# Cold Numb Feet. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464 "2019-11-15T01:57:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/1 "2019-11-15T01:57:49Z")
Just so you know, as you will see I am under a doctor’s care, who is aware of the situation. I first noticed it a couple of weeks ago when I showered. My feet are cold and a little numb. I don’t notice it any other time for the most part. I did call my doctor’s office. The medical assistant said it was probably due to the weather. Then the next day they called me back to see if there was any change. There wasn’t. But she said to make an emergency appointment if there was any need. (The doctor is booked solid till January, when I am scheduled to see him.) I do have the beginnings of Type 2 Diabetes. The last time I had it checked, they said my A1C was very good (but sorry I don’t remember the exact number:)). I do keep the house at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, which is comfortable for me at least. And I did talk to another nonmedical doctor about it, who brought up a good point. Most diabetics experience intense neuropathic pain in their feet. But could this be the beginning stages of that? I am asking people who have experience with Type 2 Diabetes to chime in about that. Thank you all in advance for your kindly replies. :):):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/2 "2019-11-15T01:59:49Z")
Have you had any symptoms of being hypothyroid? that can also cause cold and numb feet. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/3 "2019-11-15T02:01:35Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Have you had any symptoms of being hypothyroid? that can also cause cold and numb feet. That subject has never come up. But you peaked my curiosity. What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/4 "2019-11-15T02:07:34Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > That subject has never come up. But you peaked my curiosity. What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism? > **[Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) - Symptoms and causes](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/symptoms-causes/syc-20350284)** > > Understand what happens when your thyroid is underactive and learn about treatment for this condition. Blood tests would diagnose or rule it out. However I’m just spitballing. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/5 "2019-11-15T04:08:03Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I do keep the house at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, which is comfortable for me at least. I think your problem is just that you keep your house too cold and perhaps the socks you wear. Turn up the temperature and wear wool socks. ---
**Author:** ![owlfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@owlfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlfan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/6 "2019-11-15T04:44:32Z")
Are your feet very pale, or a dusky blue color? Can you feel pulses in them? If they are pale or dusky or you can’t feel pulses you need to go to the ER. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/7 "2019-11-15T05:13:24Z")
A friend of mine has Raynaud’s disease, which has foot numbness as one of the primary symptoms: > **[Raynaud's disease - Symptoms and causes](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20363571)** > > Learn how this disease causes parts of the body, mainly fingers and toes, to feel cold and numb and possibly change colors from cold temperatures or stress. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/8 "2019-11-15T08:26:41Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > A friend of mine has Raynaud’s disease, which has foot numbness as one of the primary symptoms: > [Raynaud's disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20363571) I’ve got Raynaud’s, with feet and hands of icy doom. My arms and legs also go to sleep more easily than those of other people (they get numb first, but I don’t always realize it in time to avoid the pins and needles); a couple of times I’ve had a toe fall asleep while walking (the shoes were sneakers, comfortable and correctly sized). Do the tips of your fingers get red and wrinkly without no apparent reason? If they do, could be Raynaud’s. Pumping up the heating just 5F could do wonders for your feet. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/9 "2019-11-22T02:46:30Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > Just so you know, as you will see I am under a doctor’s care, who is aware of the situation. > > I first noticed it a couple of weeks ago when I showered. My feet are cold and a little numb. I don’t notice it any other time for the most part. > > I did call my doctor’s office. The medical assistant said it was probably due to the weather. Then the next day they called me back to see if there was any change. There wasn’t. But she said to make an emergency appointment if there was any need. (The doctor is booked solid till January, when I am scheduled to see him.) > > I do have the beginnings of Type 2 Diabetes. The last time I had it checked, they said my A1C was very good (but sorry I don’t remember the exact number:)). I do keep the house at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, which is comfortable for me at least. > > And I did talk to another nonmedical doctor about it, who brought up a good point. Most diabetics experience intense neuropathic pain in their feet. But could this be the beginning stages of that? I am asking people who have experience with Type 2 Diabetes to chime in about that. > > Thank you all in advance for your kindly replies. > > :):):)🙂 The numbness often begins years before the diabetes diagnosis: I had some symptoms of neuropathy at least 5 years before I was diagnosed. I had a neurologist evaluation to rule out spinal issues, and he said he’s seen this a number of times. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/10 "2019-11-23T03:37:05Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I do keep the house at 67 degrees Fahrenheit, which is comfortable for me at least. > [@PastTense](#): > > I think your problem is just that you keep your house too cold and perhaps the socks you wear. Turn up the temperature and wear wool socks. I second this. I don’t know how old you are, but sometimes when older people keep their house temperature that low, they get what’s essentially chronic low-grade hypothermia. And diabetes compounds the problem by messing up your circulation. Bump your thermostat up to 72, and you’ll almost certainly be much more comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/11 "2019-11-23T06:27:08Z")
I have Raynaud’s. While keeping your home warm is important, the vasoconstriction can get triggered by touching something cool–a chilly bathtub, a can of shaving cream–for only a moment. Make sure you run the shower hot for a bit before you step in. And check the undersides of your feet when they get numb. They’ll probably look dead white or blue while numb; red when the blood rushes back in. Take phoyos to show your doc. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/12 "2019-11-23T13:09:22Z")
BTW, I don’t know if I should tell you all this. But my family doctor recently retired. But he had a sign in his room. If you have diabetes (1 or 2), take off your shoes as soon as you get in the examining room so he can examine you feet. The doctor that replaced him (who is high recommended, BTW) takes a different approach. I ask him if he wants to examine my feet. And he looks at me as if I insulted him, and says ‘No’. As I said, he is highly recommended. In fact, there is a magazine article plaque in the waiting room saying he was doctor of the year at one point. Just reporting the facts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/13 "2019-11-24T17:18:26Z")
I think you know perfectly well that your last post will have lots of people saying, “Go to a different doctor.” ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/14 "2019-11-24T20:03:42Z")
In the case of the elderly especially, cold extremities can be associated with [this condition](https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/cold-fingers-cold-toes-could-be-raynauds). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/15 "2019-11-24T20:19:39Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > BTW, I don’t know if I should tell you all this. But my family doctor recently retired. But he had a sign in his room. If you have diabetes (1 or 2), take off your shoes as soon as you get in the examining room so he can examine you feet. The doctor that replaced him (who is high recommended, BTW) takes a different approach. I ask him if he wants to examine my feet. And he looks at me as if I insulted him, and says ‘No’. > > As I said, he is highly recommended. In fact, there is a magazine article plaque in the waiting room saying he was doctor of the year at one point. Just reporting the facts. > > 🙂 You told him, like us, that you have cold numb feet and diabetes and he didn’t want to examine your feet? What kind of doctor is that? Run and get a new one. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/16 "2019-11-24T22:16:02Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Bump your thermostat up to 72, and you’ll almost certainly be much more comfortable. An alternative would be a heat source just next to where your feet are (near your computer desk or chair where you watch TV…)–foot warmer or electric space heater… if heating cost is a major concern. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/17 "2019-11-24T23:22:21Z")
Besides the additional heat and wool socks I also suggest thermal underwear (the bottoms) if the lower part of the legs also feel chilly. ---
**Author:** ![DannyBeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dannybeans/32/38_2.png) [@DannyBeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DannyBeans)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/18 "2019-11-25T16:54:18Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I have Raynaud’s. While keeping your home warm is important, the vasoconstriction can get triggered by touching something cool–a chilly bathtub, a can of shaving cream–for only a moment. Make sure you run the shower hot for a bit before you step in. And check the undersides of your feet when they get numb. They’ll probably look dead white or blue while numb; red when the blood rushes back in. Take phoyos to show your doc. I’ll second this. [Chemical hand- and footwarmers](https://www.amazon.com/HotHands-Toe-Warmers-Odorless-Activated/dp/B00DPKYI3W/) are a lifesaver. I stock up when they go on clearance in the spring and use them all winter. Most stores keep them in the Sporting Goods department. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/19 "2019-11-25T20:00:02Z")
I have diabetes and my extremities are cold and my feet have pins and needles all the time. Not my hands but I also have ulnar tunnel syndrome that affects the little finder and the right half of the ring finger on my right hand and they are painful all winter, although wearing gloves help (but make it hard to use the computer). ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464/20 "2019-11-25T21:03:55Z")
Probably nerve damage. I have a similar problem. Once I started talking to my friends in my age group 60+, I found it was incredibly common. My symptoms are mostly + rather than-, meaning I get random pain more than numbness. But it seems to be really common [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-numb-feet/843464.md?page=2)