(no subject)

[shadesong]

I hate it when my mother's right.

It happens fairly seldom, you realize. And almost never about the Big Things.

But my mother was right: the cold is very, very bad for my fibro. As demonstrated by last night - waiting for the bus for 'bout half an hour in The Cold, then walking home for fifteen minutes in The Cold. A light sweater and leather jacket were insufficient. To be fair, they might have been sufficient had I headed out at about 2:00-4:00, as planned. But 5:00 was too late, and too Cold.

Last night, I had probably the worst night of pain I've had up here so far. It set in slowly - stiffness and achiness first. But by 9:00, I could not move. I was in bed before 10, and up til about 11 whimpering in pain.

This tells me two things:

1. I am not to be out in The Cold like that again.
2. The Lyrica is most likely having some effect. Because I forgot to take it yesterday morning. Adam pointed out that most of my worst nights are on days I forgot to take my morning meds. So.

We are handling this by getting me warmer clothes and making sure I over-bundle, and trying to get me rides to and from places rather than putting me on the bus in inclement weather. We have no idea yet how cold is Too Cold; this and Friday (when I was in The Cold less than 5 minutes, and thus suffered no adverse effects) were the only times I've been in cold weather since the fibro set in. Ancora Imparo. I am learning.

I am angry at my body, because I had to miss something last night I'd really been looking forward to. I was in no condition to go. *sigh* There will be other things, other times. But still.

I have a ride home from the Diesel Tuesday night. Don't know if it'll be cold, but she wants to watch Veronica Mars with us. So. :)

(Sleeping nearly 12 hours helped. I'm still achy today, with that awful knot that makes me say "My wings hurt!" - no, I'm not otherkin, but if I did have wings, that's where they'd be, and it's easier than describing the spot, and when it hurts, I can't point to it.)

Otherwise, yesterday was great; yunatwilight had a party at Urban Oasis, so I got to be naked with lovely women, including her and her partner, ayalanya, beetiger, and a few others whose LJnames I do not know (and don't know if they go by their real names on their LJs. So.). Hot tubbing = very good for the fibro. I hadn't been in that little pain in quite some time. Which makes the evening that much more frustrating! Next time I go, I'll make sure to have a ride. *nod*

I liked everyone I met yesterday very muchly. :)

And lightgatherer, I got the shirt! *hugs* Thank you. :) (What Treat did you get?)

(And yes, BPALfriends, I saw the update; I got Bitter Moon, Purple Phoenix, Glitter, and Typhon. That was my treat for managing the move. I'd love the Bitter Moon T-Shirt and long-sleeved Alchemist's Local shirts, but - cannot afford just yet. Meager clothing budget must go to sweaters. (When will they make more hoodies? *sigh*))

Comments

[nomadmwe.livejournal.com]

I recommend long wool coats. Keeping the cold off the legs is good, too.

And yeah, the temp dropped pretty rapidly over the last couple days. Suck. Welcome to New England, Land of Layers. :)

[fiddledragon]

I wore my cloak on Halloween, because - garb = cloak rather than coat :)

I think I was warmer in my cloak (layer wool + layer of almost jean weight material) than I'd been the entire week since *laugh*

[nomadmwe.livejournal.com]

I know! I think I was warmer in my cloak this weekend than I usually am in a coat.

Though now I'm reminded, I really need to get one of Halfmoon's giant heavy wool cloaks of dhoom. So warm. So spinal-curve inducing. :)

[fiddledragon]

yeah...those are niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice cloaks :)

[ardaniel]

She's wee. ANY wool coat is going to be long on her. ;)

That being said, 'song, Boston certainly does not lack for thrift stores (although I've noticed, remotely, a decline in Army-Navy stores other than the Barracks on Newbury Street), and if no one has brought you here:

http://www.garment-district.com/

yet, that's probably a must. ;)

[nomadmwe.livejournal.com]

She's wee. ANY wool coat is going to be long on her.

