I’ve mentioned before that I have persistently cold feet. What I don’t think people realize, and what I didn’t realize for a long time, is how out-of-the-ordinary cold they are. The first I can remember thinking it was odd was in the mid-1980’s. I was living in sunny San Diego, California. I had an all-black car. I was making my living as a writer and computer programmer, so I’d sit in the house at the computer all day until I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I didn’t have a garage, so the car would be sitting in full sun and I’d go out and just sit in the hot car with all the windows up trying to get my feet warm.
They’re subjectively cold, by the way. If I (or others) touch my feet, they feel warm. But to me, it feels as though they are frozen in blocks of ice. They’re deeply, achingly cold.
“Put on some shoes and socks!” people yell at me. Oh, no. Wearing shoes and socks just makes my feet sweat and feel even colder. Even electric socks (or heating pads or electric blankets) don’t help. My feet are most comfortable when warm air is circulating around them, as in when I turn the heater on in the car and let the hot air blow on my frozen feet. I like my BedJet. I love my Softub though even if the tub is 102° it can take 15-20 minutes for my feet to warm up.
Just to add to the mystery, one of the few times my feet feel comfortable are on though rare occasions when I take opioids for pain. Bam! Warm feet! Who would have thought? I also got a much smaller — but still noticeable — effect when I started using a clonidine patch for blood pressure.
Since my thyroidectomy, however, the coldness has come back full-force. I’m just hoping is warm enough at my new island home that I don’t have to live in the hot tub.
—2p