Thought. I have always run warm. I do feel the cold, but not as much as most people. I hate (detest?) overheated department stores. This got worse with the onset of perimenopause, & I was unable to wear jumpers for years, because I couldn’t get them off quickly enough during hot flushes, which threatened spontaneous combustion. This settled somewhat after finally going on HRT.
I’ve noticed a change since going on ADHD meds. I now wear winter pjs on a “cool” summers night, & a nightie on warmer ones & am more likely to don a jacket of an evening.
@Susan60@actuallyautistic This is fascinating to hear. I’m s-d AuDHD but not medicated for ADHD (or anything else). I hate heat. I don’t necessarily love cold, but I tolerate cold a whole lot better than heat. I find it a lot easier to cozy up under a blanket maybe with a heating pad to get warm than I do cooling off. But I am stabilizing after menopause now, and I’m actually finding that cold has started to bother me?! I don’t even know anymore what or who I am! 🤣☹️
@Susan60@actuallyautistic I've always been overheated, like my body was a furnace, but I've always blamed it on being super tall as tall people can't expell heat as quickly. maybe my adhd has something to do with it though...
@Susan60@actuallyautistic I mean the really tall. I'm 6'9" and have less surface area to body mass ratio than average height people, so more heat producing mass with less surface area to expell the extra heat. so really short people would be too good at it and experience more cold
@Susan60@actuallyautistic I did too when I was younger. I was really skinny. late 20s though I started working out and 'filled out', and I've been too hot ever since 😆
@Susan60
Before I got fibro, I was always warm. Except for hands, feet and lips in winter as I have Raynauds.
But since the fibro I do feel the cold sooner and find it harder to warm up. Still, 18 degrees in winter (in the home) I wear a sweater, 18 degrees in summer, I wear a t-shirt.
Haven't been on adhd meds very long so don't know yet if they will make a difference in winter and summer. 😊 @actuallyautistic
Mmmm. Thanks for the reply. I know someone who might have fibro, so that’s something to watch out for. I hope the ADHD meds help & don’t aggravate anything else.
@Susan60
You're very welcome 🌸
Yeah fibro can make some changes in one's life for sure...
I've been on the meds since September, so far no weird side effects.
Good luck 🍀 @actuallyautistic
@Susan60@actuallyautistic Interesting. I always blamed my bad temperature regulation on my fibromyalgia, but my hands and feet are cold and within the past few years, if my hands get cold doing farm chores, then they HURT SO BADLY like stabby hurt. I keep the heat down and especially in my office cabin, on days like today (45ish) if I get cool and stay cool then I get stomach aches. I can't do heat at all anymore, but too cold is not good either. I'm like an M class planet, I guess.
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic
How long have you had fibro? And I’m starting to wonder what the rate of comorbidities of fibro & ND is. A faulty thermostat is a pain. Literally.
@Susan60@actuallyautistic I was diagnosed with fibro around 2003 when a work incident left me with 2 weeks of stress-induced hives and horrible pain. What I know now twenty years later, is I suspect my fibro is caused by the sensory hell of living as an un-dx'd/un-supported AuDHDer all my life. None of the "big 3" fibro drugs ever worked for me, and the more I talk with ND ppl w/ fibro the more I think it comes from sensory overwhelm/overload in some cases.
@KitMuse@Susan60@actuallyautistic
there is a person on Twitter, Tania . . . darn, I'll get it next time I check in there - from South Africa, who talks a lot about how sensory overload is a medical condition and treatable, to a degree, that there's a lot about mineral depletion and supplementation - I mean, they're Autistic AF, this isn't anti-Autism stuff, it's very pro, the point being that many of these issues, once the doctors decide they are Autism, they stop worrying about treatments and quality of life. Tania M, ends in "chuk," or "chiuk," maybe?
Find her, she wants to help you.
❤️
@punishmenthurts@KitMuse@Susan60@actuallyautistic
I used to be mutual with her. But I can't remember the exact name. But I remember her supplement recommendations. I do agree that nutrition and micronutrients can be important. But being good friends with and getting to know you nervous system and triggers and shock reactions and all of that, that psychoeducation and selflove and learning to bring yourself back into a comfortable zone all of that is almost more effective than anything.
@samid@punishmenthurts@Susan60@actuallyautistic Exactly! I've done so much better working remote, staying on my homestead, getting my horse and kitty time in (gotta refill that PURRscription daily! 😸 ) If left to my own schedule, I do more or less okay. My problem now is that working full time in any capacity makes my health vastly worse but I'm the only wage earner and struggling to transition to self-employment. Sadly can't find any help other than regurgitated NT "marketing advice".