Well, yes. There is that. ;)

I know that Barracks has a few different branches in MA. There's a new A/N store in Downtown Crossing (it moved from the Arsenal Mall) but their prices are typically a bit higher than Barracks'.

[caerwynx.livejournal.com]

How about some long underwear (http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=30568&sc1=Search&feat=sr)?

*sorry you're cold, hope things improve, passes over a bowl of hot soup*

[crystalsage.livejournal.com]

GEt yourself an electric blanket to sleep with at night. It really makes a difference. I don't have fibro, but the Cold really affects my joints and my muscles...I have this constant argument with neoclue about temperature, because its not merely uncomfortable, its downright painful for me to be cold. I know you can't take an electric blanket with you when you go out, so obviously, it won't protect you in the outdoors, but it might help you sleep and relax better at night, when its important for your body to relax so you can rest.

Just my two cents, for what its worth. ;)

[mizarchivist]

I really recommend electric blankets or 'lectric mattress cover. That and flannel sheets makes life bearable for our house.
xo

[zarhooie.livejournal.com]

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

Vermont Country Store, 2 hours-ish from where I live. Check out the website. Everything they say is warm, is. They're a little pricy sometimes, but not always. The clothes are seriously quality.

[norda.livejournal.com]

You are a mind-reader, my dear. I was going to recommend their catalog stuph to 'song.

I start the Cold season [October and November] with their Thinskin underwear as an additional layer under turtlencks, then add another layer of a bulky sweater over everything. I move into the "SHIT IT'S COOOOOOOOOOLD" season, from January to March, by adding a union suit or long johns under it all if I must be standing at bus stops.

Boston is windy, which makes the cold worse, which makes any body ache worse, whether one has fibro or not.

[amigone.livejournal.com]

You may or may not remember, but I work in home care, and one of my clients has CP and Fibro. As part of the stretching I was doing for him, he had me stand up, and put a cane on the sore spots from his fibro. Not the ouch-don't-touch-me-there spots, but the my-wings-hurt spot. I then put pressure on the cane as needed, up to my entire upper body weight, and I'm not a small lady.

Tried it with my wife last night, and now she can move her arm to do thing she's not been able to do for a while now. Maybe it'll help you too.

[imortalscot.livejournal.com]

So if I am in Boston and I see a ball of clothing walking down the street, I should assume that is you? :)

Totally feel you on the hoodies. Check Wal-Mart. They have a few that do not have some corporate logo smeared across the front.

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

If I may suggest: Cuddle Duds. They're more or less long underwear, but they make camisoles, as well as long-sleeved Ts. I generally wear the camisoles under everything from October until May. I get them at Penney's or KMart (KMart's line is called...Secret Treasures, maybe?, but they're made by CuddlDuds (or however that's spelled)).

And I know you know about layers. Also, Lands End makes some flannel-lined jeans that you might like if you can get them in your size. I've always wanted a pair, but they're a bit pricey for me (they run about $50 a pair).

And don't forget gloves or mittens and a hat when you go out.

And don't go out with wet hair, you'll get pneumonia! =)

[kradical.livejournal.com]

A light sweater and leather jacket were insufficient.

That's all you wore? Dude, you're living in Boston. Maybe, maybe there are times in June, July, and August where a light sweater and leather jacket will be sufficient. But in November? Never in a million years. You gotta get much much warmer outerwear.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Hey, I was gonna wear shorts yesterday. I didn't want to give up.

Then I saw it was 32 degrees, and even I am smarter than that.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

It was in the 40s! The mid40s!

When I went out. And when I *thought* I would be returning.

I have a long wool coat; I just didn't wear it... I failed my WIS roll.

[fiddledragon]

I manage the cold in a couple of ways - between pain and Raynauds, Lady knows, living in Minnesota can sometimes be a Trial. :P

1 - hats - hats are good. Most heat escapes out your head, so wearing a hat helps trap a lot of that heat. It's amazing how much even a lacy crocheted hat can help :)

2 - wrist warmers by themselves or with gloves. Again, keeping blood warm at open heat points like the wrist helps to keep even fingertips warm - it also helps warm up blood that has chilled while in the fingertips.

