Living as I do in a cool climate I find our Summers are my best season. I can’t wear warm clothes or footwear, nor can I have bedcovers at night, all of which is comfortable in Summer but a real problem in colder weather. When it starts getting colder my flares increase in frequency and intensity ten-fold. I am again waking with flaring an hour or two after going to bed at night and then spending hours shivering in my upper body while I try to cool my burning feet so I can return to bed. Even though it is not yet very cold the slight lowering of temperatures has been enough to stop me sleeping for the last few nights.
Winter is much harder on my feet than summer by far. I flare regardless, but the flares are localized to mostly my toes and heels. The rest of my feet get freezing, and my ankles are cold. I've also developed Raynaud's in the last few years, and my toes are either purple or red. I also get cracks in my heels from the constant dryness and cold.
I have both EM and Raynaud's. The EM is more painful for me but the Raynaud's is painful too just not as much. I have secondary as far as we know. I notice since the weather has changed and is cooler now, I have more Ray's at night, I'll take it ! I know with a return of summer things will switch back. My pain levels for both of these conditions used to be much worse than it is now so for that I am very grateful.
EM and Raynaud's together here, too. They are both painful but the EM is much more so.
I could not have said or described my feet in the cold any better than than Leah.
Leah said:
yes, for may years I have had excruciating pain in my hands in the cold weather even with gloves - I have to get to a warm place very quickly as it becomes truly unbearable. Now I have EM in my feet in hands with all the symptoms(;burning pain, readness, swelling, tenderness) also have symptoms of raynauds with hand turning blue in cold etc. Lately I have beegun developing tingling and numbness in my hands.. Additionally , the sensation of burning heat travels thru my face, lips , whole body really- it will wake me up out of a sound sleep and then I becaome horribly cold. I go back and forth with this alternating hot and cold frequently thruought the day and the accompanying symptoms are weakness and a general sense of malaise. I think my blood pressure drops during these periods as well.