[NurseKris]

Pre-CRPS I was a freeze baby all the time, I always needed an extra layer! Now I am hot almost all the time. I turned my heat way down the other day and my husband turned it back up because he was cold. He is never cold, the man wears shorts in the winter time. Even with the heat set at 65 I was still sweating and shedding any layer I could. I believe it may be related to the CRPS but I wanted to hear what others thought. Thanks!

[Littlepaw]

Hi NurseKris,

I have noticed being more sensitive to heat than before and like you was often cold in the past. I can definitely see our temperature regulation getting out of whack. My autonomics aren't what they used to be.

Sometimes I wonder if it is partly medication. I started flushing when I got hot after beginning nortriptyline. It was really noticeable early on. It could also be a combination of things....I think hormone fluctuations may contribute too and I am just more sensitive to a lot of things since CRPS.

Hope you are having a good day, stay cool my friend...

[Enna70]

My experience was both...one moment I was cold and stinging pain and in a blink of an eye it would be so hot I had to peel off clothing...people said oh it's hot flashes...no. I have not heard of hot flashes having a turnic feeling with it.
Since being on LDN, I mostly get cold CRPS. The hot is lurking but don't as consistantly. Hope this helps and hope you find help soon.

[Littlepaw]

Hi Enna,

Hey did you mean a "tourniquet" feeling? And just in your limb? I get that in my affected leg when it is warmer than 80 outside. It gets reddish and the veins dilate and I get that classically reported "string tied off" feeling. So weird.... and annoying.

[NurseKris]

It's good to know I'm not the only one. Sometimes I have a habit of trying to tie everything back to CRPS. I think it is because I am more focused on everything going on both internally and externally, if that makes sense.

I always love the great advice that everyone gives on here. Thank you all so much!

[Neurochic]

Although flushing, sudden sweats and perceptions of changes in body temperature or temperature regulation can be caused by the action of CRPS itself, there are many other things that can cause symptoms like that. Virtually all of the drugs commonly used to treat the various symptoms of CRPS also cause hot flushes and sweating. Weight loss associated with stress or drug related nausea will tend to cause a person to feel cold much of the time. Not eating regularly can make some people feel cold and then they flush and sweat as soon as their body starts to process food.

All of the varieties of anti-depressants - tricyclic, SSRI, SNRI etc commonly cause sudden flushing episodes and excessive sweating. All opioids have this as a very common side effect, methadone is thought to be particularly bad for this.

Women with CRPS also need to bear in mind that hormonal changes associated with the various stages of menopause can cause body temperature regulation problems and exactly the same flushing/sweating issues. Even the hormonal changes associated with a normal menstrual cycle can cause core body temperature elevation along with sweating and flushing, especially at night, at various points of the cycle. I only mention all this because like all of the other changes people notice with a complex condition like CRPS, its just as likely that they are being caused by something other than CRPS.

I only make these points because its always so important not to just assume that every symptom or change is caused by CRPS. Personally, I think its usually safer to start from a position of assuming that anything new or different is not caused by CRPS so that you can be properly objective in assessing what is most likely to be causing any new problem. It may be that there are effective treatment options for some of these unpleasant symptoms when they aren't being caused by CRPS. By just assuming they are all CRPS related, it would be very easy to completely miss out on important testing and/or an effective treatment for the real cause of problems.

[NurseKris]

Originally Posted by Neurochic

Although flushing, sudden sweats and perceptions of changes in body temperature or temperature regulation can be caused by the action of CRPS itself, there are many other things that can cause symptoms like that. Virtually all of the drugs commonly used to treat the various symptoms of CRPS also cause hot flushes and sweating. Weight loss associated with stress or drug related nausea will tend to cause a person to feel cold much of the time. Not eating regularly can make some people feel cold and then they flush and sweat as soon as their body starts to process food.

All of the varieties of anti-depressants - tricyclic, SSRI, SNRI etc commonly cause sudden flushing episodes and excessive sweating. All opioids have this as a very common side effect, methadone is thought to be particularly bad for this.

