy Cold All The Time?

[persephone]

I haven't been able to feel my feet properly for days now. They are cold and tingly. I have to have a hot water bottle on them at all times.

My legs are still tingling below the knee, in both legs.

Can anyone explain why this is? I would have thought if blood pooled in my lower legs (which I've been told it does), then my feet shouldn't be pale and cold, but rather mottled and swollen? It's as if there is no blood there at all. I also have a very weak pulse in my feet compared to elsewhere.

Any thoughts?

[tinkerbella]

I haven't been able to feel my feet properly for days now. They are cold and tingly. I have to have a hot water bottle on them at all times.

My legs are still tingling below the knee, in both legs.

Can anyone explain why this is? I would have thought if blood pooled in my lower legs (which I've been told it does), then my feet shouldn't be pale and cold, but rather mottled and swollen? It's as if there is no blood there at all. I also have a very weak pulse in my feet compared to elsewhere.

Any thoughts?

Hi there, I have this http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/periphera...ECTION=symptoms

Peripheral neuropathy: Symptoms - MayoClinic.com

was the second clue that got me going towards what was wrong with me...

Ask your doc to test you for it. I also have raynauds where my hands and feet get cold, tingley and change colors.

Be careful I have broken my foot walking on it that way and gotten bad sprains, falls and a lot of funny looks. Feels like it's asleep and you can walk it off. Don't try it!

good luck~

bellamia~

[juliegee]

My son & I have the same problem. I actually get chillblains on my feet when they are that cold. Ouch & I risk permanent damage!

The way my son's ANS doc explained it- there IS blood to your feet, but it pools because it is not circulating properly. The circulating blood (from feet and back to head repeatedly in a cycle) is the WARM stuff. When the blood just sits there, it cools off. Apparently when we have low blood volume, blood is pulled to vital organs first (like brain & heart.) Feet and hands are the first to be sacrificed .

Share this with your doc. There are meds you can try for Reynaud's. I never had much luck with any. They lowered my BP too much. Strangely, aspirin has helped with my Reynaud's- as well as treating the underlying cause of my POTS- MCAD, in my case.

T_O_T_A_L_L_Y Relaxing, having a few sips of wine, a hot bath are all things that help get blood to my feet. Real wool socks & slippers all of the time help.

[juliegee]

OH Persepone-

I just read another post of yours regarding thickening blood. THAT MAY BE YOUR ISSUE NOW! Get with your doc about this. Your freezing extremities could be a side effect. I had a finger turn blue/black for a few days. My blood was apparently too thick and it further hindered my already poor circulation and I risked a clot. I was on IV blood thinners for 3-4 days, then plavix, now daily aspirin. Thinning my blood helped with freezing extremities.

I hear that the epogen is helping some things.....but maybe hurting others. Be careful and check this out. You CAN lose a toe, finger or worse when they freeze.

Julie

[Guest tearose]

Oh, take care of that!

I too have pooling and compression helps as does "smartwool" merino wool socks. I also have Raynauds.

[Jordan]

Yes i get this too. My hands will start turning purple and blue they get so cold. My feet get really pale when they get cold, it's literally like ice. other times, my feet will turn redish purple and be cold but not as cold. My doc has me wear 20-30 mm knee-high compression stockings. They help but also feel like their cutting off my circulation. I don't know the answer.

[brownsea]

since i was a child i suffered with cold hands and feet. the only things that warm them up are a hot water bottle or a warm bath. otherwise they stay cold.

xxx

[runningshoe]

I have frozen feet too. But at the end of the day or in bed they start to get red and burn - I end up having to stick them out of the bed covers...anyone else have this?

[dsdmom]

This has been my problem really bad the last few days. In fact I went to my pcp today to figure out what was going on because I guess I have chilblains on my toes now - ouch! But I have no idea what is going on - can anybody speculate why this is happening NOW? Like why not last year or the year before when it was cold? Why now? Does this mean my pooling is getting worse? I've also been feeling like I have these ice blocks on my feet but then when I can get them warm they are itchy. This is all new to me though even though I've had pooling for a couple years. Just can't figure that part out. I did order some far infrared socks today and am interested to see how those feel. Wool socks aren't cutting it.

Anybody know why this is happening now? Does this mean things are getting worse?

I also was curious about compression - I wear 30/40 and was wondering if that made things worse because it is pushing blood away from the toes (right?) So wouldn't that mean that it would make blood flow in our feet (and thus chilblains) worse?

[prettyinpink]

Lina-I have that problem too! Freezing almost all day long but I hate wearing socks because my feet will just sweat but, at night they get sooooooo hot.

I'm so glad this topic was brought up. I have blood pooling too but, lately my toes goes numb and turn stark white. I rub them, move them and put them under warm water for a while and eventually I get circulation back. I can't figure out how I can have venous and arterial insufficiency. Where the heck is all my blood being kept? lol

[ramakentesh]

The vasospams are caused by epinephrine / sympathetic overactivity - but that doesnt mean you pool in your extremities - it may be an appropriate response to inappropriate blood flow in that region or just the result of a sympathetic overactive response to standing or orthostatic stress.

[Elfie]

I have this problem too, but I don't think it can be relate to pooling in me. My feet and ankles do not swell at all unless I stick them in a hot tub or I have a mild injury and even then the swelling is very, very minor. Is this still pooling?

[janiedelite]

DSDMOM,

Did they find our about your chilblains through doing a biopsy? That's how mine were discovered. I was told that the chilblains could be a sign of connective tissue disorder or autoimmune by the dermatologist and PCP so I was sent to a rheumatologist where every test was normal. I started getting the chilblains with purple, painful toes a few months after the POTS started, but it got worse over the next couple of winters. My POTS has changed slightly over the years, but hasn't overtyly worsened.

Like Mack's Mom said, 100% wool socks (I like Smartwool) are a must during cold temps. Often I use a warm heating pad on my feet. I have small fiber neuropathy and my feet tend to get red, hot, and burn at night. But during the day they are pale, cool, and ache especially in the joints of my toes.

I wear 30-40mm compression and I think it actually helps my cold feet, which would coincide with Rama's statement about excessive norepinephrine being the cause as a result of pooling. Treating my pooling actually seems to help my cold feet somewhat. For me, cold feet and chilblains are just part of my POTS.

PERSEPHONE,

I agree that if this is a new thing for you, you should be seen asap. Cold feet, especially with thickened blood or after surgery, can be indicative of a clot.

[runningshoe]

for the last two nights I have wrapped my legs in an afghan while under the covers. The feet are happy and warm but not too hot and no restless leg either. Let's see how long it lasts!