Diabetes and cold

[woollygal]

Evening all
So I’ve been back on my ultra low keto for a while again now mainly just eating the same foods (albeit very different to the lockdown foods).
I’m usually below 10g each day.
Weekends I I might go up to 40 when I have my butter chicken or fake pizza but that is it.
Last Thursday I did a workout and I didn’t sleep well because I was just cold all night.
It’s a feeling I get when my sugars are too low (for me, my body detest 4s) so assuming I was in that region.
It’s a bit like that sensation fo someone walking over your grave. It’s just in waves and keeps coming and coming. Sometimes very specifically it ends on my right hip.
Now since then I have struggled with feeling cold.
In the car (bearing in mind windows have to be open now) I’m wearing 3 jumpers and a ping sleeve t shirt, a hat and neck warmer, the heated seats are on and heating full blast. But I can’t say I’m ever warm. I always have this overriding feeling of being shivery.

does anyone else get this and is it part of diabetes to feel the cold?
Strangely for the also few months I’ve struggled with feeling too hot in bed, I’d wait up a bit clammy around 5 ish and especially if my sugars were higher than 8. For years I’ve had a electric blanket and this year I’ve not been ble to use it as I get too hot. But since Thursday I’ve used it and not had a problem.
Friday night I had pjs on, thick wool jumper, winter duvet and a fleece blanket and it wasn’t until about 5am I thought, I’m a bit toasty I might take jumper off. Then I was shivery again.
It’s not COVID, I’ve done a test and it was negative. Today the sun was out, my windows shut in car as I was alone and on drive and it as hot. But that’s about the first time I can say I’ve not felt cold.

just seems very odd. I know the weather is pretty rubbish but I’m sure this isn’t normal. My libre showed last Thursday that I had gone quite low for me, the graph sadly doesn’t show numbers so I think probably the 4s and I’m assuming because I was in bed that I was in that region too long and my body protested but a week seems quite a long time.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

It is possible that if you are eating too little then your body is shutting your metabolism down to cope, which includes turning down the central heating.

Have you tried drinking hot fluids?
Even a mug of hot water should warm you up.

Noting that if the central heating (metabolism) is turned right down then insulating yourself may not help.
Wrapping yourself up assumes that you are generating heat then losing it to the outside world.
If you are colder than the room, then insulating yourself is counter productive because you are preventing yourself from being warmed by the air around you.
Similar explanation for why, if you come into a warm house from the cold and are all wrapped up, it is best to take your outer clothing off and let the house warm you.

 

[woollygal]

It is possible that if you are eating too little then your body is shutting your metabolism down to cope, which includes turning down the central heating.

Have you tried drinking hot fluids?
Even a mug of hot water should warm you up.

Noting that if the central heating (metabolism) is turned right down then insulating yourself may not help.
Wrapping yourself up assumes that you are generating heat then losing it to the outside world.
If you are colder than the room, then insulating yourself is counter productive because you are preventing yourself from being warmed by the air around you.
Similar explanation for why, if you come into a warm house from the cold and are all wrapped up, it is best to take your outer clothing off and let the house warm you.

Thanks that makes sense.
I was thinking maybe I’m not eating enough fat but I eat about 6 eggs and cheese every day so that shouldn’t be issue.
But main meal is just run of salmon with watercress/spinach and rocket with 2 boiled eggs and feta. I’ve really gone off meat so maybe the not eating enough is the problem.
I’ll have to try add something.

 

[EllieM]

My libre showed last Thursday that I had gone quite low for me, the graph sadly doesn’t show numbers so I think probably the 4s and I’m assuming because I was in bed that I was in that region too long and my body protested but a week seems quite a long time.

I'm T1, so my experience may not be applicable, but I don't think you should be getting issues from blood sugars in the 4s. (Assuming that you aren't getting false hypo symptoms from running high for ages, which seems unlikely). And even so, I wouldn't expect long term symptoms from low blood sugar (other than potential headaches from severe night time hypos), and I've never felt cold from it.

Having said that, I do get very cold feet, which I assumed is influenced by diabetes but just might be me.

Hope you warm up soon.

 

[woollygal]

I'm T1, so my experience may not be applicable, but I don't think you should be getting issues from blood sugars in the 4s. (Assuming that you aren't getting false hypo symptoms from running high for ages, which seems unlikely). And even so, I wouldn't expect long term symptoms from low blood sugar (other than potential headaches from severe night time hypos), and I've never felt cold from it.

