I know having CRPS has many different symptoms however in the past week or so I have noticed that my hands get ice cold much more frequently than before and it lasts a lot longer. Is this a "normal" change or could this be something else going on? It gets frustrating "adding" new symptoms to the list because if people don't understand this illness, they think I am just fibbing....UGH, tired of this already and it has only been 6 months~

Give me strength, these changes send me overboard when i am just "getting used to" the other pains and burns...

anybody have any experience with this?

Sometimes I look down to make sure my feet have not been replaced with ice sculptures. Gel packs that warm in the microwave are marvelous, darling.

ice for feet,
pat

YES!!!! my hands and feet are ALWAYS cold!!! I wear socks and gloves to bed every night. a heating pad helps. I keep an electric heater on by feet at work. And the heat in my car is always set at high and aimed right on my feet. I can't wait for summer...!!

at first, the very inexperienced RI PM doc I was seeing told me that my symptoms were from Topamax. But when I got up to Boston I learned that it was from my RSD.

So..you are not alone. Welcome to the group! XOXOX. Sandy

Oh...I definitely know what you are talking about. My leg gets ice cold from the knee down on my left leg (RSD in my left ankle). To the point where when I was doing pool therapy the floor felt really cold to my right foot and HOT to my left...CRAZY! And I go through periods where I have this more often for longer, and other times where I don't have it for days at a time. But one thing I have noticed is that heat always helps the pain (even if just slightly). I often have my foot elevated with the space heater blowing directly on it. And I have a microwave heat pack that I can wrap around my ankle when I walk (if I can stand the weight of it).

It is definitely one of the stranger symptoms...I mentioned it to a bunch of docs before I finally got to the one who diagnosed me (all the others just said it was probably a circulations thing...morons). When I found out it was a key symptom for the diagnosis I was SO annoyed...

It is amazing how doctors can always find a reason to blame our psychie and other illnesses. I know thet are human and that a lot of medications have weird side affects, but hello, do they not have to keep uo with their own education as to these new illnesses and their symptoms. I am fortunate, my hand surgeon realized what it was as soon as i said my hands were burning like fire. (and seeing how sensitive my thumbs were to touch and how the color changed.) they referred me to a pain doc. my surgeon and I tried to manage it for 3 months (because i insisted) thinking it would gey better, because i am just that way (ya know, this cannot be happening to me, i am strong blah blah) WRONG move!! i wear gloves (the really silky soft chenille kind) in the house, run my hands under warm/hot water a bizillion times a day and sit in pain i guess. I wonder though how my hands are freezing (outside of them) yet the inside burns like heck? that is very strange~
so glad to meet some people on here experiencing the same things (well not happy you are in pain, but you get what i mean right?) it is nice to talk and share without people rather than with others whotwirl their finger in circles around their temple saying coo coo!!

I know how you feel about the doctors! I tried telling my orthopedic surgeon about the ice cold water sensation and he looked at me like I was crazy and just blew it off!

Quick question - the first summer after my symptoms got worse, I was in the sun, watching as my family was working in the yard. I have never experienced a sun burn, but for some odd reason the bad leg burned while my other leg got a nice healthy looking tan. My prim care doctor couldn't explain it, and even now (2 years later), it seems that the "burned leg" is darker yet shiny and the skin looks super thin on it (not to mention horrible in-grown hairs and the hair grows faster then I can tolerate it to be shaved). Was this an indication of the RSD that was missed by everyone?

I can also relate to the cold limb. My arm/hand goes cold all the time. It turns very white or some times bluish/purple looking and feels like I have had that one limb in the freezer for awhile. It happens often during the day but I find at night is when it happens the most. I wake up to a numb, cold limb a few times a night.

My physio therapist suggested I use a warm cloth or run it under warm water. She cautioned me though to be very careful not to burn myself as I probably wont feel if the water gets too warm. Usually I will use the cloth, but the times I do run warm water over it I make a point of keeping my left hand in the water as well in case it does become hot and I don't realize! I really don't know if this does anything or not. I think honestly it just gives me some piece of mind that I am doing something to help the arm... fact is that time seems to be the only thing that will help the arm warm up again.

Take care,
Karen

Oh Yes I do! Even the skin looked dead and white and blue. I very recently had a SCS implant and it has made a dramatic difference in the cold feeling in my arm. I still run the car heat on 90 to keep the rest of me warm enough and can't wait until summer. Take care, Lisa