3 - electric blankets are your friends as are layered blankets. I keep my electric blanket layered between my sheet and my quilt to help trap more heat. As it gets colder, I'll add at least one more blanket. Late January/early February (our coldest time of the year) sees me with my electric blanket and 1-2 thin blankets underneath my quilt.

4 - gently stretching in the morning before you get out of bed when you're still warm helps get blood moving into your arms, legs, wrists, and ankles before you have to move about. There's nothing like stiff limbs meeting really cold air to slow you down and make you hurt worse.

5 - *grin* there's a reason we're always making blankets in our house :) Curling up under blankets on the couch watching a movie together can be a great way to spend an evening - yes, add cocoa and fireplace in there too ;) (though we haven't built a fire in the fireplace in a while).

[rhicat.livejournal.com]

Good tips, thank you!

Oddly, if I wear a hat in anything but the most cold of temps (single digits) I overheat horribly. So I stick to baseball-type caps, hoodies or a scarf wrapped over my head.

Years ago, my mother gifted me with a sweatshirt brand http://www.handcuffs.net/ that has fingerless gloves built into the cuffs. Best. Gift. Ever.

[fiddledragon]

*nod* I'm constantly taking hats off to cool off for a bit, but my Raynauds is also in my ears and nose, so *laugh* a hat is the only thing that will warm up my nose in particular. So sometimes it's a bit of a balancing act. Especially in the office .. not so much at home (kicks her insurance who won't pay for a new roof after hail damage *growl*)

I LOVE those sweatshirts! I'll have to look into them :)

[norda.livejournal.com]

See my reply to zarhooie.

[tallin.livejournal.com]

Is it worth it, do you think, applying for paratransit in Boston for incidents just such as that one? I'll spare you the eleventy-five page rant on how easy it would be for me to walk in all blind and pointedly NOT needing paratransit and be approved whilst people with ... shall we say ... less visible ... disabilities need a signed note from $DEITY, except to tell you that you probably need some kind of medical documentation (check with transit in Boston—they may be able to grant you something provisional whilst you get the forms filled out by Trained Medical Personnel™).

[ayalanya.livejournal.com]

as winter progresses, i add more and more layers. the end result in the coldest months is:

first layer on top is silk. then two synthetic fabrics. then as many flannel shirts as needed, up to five. sometimes another silk shirt between the synthetics and the flannels.

first layer on the bottom is a pair of socks, then synthetic leggings (silk is warmer, but i don't have silk leggings). then a pair of socks. then another pair of leggings. then another pair of socks. i now have three pairs of leggings, which makes me really happy, so this winter i look forward to adding said pair of leggings and another pair of socks. yes, my shoes get tight around now. i deal. alternately, a pair of synth socks and a pair of wool socks can sometimes be sufficient, but i got my wool socks in ireland and they're the only pair ever to not make me itch.

get gloves. get a tight pair and a big bulky pair. wear them both.

get a hat and a silk or wool scarf. i advise silk, as you can put it over your face and breathe through it. wear your glasses out, or if you absolutely must wear the contacts, wear sunglasses. even in the dark if it's windy enough.

mind you, this is all advice from the year when it was too cold to snow for most of the winter, *and* the wind was generally insane. it doesn't usually get that bad, and last year was balmy in comparison. but since my seasonal depression is cold-based, i'm inclined to overdress anyway.

[lightgatherer.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm glad the shirt got to you safely. :) I was going to drop you an email, but life has been insane lately. The chocolate bar, by the way, is for Elayna; it's dairy-free, but I think it's utterly delicious and have had other normal-person-chocolate consumers agree with me. :)

I entered a plea for two Treats and two Tricks and ended up getting one of each kind which is exactly what I was hoping for. Both the Treats and Trick #2 aren't very fond of me, but Trick #1 is surprisingly good on me. I was amazed given that I wasn't expecting something with black leather and patchouli to work on me, but it actually does.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Hm! I'm looking for Trick #2 - I have a bottle of Treat #2 and an imp of Treat #1 headed my way, and *really* want to try all of them. Interested in selling?