Having said that, I do get very cold feet, which I assumed is influenced by diabetes but just might be me.

Hope you warm up soon.

My body just doesn’t like 4s. I know as soon as I go into them because I get very cold and shivery. Doesn’t matter what I do I feel iffy. The longer I stay in the 4s the longer it takes to feel better.

 

[Antje77]

Have you had a look in the approximate calorie count of your food? Can it be you're simply eating too little?
I know I get cold when I don't eat enough.

 

[Lamont D]

I have experienced both, the wife gets both for years now, but I'm not surprised because of the meds. However when I wasn't in control before diagnosis, one of the long list of symptoms was being warm all the time. The wife would have the central heating on and I would have the back door open, I would be sweating, even out in the wind and rain, on the sidelines watching kids football.
Since then my norm is being able to feel the difference between hot cold or indifferent.
But since last summer, through my anxiety, I would have a feeling just how you describe it and I can't get warm even with the central heating on high.
It is an unusual cold feeling, the response is to stop what I'm doing and get in the fresh air until I stop, walking helps, but it's very similar to the panic attacks I had last summer, I would go cold and the urge and fear to get outside away from everyone else, The threat was real as I perceived it. I am aware that the shakes I have along with the new tics and mannerisms are part of the breakdown and symptoms of my anxiety.
I don't really know why it happens, but age comes into it, how severe the diabetes, control or other conditions and the individual stoicism, and many other things that could contribute to what you are experiencing. It's a horrible feeling and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Keep safe, keep warm

 

[sleepster]

Hi @woollygal, have you had your thyroid checked recently? I know as a Type 1 I get mine checked yearly, but not sure about type 2s? Before I started on levothyroxine I couldn't get warm at all, I was so cold all the time, even with several layers of fleece clothes, blankets and hot water bottles. Even though I had had "subclinical" hypothyroidism (said the GP ) for quite a while I wasn't cold all the time so I'm not sure how different my TSH levels were by the time I was begging to try some levothyroxine. It might be worth checking to see if yours has been tested and what the result was.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

does anyone else get this and is it part of diabetes to feel the cold?

I think it is part of a reduced calorie diet.
I feel the cold a lot more now that I am down to one meal a day.
I have also noted that if I have a little treat, such as a portion of chips, I seem to be a lot warmer soon after eating.
I find myself wearing much the same clothing indoors and out although if I have a sudden burst of warmth then I shed a couple of layers.

 

[woollygal]

Hi @woollygal, have you had your thyroid checked recently? I know as a Type 1 I get mine checked yearly, but not sure about type 2s? Before I started on levothyroxine I couldn't get warm at all, I was so cold all the time, even with several layers of fleece clothes, blankets and hot water bottles. Even though I had had "subclinical" hypothyroidism (said the GP ) for quite a while I wasn't cold all the time so I'm not sure how different my TSH levels were by the time I was begging to try some levothyroxine. It might be worth checking to see if yours has been tested and what the result was.

Not sure but trying to get anything via dr at the mo is more trouble than it’s worth.

my isgars not dropping much worse weight stalling despite strict keto didn’t cause any thoughts so going to her saying I’m cold all the time isn’t going to go down well I don’t think.

 

[woollygal]

Have you had a look in the approximate calorie count of your food? Can it be you're simply eating too little?
I know I get cold when I don't eat enough.

Possibly. I know I’m eating a lot less and not meat other than bacon at breakfast so very possible that it’s low.
Although to be fair I’m not hungry on it.
Had an extra egg for breakfast although that was hard work lol
Ate 2 low carb sausages this afternoon so thought I’d eaten more then realised I just didn’t eat my almonds instead so probably bout the same.
During the day I was better today but I’m freezing again now.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Possibly. I know I’m eating a lot less and not meat other than bacon at breakfast so very possible that it’s low.
Although to be fair I’m not hungry on it.
Had an extra egg for breakfast although that was hard work lol
Ate 2 low carb sausages this afternoon so thought I’d eaten more then realised I just didn’t eat my almonds instead so probably bout the same.
During the day I was better today but I’m freezing again now.

Not feeling hungry is, I think, party of the body settling in for famine times.

The less you eat, the less you want to eat.

I find that I can only eat small meals these days without feeling pogged.

I'm not losing weight in general, either.