Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsD
I can't address your post in detail, but I would like to suggest one thing for you to try.
Avoid heat in the form of hot baths, hot tubs, heating pads, saunas, etc. I learned this from a very interesting chiro, who explained to me how damaged nerves are inflamed by heat. If there is inflammation present in other tissues, it will accelerate with heat application.
I know it sounds difficult if you are chilled, but wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket is much better as your own body heat will warm you. It just takes a few minutes longer.
A warm drink (not hot) will also help internally. New studies suggest very hot foods/drink can lead to esophageal cancer, so only warm drinks are best.
Warm baths are allowable but limit them to 15 minutes or so.
One can get into a very painful spiral if using heat too much. So give limiting and avoiding heat for a while and see what happens.
|
Thanks very much Mrs D. I know you are right and I make sure never to have a hot bath or shower before bed time. I generally have my baths mid to late afternoon (I'm self employed) and the SFN is usually only bothersome at night. But maybe even this is a trigger for attacks later on. Certainly when I had symptoms of RA for a few years I found that the hot water bottles etc that I craved would trigger horrific flares of inflammatory arthritis. This would certainly seem to tie in with what your chiro explained.
I think the really bad nights are after the fire has been lit or the heating has been on and I dry out too much. If I can sleep with window open and extra bed clothes then I sleep better but where I live is very windy so that's not always an option. I feel the cold so badly these days - even wrapped up with toasty bed socks and a duvet and lots of clothes on - it's like it's got into my bones and nerves and only a hot bath will get me warm again. Swings and roundabouts! I often make hot drinks but rarely get around to drinking them while they are hot!
I will be extra vigilant now as my oesophogus is very troublesome too these days.