[lightgatherer.livejournal.com]

Heh, I actually put it and the other ToT bottles up on Ebay yesterday to try to raise some money for my own move. It doesn't have any bids right now, and if it doesn't end up selling on Ebay, you get first claim. :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Also: Yep, realized the chocolate bar was for Elayna. Or rather:

Elayna: "Oooh, chocolate bar!"
Me: "lightgatherer sent it - it's for you!"
Elayna: "Really?"
Me: "Well, whenever anyone sends any nondairy goodies, I assume they're for you. Or at least that the person won't mind if I share them with you."

She loved it. :)

[ardaniel]

On the uber-cold days, I usually had a set of snuggies (look 'em up on the VCS site), a pair of Spandex leggings, jeans, heavy socks, boots, a bra, T-shirt, flannel shirt or Army jacket, sweatshirt, and then my Eastern Mountain Sports parka. Gloves.

The hardcore old-school West German parkas you get at the Army-Navy make a decent outer layer too; my ex from high school, a wee man at 5'7" and 115 pounds, used to wear those and put about three flannel shirts under them (it was the Grunge Era, yo). Do not discount the awesomeness of the military's approach to cold weather clothing. ;)

[rhicat.livejournal.com]

My arthritis/fibro is less problematic during winter than summer. Why? Because I dress in warm layers. Tank top, thermal shirt, flannel, silk longjohns (or tall wool socks), double socks, hoodie, fleece jacket, long coat. Thin layers that can be removed if I'm in a warm indoors and put back on if I'm going to be outside for any length of time (longer than car -> house).

Try the boys department for hoodies. I have much better luck finding clothing than in women's. Screw trendy, I want to be WARM!

dealing with Bostonian cold

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

Egads....I'm sorry you had to have that experience. Yuck.

My recommendation for you, if you can, is to buy a long down coat. Lands End makes wonderful long down coats that will keep you very warm. Also, definitely get a good scarf, hat, mittens, and warrrrrm boots. I'm betting you're surrounded by knitters...a handknit scarf is invaluable in this climate.

Re: dealing with Bostonian cold

[watercolorblue.livejournal.com]

here's the link to a really excellent long down coat:
http://www.landsend.com/cd/fp/prod/0,,1_2_69659_70185_148651_126478_5:view=59,00.html?sid=8699167372537146000&CM_MERCH=OUTR_DEPT_WMN_ALLOUTR

I can stand in the cold for hours in this coat, and really not feel cold, even when it's dropping into Kelvins. They have petite sizes.

[cktraveler.livejournal.com]

Under normal circumstances -- with our car not in the shop -- we could have given you door-to-door transport. :(

Late in the winter I'm in a hat, scarf wrapped around my entire face, trenchcoat over heavy cotton jacket over sweater over T-shirt, cotton pants over long underwear over underwear, and heavy boots over knee-length socks, plus gloves. Once I'm at work I strip in the bathroom and stuff the extra layers in my backpack, then put them on again before leaving. And this is when I have car transportation both ways.

They seem ridiculous and most people link to them as a joke, but I can't recommend nipple warmers (http://www.nznature.co.nz/mshop/spi//1_efp_2358) (link not safe for work) enough in addition to everything else. They are not a joke; they are very useful. The only reason I don't use them myself is that I gave my pair to someone who needed them more than me.

[boutell.livejournal.com]

Still Philconning? It's looking like I'll be mostly free that weekend after all.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Still Philconning!

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Would you like me to bring my uberwarm cloak with me to see if you'd like to borrow it long-term?

It's not quite the right shade of green, but it's reversible green-and-mauve-ish, with two different clasp buttons (one for each color) and a hood. I've not worn it in 2 years but I find it warmer than a coat, and it *should* fit you.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

That would be wonderful. :)

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Okie dokie!