Women with CRPS also need to bear in mind that hormonal changes associated with the various stages of menopause can cause body temperature regulation problems and exactly the same flushing/sweating issues. Even the hormonal changes associated with a normal menstrual cycle can cause core body temperature elevation along with sweating and flushing, especially at night, at various points of the cycle. I only mention all this because like all of the other changes people notice with a complex condition like CRPS, its just as likely that they are being caused by something other than CRPS.

I only make these points because its always so important not to just assume that every symptom or change is caused by CRPS. Personally, I think its usually safer to start from a position of assuming that anything new or different is not caused by CRPS so that you can be properly objective in assessing what is most likely to be causing any new problem. It may be that there are effective treatment options for some of these unpleasant symptoms when they aren't being caused by CRPS. By just assuming they are all CRPS related, it would be very easy to completely miss out on important testing and/or an effective treatment for the real cause of problems.

I know I have a habit of thinking CRPS right away but I do take the time to check other possibilities first. What I like to do is write down what may be the cause of a problem and I put CRPS on the bottom. Then I work through each possibility until I have found the most likely cause.

In this instance I had help working through my list with my sister (a RN), my cousin (a PA) and my other sister (pharmacist). We spent a good amount of time going through each possible cause eliminating as we went. Once we reached CRPS I decided to post here and ask for input.

I know when I was first diagnosed I wanted to blame every little thing on CRPS, but after awhile I realized I was only making myself crazy. So I started asking others for help, which is not an easy thing for me to do. Now I know to take a step back, think rationally and ask others for help. Since I started doing this my anxiety level has gone down. It's kind of funny that my anxiety was not caused by CRPS but from worrying about CRPS.

Thank you for your suggestions and advice it is always welcome I am sure not just for me but for many others.

[Neurochic]

I can see that you have a good system in place for trying to objectively assess any new symptoms or changes in your health. You are absolutely right that my comments are generally aimed at anyone who may find them useful or who may not realise that there are so many possible causes of general symptoms like flushing or feeling hot/cold.

You are spot on in your comments about your own experience of anxiety - medically CRPS doesn't cause anxiety but of course it is possible for someone diagnosed with CRPS to then suffer from anxiety because they are worrying so much about the CRPS diagnosis. Separating out each condition, disease, symptom or problem makes it much easier to objectively assess what is going on and to identify the most likely cause of each.

Perspective and the bigger picture is so important, isn't it? So often in life you can see people jump to 'worst case scenario' conclusions but from the outside its so clear that they have ignored all of the screamingly obvious and infinitely more likely reasons for their symptoms or problems! Then, if other people just agree with them, it perpetuates the error and gives reinforcement to their incorrect conclusion. After that, if anyone (including a doctor) tries to challenge the now entrenched incorrect views it so often results in mega-defensiveness and refusal to accept an alternative view (however correct the alternative is!!). Always challenging or re-assessing your own logic and regularly stepping back to look at the bigger picture is so important.

[Russell]

Originally Posted by NurseKris

Pre-CRPS I was a freeze baby all the time, I always needed an extra layer! Now I am hot almost all the time. I turned my heat way down the other day and my husband turned it back up because he was cold. He is never cold, the man wears shorts in the winter time. Even with the heat set at 65 I was still sweating and shedding any layer I could. I believe it may be related to the CRPS but I wanted to hear what others thought. Thanks!

I'm the same way! It was explained to me that we experience temps from screwed up signals from our brains.
After hearing this I have tried soft music to put or try to put my mind in a relaxed state. It works! So try it.
This damn monster wrecks us all. Don't let others, especially loved ones, suffer because of you. As harsh as it may sound realize it's all in your head and dealing with it is the best way.
Sorry if my anger at this monster gets out but I'm so tired of it all. Please be well and forgive my rudeness....

[Enna70]

Originally Posted by Littlepaw

Hi Enna,

Hey did you mean a "tourniquet" feeling? And just in your limb? I get that in my affected leg when it is warmer than 80 outside. It gets reddish and the veins dilate and I get that classically reported "string tied off" feeling. So weird.... and annoying.

Yes o that's what I ment....and just last week I had it in both wrists and both ankles. I used to only get it on the one leg....