@punishmenthurts@Susan60@actuallyautistic Sorry, I don't go on Twitter since it's a hate factory. And also, mineral depletion depends a lot on where you live and where your primary dietary sources are. Considering that our food comes from all over the world, the only true way to do mineral deficiency testing is through a knowledgeable practitioner, which is financially out of reach for most people. I appreciate that you're trying to help, that sounds very problematic on its face.
@KitMuse@Susan60@actuallyautistic
you're not gonna get anywhere arguing with me about it, I'm probably wrong from the get go, it might not even be minerals.
And yes, Twitter is Hell. I'm sure she is all over the web, probably has her own website.
@KitMuse@Susan60@actuallyautistic
I definitely remember one such incident in my life, exactly the scenario you describe. One straight week of total overload and having to be social all day long in an intense way. Floored me. I was pretty certain of what caused the painful sensations I had. I just don't see the point of naming it with some diagnose. it's pretty fluid anyways. Depending on what I get myself into and how I am able to deal with it at the time.
@samid@Susan60@actuallyautistic Yeah, basically this DR (central Iowa, but a big city) just poked the tender points and said "oh, those hurt. You must have fibro". I've never gotten referrals or good medical treatment. The big 3 didn't work so "nothing we can do for you" and now I have systemic issues from severe, untreated chronic pain and way too much inflammation caused by financial & non-supported stress. A fibro dx is a good way for drs to throw you away.It's today's "hysteria".
@KitMuse@samid@Susan60@actuallyautistic Can I ask what the pain points are like? I've got some as yet unidentified source of fatigue, brain fog, and pain that's been affecting me for years now. There is one spot on my back between my spine and one of my shoulder blades that has hurt continually for about a decade now, and the doctors can never find anything wrong. I have literally broken multiple massage chairs trying to get rid of it, thinking it was a knot in the muscle, to no avail.
The one thing that was AMAZING (for about 3 days, but I know way more now about my nervous system than I did back then) was trigger point injections. They inject lidocane basically anywhere it hurt on my back .... RELIEF!
But yeah we joke about my rhomboid and shoulder muscles trying to be bones when spouse tries to rub my back. (Maybe I need a Moopsy? - Star Trek: Lower Decks joke)
@hosford42@samid@Susan60@actuallyautistic That's too bad. I'm a certified yoga and meditation teacher and found certain poses really help my shoulders and back, but I'd never suggest them as a "cure" or a "fix" for anything since I really push back against "wellness culture" that way. Progressive relaxation and breathing exercises are also things I practice which help me, but those are very individualized since trauma and experiences can impact breathing/meditation exercises.
@KitMuse@samid@Susan60@actuallyautistic I do a lot of alternating tensing & stretching, which seems to be the most helpful thing. I make do, but I wish there really was a cure for whatever this is. (Not sure fibro is the best fit based on what you shared.)
@hosford42@actuallyautistic Yeah, it sounds like something that may need an ortho-type doc, but that can come with barriers depending on insurance/etc. Hope you find relief soon!
@hosford42@KitMuse@Susan60@actuallyautistic there is one thing , that works wonder for me: it is very simple and near unattainable in public medical system; it is somone who has honed their ability to tune in with you and is on a vibe of hyperempathy, similar to mine. And that is also tuned in to bodies as such as well as their connectedness to mind and emotion. You find such practitioners when you are lucky. They do exist. They are a secret tribe of people on a healing vibe. it does not matter what they call the system that they practice as a healer is an artist anyways an their art will be very individual.
@hosford42@KitMuse@Susan60@actuallyautistic
you need some of those more sensitive tiypes of bodywork I spose. people that can identify triggerpoints, reflexology, what not. There's a variety of systems. You have to accommodate for the sensitivity that is not only in your senses but also your whole physical system. Classical massage is not necessarily the right method for that. Not only our brains are different.
@Susan60@actuallyautistic both me and my kid have AuDHD and are overheating especially easy when moving. I usually wear one layer less than people around. I always take off a layer or two in a mall. At +5C, I leave a house wearing a thick cardigan over silky office shirt. After walking for about a kilometer, I undo the buttons. In a km more, I take it off. But not the thin gloves. My hands and feet are almost always cold. My normal body temperature is below 36C.
@Susan60@actuallyautistic I know that for most people it’s about the hormones, but I don’t think it’s limiting to them: I’ve been taking the pill for most of my life, but I’ve been overheating since childhood, as well as my kid (oh those terrified glances and comments from grandparents and strangers!). We’re joking that we’re just Pratchett’s trolls
@olena@actuallyautistic
No, I don’t think it’s just about the hormones either. Or if vyvanse interacts with hormones. (Which it might do. I wonder if it was tested on people of all ages & genders?)
