Tips and Tricks to Stay Warm When Dealing With Cold Dysesthesia

Is cold dysesthesia making it challenging to stay warm this winter? One of the trademark side-effects of chemotherapy is the well-known cold dysesthesia, a side-effect that causes a serious cold sensitivity, especially with chemo for colon cancer. That can mean an uncomfortable or even painful sensation when your body is exposed to cold, from drinking iced beverages to being in cold weather.

Cold dysesthesia typically presents itself shortly after chemotherapy; however, in some cases, it may not appear until several days after the treatment. This is a common side-effect, but it can be a significant burden on your body and life. So we like to keep you prepared for it.

This symptom can last as little as a day or two or as long as a few weeks. It depends on how long you’ve been receiving chemotherapy. Those patients who have been receiving the treatment for a couple of months will notice that their sensitivity will last longer.

Unfortunately, unlike many of the other side-effects caused by chemotherapy, cold dysesthesia can’t be quelled by medication. But to keep you warm and out of pain this winter, we’ve gathered some information that will do just that. We will go over some tips and tricks to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible during this time.

Foods & beverages

This one is straightforward. If you are experiencing these symptoms, then you may want to avoid cold beverages or foods, like ice cream. The pain caused by the ice cream or ice-cold drinks will no doubt have a pretty heavy impact on your enjoyment of them, so best stay away until you’re sure.

For now, you should be enjoying warm or room temperature foods and beverages. They’ll warm the rest of your body up as you eat.

Bundle up before going out

When you decide to go out and about, then you should take the proper precautions. That means taking steps to keep your face, mouth and any other parts of your body covered and warm. Wear mittens, warm socks, scarves and high-necked sweaters if possible. You want to ensure that your body has the least amount of contact points with the cold weather.

Another tip you should consider is having someone warm up the car thoroughly before going outside to get in. That way, you’re not stepping into an icebox.

Be conscious when in your home

When you’re in your home, you often come into contact with several cold objects or conditions. A good example is when you grab the cold handle on a fridge or when your faucet runs cold water at first and when your bare feet touch the tile. These are all everyday things that you deal with, but for those with a sensitivity to cold, it can be uncomfortable.

We advise taking the time to open the fridge with a rag, let the water warm up or wear slippers. If you take these steps then it can improve your quality of life.

Another thing you may want to keep in mind is where your AC is focused. Be sure that it isn’t directed at you while you’re on the couch or at your desk. Keep the AC in your house on a lower setting as well. There’s no need to make your home colder than necessary.

Take shallow breaths when exposed to cold air

When you take a deep, long breath, you inhale a lot of air that can cool your body down rapidly. Feeling this air in your lungs while experiencing cold dysesthesia can be uncomfortable and painful. To prevent that, whenever you open a freezer, go outside or anywhere with cold air, take shallow breaths to minimize the possible pain.

Focus on warming the cold part of your body first

If you start to feel your hands, feet, ears or anything else beginning to go cold, you should focus on preventing those parts of your body from getting colder. Run some warm water over it, grab a heating pad or bundle up. Use whatever you have to warm your body up.

Dealing with cold dysesthesia

Dealing with cold dysesthesia can be a harsh adjustment to make for a lot of people. But as you can see, with the proper precautions and preparations, you can be more than equipped to lessen the effects of it.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that while any one of these tips can help ease the effects of cold dysesthesia, you’ll be best off when you dutifully use all of them together. It may seem like many steps to take or changes to make; however, when you get into a routine of using them altogether, the benefits are more than worth it!

We sincerely hope that you or your loved one can stay warm this chilly winter. You deserve nothing less than that. If you would like to talk to our team about battling other chemotherapy side effects, contact us today.