And I know you've probably already thought of these, but those stoopid chemical hand warmer thinglas that you shake and put into your shoes or gloves? Saved me more than once this October. I don't have much luck with the toe warmers, but if you get a new pack of hand warmers, they can kick off a great deal of glorious warmth. I have yet to have one last 10 hours as they promise, though.

We were finding great luck with having one in each glove, tucking them either along your kidneys or ribs, and some people did ok with 'em in their shoes too.

Also (and more expensive) - the adhesive stick-on heat packs you find in drug stores? Seem to last longer, they cover more skin, and they kept our mermaid relatively happy despite only wearing a leotard and 1 underarmour shirt all season.o

[sebastian-tombs.livejournal.com]

People seem to have well covered the clothing angle, although I didn't see anyone talking about gloves or mittens, which are an extremely important part of the equation.

An item for the future wish list could be a hot tub, which does wonders for soaking heat back into the sore and stiff muscles. wren13 has fibro, and she relies very heavily on it. Also, her doctor gave us the proper paperwork that allowed us to use the hot tub as a tax deduction.

[amokk]

As far as your mother being right: a broken clock is right twice a day. Look at tabloid psychics: "She predicted JFK would be assassinated!" What they don't tell you is she said every single president every year would be assassinated.

Your mom said everything would be terrible, and she tried to come up with big bad things that would suck for you (cold makes a lot of diseases/issues worse, like arthritis). So she picked one that happened to be accurate.

It doesn't necessarily make her right, it just means she chose well of the hysteria-inducing rantings to use. She could have said the cold would make your seizures worse, as well, and the cold would make your X worse, blah blah blah.

Now, if she'd actually had any experience or knowledge-base, then she'd be right. If my mom had said something along those lines, she'd be right: my mom is an RN with 30 years experience, so when she says something medical, I trust her. Now, if my dad, say, starts talking about computers, I take as much salt as I can, because it's not his area of expertise. Or my one uncle, who told me the only way to safely erase a hard drive is to drill a hole in it, because "that's what they said on the TV."

So. Was she actually right, or did she throw enough garbage out that one piece happened to land close to the target? ;)

[perseph12.livejournal.com]

The worst part of chronic pain is missing out on experiences because of things like not getting enough sleep the night before or the weather being wrong or running out of your medication...

You have my sympathy, and I really hear you...

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

It will get lots colder than this. Last year we had our first snowfall around Oct 30th.

On the other hand, the days for the next few are supposed to get up to the 60s by noontime, but these 30 and 40 degree overnights are a pain.

[drwex]

I'm going to add the unsolicited advice of someone who's lived here 17 years. This is not cold. If this is bothering you, start figuring ways to stay indoors and warm.

Second, layers are great, but my guess is that your problem (as a small, thin person) will likely be core temperature. To help with that, get a good thermos and keep it filled with hot tea. Carry it with you. Also, schedule time for long hot showers. If you can keep your core temp up you'll do much better.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Hot *herbal* tea. Caffeinated drinks tend to make a person feel warm, but lose heat.

Wear layers. The layer closest to your skin should be silk, wool, or a moisture-wicking synthetic. (I make an exception for bras.) But I am *so* much more comfortable in silk or polypro longjohns than in cotton jeans and turtlenecks...the difference is scary. When you exert yourself, or spent 20 minutes in a warm subway, you sweat a little, even in winter. Then you go back to the cold in your wet clothes. Silk, wool, or synthetics keep their insulating qualities even when wet. Wet cotton is worse than useless.

[davidcook.livejournal.com]

I live in Glasgow (Scotland), having moved from Australia, so temperatures here are about 10°C cooler than I was used to. After two winters here I'm adjusting my ideas of "hot" and "cold" to match the actual weather here more closely. Also, I've put on about 8kg (15lb or so), about 10% up on before, and I think that helps. I imagine you'll find the same after a couple of years there.

(and as for the clothes, layers, layers, and more layers. And if possible, never go out without gloves and a hat in your pockets or bag, they can make a big difference to the level of cold you can stand)