Body temperature

I'm not sure if anyone can help me figure this out or not, but I sure hope so. Part of it I think I understand, but the other part I just can't seem to get a handle on. I have a very narrow range of temperature that I am comfortable in. this is between the range of 67 and 71. Above 71 and I start to ache, have muscle spasms, vision problems, and difficulty thinking. Below 67 and I start to shiver like crazy and have a very hard time warming back up.

For as long as I can remember I have had a low normal body temperature. It normally run at about 96.3 and since core temperature in usually about 1 degree high this would make it 97.3. I have also read that any core temperature below 97 in considered mild hypothermia. As such it doesn't take much of a lowering of my body temperature for me to start shivering. So it seems reasonable to me that this is the main reason I have always hated cold weather.  So this is the part I think I understand.

What I have a hard time understanding is the upper limit. I would think that since my body temperature is so low that I would be more tolerant of the heat than I am. Most of my life I have been able to handle the heat better than most people. But since developing symptoms I seem to be hit by the heat at a much lower temperature than others.

Dennis

[Lulu54]

Sorry, Dennis.  I haven't a clue on this one.  I can't even make something up! LOL

Oh wait, maybe I can ..... do you have lesions on the brain stem - our autonomic center that controls temp, breathing, heart rate, etc?  Just a thought...... still can't tell you how it fits in.

[Sailorsong]

Lulu,

   You might be right...I was having all of that BP irregularity earlier this year. Though  I still don't have any idea of how it fits in either.

  About the only thing good about this body temperature thing is it save me a lot on washing clothes. Most days I spend wearing practically nothing as just wearing clothes will get me over heated. It also saves time when I have those sudden urges that won't wait a second when I have to rush to the bathroom.

  Maybe when I see my Neuro in October I'll ask him about this. Yeah right,,me remember something that far away. :) I can't even remember what I went into the kitchen for and that is only about 10 second elapsed time.

Dennis

[Lulu54]

Write it down, Dennis.  October is a loooooooooong time away to remember anything!  

take care, L

[socrates2k1]

Dennis, this all sounds very familiar, to me.

My "normal" body temperature, is 96.7 degrees, sometimes it falls lower to 96.3 degrees.
I never heard the "hypothermia" hypothesis on it though.

For me, I'm always cold, no matter how high the temperature gets.
For example, in my home, we have out thermostat set at 80 degrees, so it stays around 79.4 degrees, inside.  It feels comfortable to my wife, however to me, I'm freezing.

I have always had low B/P (Blood Pressure), around 100/75.

Now that it's Summer, the heat combined with the humidity, are a deadly combination for me.  When I walk outside, immediately, I have a more difficult time breathing, and my "fatigue factor" jumps through the roof.

Heck, just this week, while my wife was visiting her heart doctor (for her high B/P), I was told that heat is a natural vasodialater, meaning it naturally lowers your blood pressure.  Our doctor's nurse, told us, that most patients who take B/P medicine (to lower their B/P) can take less medicine during the Summer.

So, perhaps, the heat's effect, on our blood pressure, is one reason, we feel dizzy, etc. and our fatigue level rises.  Kinda like, standing up really quick and making yourself dizzy, but in this case, it's walking out into the heat.

Know, you are NOT alone.

Take care and may God bless,

-- Socrates