Skin Temp Changes
 

I'm curious if others experience differences in skin temp. During the day my affected arm is cold and then it gets warm to red hot in the evening. It doesn't seem to matter if I'm up or down during the day but both are indicators of increased pain

Me too
 

Me too
 

The last trip to the ER was an eye opener for me. The doctor that examined me discovered that my whole rightside was colder than the other side.

I knew my leg was, but never in my wildest imagination would have thought it could be affecting the entire side of the body. He said it is advanced stages of RSD, and not much he could do but try to keep me comfortable. I hate when they say that LOL.

So it is possible and more :eek:

Last week here with the weather change
 

I posted here about the barometer change and my RSD flaring. I had a cold hand and foot the whole time.

I too am glad you found the forum, Mark and hope you stick around.
Ada

Hi all,

Has anyone ever had a Theromgram? If so it is very interesting to see that the temporature changes we feel are not just a feeling but a reality.
I had a Thermogram as a diagnostic tool requested by Workcover and the differences were extreme with some areas of my body being & degrees colder than others.
I will see if I can post the pictures onto the site. It is certainly an undeniable way to confirm diagnosis. There was never any query from WC after this was done.;)
Cheers
Tayla:hug:

WELCOME MarkB
 

:welcome_sign:
Although I am sorry that you have RSD, you have found a wonderful place for information and understanding.

Best regards,

:cool: EJ

cold
 

I used to have a really bad time with color changes and temperature changes.

This is my second time with RSD. This round, when I first got hurt, we switched my high blood pressure medication to clonadine as it was supposed to help RSD. I was on it for about a year and a half. I still had a nearly full bottle of a high blood pressure med called norvasc from a couple years ago... expiration date showed it was still good. I asked my family doc if I could try going back on the norvasc till I used it up.

Within 2-3 days of switching from Clonadine to Norvasc.... my color and tempertures returned to normal. No more purple/red hand and arm, no more hot and cold. And, no more keeping a glove with me EVERYWHERE for when the hand got cold.

I used to take a 10mg tablet once a day. But, we found that using a 5 mg tablet every 12 hours works better for the color and temperature.

Norvasc has REALLY made a big difference.

Even the shiny skin has resolved. My hand used to look really really shiny, now not shiny at all.

So, I think it is worth giving one of the blood pressure meds a try if you can without having your blood pressure go down to much. Never thought I would be happy to have somewhat high blood pressure - but with RSD, having high blood pressure does make more medications available to try. It has helped the swelling in that hand too.

Jules

I appreciate all of the words of support.

Interesting, I have been on Clonidine forever.

Since I haven't had the opportunity to talk with others that have hit this horrible lottery, I have another question.

I'm curious if others' pain is like mine, not the type of pain, a knife jabbing repeatedly into you or being electrocuted over and over again. Oh, the joy. Instead, I'm interested in how you pain onsets and cycles. I have always described my pain in terms of waves. It is always rolling up and down. It just depends on how high it gets, how long it stays up, and when will it be up again.

I know this has no real point, but I just curious??????

Mark

Both of my legs from my toes to mid thigh are always ice cold to the touch and both hands and forearms are always cold as well. The pain is waves as well that go up and down. Never know when it'll come. Sometimes it's really bad, other times not so bad.

Hugs,

Karen

RSD/CRPS is so strange, isn't it (we all know it's a nightmare, too)

I have never experienced my areas being cold. Only hot. Just as if there were a heating pad on it for a long time and I had just removed it. I don't experience much in the way of color change either, but then again, two doctors have told me that I have a "bizarre RSD presentation" :rolleyes:

LOLOL Bizarre presentation. Ummm...they need to do a bit more reading I guess then. The majority of RSD'ers have "cold" RSD and a smaller number have "hot" RSD. Pretty self explanatory there. LOL Usually with the cold your skin looks purplish or mottled, blue from light to dark in nature. With the hot usually skin is redder than normal and can range from a light to dark tone as well.

Personally I love it when people associate the words bizarre, weird, and abnormal with me. LMAO!

Hugs,

Karen

Yeah, LOL, leave it to me to be "bizarre" LOL LOL:D

Actually, when he told me I have a bizarre presentation it's because:

#1 - It didn't start in a limb (so that alone make me in a lower "happening" bracket, ha ha)

#2 - When it began to spread, it took quite a bit of other areas until it hit a limb.

#3 - I don't have the same type of skin temp/color differences as most RSD'ers do.

I have a lot of no-no's that others might have as pain control.. for me..

No PT
No SCS
No Blocks
No blood draws or IV's above the waist area...

Because of the rapidity with which is spread, I have to be very careful now. That's what they said, "be very careful".. now I ask.. how is anyone supposed to be THAT careful? lol :)

I guess they are talking about me becoming part of a study on bizarre RSD presentations.. but hey, I always wanted to be famous, I just didn't picture my big break quite this way... ROFLOL!

have to chuckle over it or else I'd cry and never stop, ha ha

temperature changes
 

When my daughter had her nerve blocks, they always put a thermometer on her feet (one leg affected at a time so far) and there was always a significant difference in temp. Probably--trying to remember-- but a ten degree difference. After the block, a substantial temp increase--sometimes ten degrees warmer in the affected foot than the normal one. He always thought this was a good sign the blocks were working even if the pain didn't go away.

I know I am always warming her foot and leg and then finding ways to cool when needed. Mostly we use water but we generally have to warm it.

Wow Mainiac......yup bizarre! LOL :D Personally all those no-no's for you are no-no's for me too! PT is bad, just makes me hurt more. No way in heck I'd ever get an SCS, too great of a chance of spreading or infection. I had one block and was in agony for 2 months after that.

So do you have to get blood drawn from your leg then? That's must be a bit weird. To be that careful......yeah....LOL

Well, at least you'll be famous!! LOLOLOL Maybe only among doctors but hey, it's a start. :D LMAO

Karen

Bizarre presentation
 

is really the norm for RSD. But I read only 13% of us have HOT RSD. I have to be one of them and live in the South. The waves of pain you spoke of Karen and Mark is what I have from my knee to my feet. You are the first that decribed it for how it feels, thanks. These waves of pain always start at night when I go to bed and sleep on my back. I also have waves of heat coming from my back. My husband said he can feel the heat without touching my back. .how many more weeks until winter?:winky: Carose

I would prefer warm!! I had a full body thermogram and it was... amazing!!! especially when they showed it next to the "normal" person!!! LOL!! It was black/ dark purple to elbows/ knees and then a red blob where I had an infection. It was bizzare!!! But even my lower organs weren't taking up as much blood as they apparently should have (in comparison to this woman).. Weird.

I find we can never warm me up. I am in bed, its 20C an I have fleece pjs, 2 fleece blankets, an under blanket (fleece) and a winter duvet. At this rate it will be shawl time as well!!! Also, we used to put my legs in hot hot hot water (before boiling but hot) and just shove them in the tub. When we emptied the water they were red and coldish and within 20 seconds they were freezing and purple again. odd

Welcome!!!

Froggaxxxxx

I'm glad I was able to help your find the words carose! *Gentle Hugs* I did my own survey a couple of years ago and there were only about 5 out of 50something that took that have hot rsd.

Wow Frogga!! That's why I wish I could have a thermogram done, just to see! I know all about the legs doing that! I find it hysterical now that they get so cold so soon. It's just nuts I say!!!! My body temp fluctuates so much I can be freezing one minute and too hot the next. *sigh* It just sucks.

Hugs,

Karen