@olena@Susan60@actuallyautistic I'm probably AuDHD (never officially diagnosed), but I am quite heat reistant, and I hate the cold. I usually wear more and thicker clothes than the people around me, and I spend most of my time in the cold half of the year indoors in rooms heated to at least 20°C. When temperatures rise a tiny bit above 30°C during a heatwave and people around me start to complain, I just relax and enjoy.
@LordCaramac@Susan60@actuallyautistic btw, as for ‘natural’ heat: I used to live in a cold humid climate, and for me tolerate temperatures above +25 was already hard. Now I live in a dry hot sunny place, and for some reason I not just tolerate local 35+ three months a year, but actually enjoy it. Just not indoors. Indoors should be cool.
@olena@Susan60@actuallyautistic I live right in the middle of what used to be West Germany before reunification. Temperate weather, rarely very cold or very hot. Most of the time between October and April I find the weather outside too cold for my taste though.
Our winter temps very rarely drop to 0Celsius, & I don’t mind the cold, & can tolerate dry heat. It’s the contrast between indoor & outdoor temps that I can’t handle. Over heated in winter with people dressed lightly, & so cool in summer that they need a jacket.
@LordCaramac@Susan60@actuallyautistic I actually have a hypothesis that probably ADHD temperature regulation troubles may be the direct result of issues with hypothalamus: some studies have shown the link between that brain part and ADHD, and this is precisely the zone responsible for temperature regulation among other things
@olena@Susan60@actuallyautistic We definitely need more research on that. I have always had cold hands and feet, my body doesn't know how to keep itself warm, despite burning through a lot of food. I've gained a little weight after I hit 40, before that I was so skinny that people often thought I was anorexic, but in fact I have always been eating and snacking more than even most fat people I know.
@LordCaramac@olena@actuallyautistic
I was a "bottomless pit" as a kid, but thought nothing of it because I was so tall, and while I definitely wasn't sporty, I was fairly active.
And after childbirth, I returned to my pre-pregnancy weight very quickly (which made me the cause of envy), and struggled (and failed) to maintain a good weight while breastfeeding. I made drinks with soy milk, an egg, banana, some oats, honey, and protein powder in an effort to not fade away. The same thing happened the second time around, but it was less pronounced.
I no longer experience hunger, just feel irritable or a bit sick if I haven’t eaten enough, & am less likely to snack for pleasure or eat too large a meal when on ADHD meds (which has actually been a good thing, but I need to watch that I do eat lunch.)
In short, I think the interplay between ADHD, temperature regulation & metabolism definitely needs a look!
@LordCaramac@olena@actuallyautistic Hmmm. Interesting. A tiny bit over 30 isn’t a heatwave here. It’s not unusual to get to 35 or 36, with the worst heatwaves including a day or 2 over 40. Not usually too humid in Melbourne fortunately.
@Susan60@actuallyautistic Interesting observation. Since those bloody flushes (long since finished) my body has never been the same. Cannot stand hot weather, overheated indoor spaces etc.
@Susan60@sister_ratched@actuallyautistic I don't suppose that taking it out, dissembling it & cleaning it, & back-flushing the radiator + brushing the dead insects outta the fins, is likely gonna help much here? 🤷♀️🤪
Had to look up how I’d do that. I’ve always been good on fruit, veg etc. My mother was into healthier eating before it was a thing, resisted processed foods etc, & I’ve continued in that vein. Have cut back a bit on meat lately, frequency & portion sizes, & even cheese.
These are all French, must’ve cost a packet. They went to France earlier this year & we looked after their anxious German shepherd for 7 weeks. Lovable but hard work for non-dog people, so I guess they figure they’re still paying off a debt. And if that’s the way they do it, I’m reluctant to cancel the debt. 😂
😂😂😂I do love the degree of love & affection you get from a dog, but it does come at a high cost. Partner is fully “resigned” to getting a cat/s when we return from next visit to NZ to see family.
I don't have ADHD or meds and had same through menopause and still have over 2 decades later ... so I would guess OTD (Old Timer's Disease) is the problem ... sorry that's something have to live with :)
And even in summer sometimes I need heater on to take chill off room (like now), then A/C or fan on later :)
And I well never understand why I'm cold in 18c degrees in winter but enjoy 18c degrees in summer :)
Nighties and dresses are cooler than shorts. I don’t wear anything g on hot nights, but opt for a cotton or linen dress on a hot day. (Popping down to the local park or cafe in the nude might not go down well, & I like to be sun smart. 😎)
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