Author Topic: Overexposure to the cold  (Read 1364 times)

Offline Kunafish

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Overexposure to the cold
« on: Feb 25, 2021, 07:25 AM »
Anyone experience affects from the cold in your fingers and toes? I had burning and stinging in the toes that I felt inside the house every winter for many years. Now, once again, I feel tingling in my fingers after not wearing gloves fishing out in the open. Going on three days now and thinking it’s not going away. Don’t stay out if if your fingers and toes get cold!!

Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #1 on: Feb 25, 2021, 07:32 AM »
Dont have to tell me anything.im a diabetic and refuse to wear gloves while fishing.super poor blood circulation.hands and feet stay cold for a day or 2 after fishing.

Offline slipperybob

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #2 on: Feb 25, 2021, 07:53 AM »
About ten years ago after a night of smelt fishing, gosh my hands were stinging wet and cold.  Since then it has never seemed to recover.

As I get older it just seems to affect my fingers and toes even more.  Also the skin, sometimes get dried out and cracked skin.  Since then I've been using O'Keeffe working hand creme to help out.  If I can avoid grabbing anything metal, it helps a lot.  That aluminum shovel is really cold.  That bare metal reel is really cold.  I sure am glad for graphite side plates on them casting reels.  I've got to remember to also bring a hand drying towel.  Does wonder at times.
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Offline vaughan

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #3 on: Feb 25, 2021, 08:42 AM »
Agree with slipperybob, had a bout with some frost nip and frost bite after a brutal trip ice fishing and it never really goes away.  Fingers crack every year no matter what I use on them.  Get that tingling every year when I go out no matter what.  Best advice keep hands dry and warm as best you can.  Problem is that it doesn’t take much exposure at very low temps with wet fingers to get frost bite, especially when setting up your tipups in the morning.👍

Offline rivereddy

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #4 on: Feb 25, 2021, 09:11 AM »
A few ears back, i got a "touch' of frostbite on the last knuckle of an index finger.  The temperature was in the
low teens and the fishing was so hot that I didn't have time to put my gloves on between bites.  My lead "depth
finder" somehow got knocked off of its spot on my coat and fell on the ice near one of the holes.  When I picked
it up,  (that cost me a fish) it stuck to my finger for a few seconds.  I had no numbness or discoloration but now
when I am out in the cold, that knuckle is the first to let me know its not happy..

fish on,

rivereddy

Offline lundin-loading

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #5 on: Feb 25, 2021, 09:37 AM »
Buy a pair of athletic sweatbands and put them on your wrists. Tuck a hot hands hand warmer under each sweatband on the vein clusters on your wrists. It will keep your hands warm without gloves down to 10 degrees

Offline butcher

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #6 on: Feb 25, 2021, 09:42 AM »
I'm not a doctor (nor have I stayed at a Holiday Inn recently) but the lingering symptoms you are describing sound like you may have suffered nerve damage. I am guessing that may have been caused by frostbite or some similar condition. Not sure if your condition is permanent or treatable but you may want to talk with a doctor or possible even consult a neurologist to see what can be done.

Thanks for sharing the warning!

Offline badger132

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #7 on: Feb 25, 2021, 11:09 AM »
I can't help with frozen fingers, but I will say wearing rubber gloves will solve your cracking and chapping problems. I wear them while fishing, and also while cleaning fish. I get the thin mechanics nitrile ones from the auto parts store or the Costco big box of blue ones. The Costco ones are really only good for 1 day most times. Heavier ones last better, until they get too many hook or spine punctures. They do provide some additional warmth, by keeping the wind off your skin. They also keep the skin from getting all dried out in the wind and water.
X2 on the O'keefes working hands lotion- I used that for hunting season as well- I worked up to 4 weeks straight, and blood is one of the hardest things on your hands. That stuff makes a big difference if you use it every day.

Offline rivereddy

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #8 on: Feb 25, 2021, 11:51 AM »
I've been known to use super glue on those finger splits.

fish on,

rivereddy

Offline ICEHOLE

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #9 on: Feb 25, 2021, 12:05 PM »
I can't help with frozen fingers, but I will say wearing rubber gloves will solve your cracking and chapping problems. I wear them while fishing, and also while cleaning fish. I get the thin mechanics nitrile ones from the auto parts store or the Costco big box of blue ones. The Costco ones are really only good for 1 day most times. Heavier ones last better, until they get too many hook or spine punctures. They do provide some additional warmth, by keeping the wind off your skin. They also keep the skin from getting all dried out in the wind and water.
X2 on the O'keefes working hands lotion- I used that for hunting season as well- I worked up to 4 weeks straight, and blood is one of the hardest things on your hands. That stuff makes a big difference if you use it every day.
any time i have ever put on rubber gloves my hands sweat almost instantly..im not sure i would want sweaty hands in rubber gloves in the cold...

Offline bogtrotter

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #10 on: Feb 25, 2021, 12:14 PM »
They're called "chill blains."  I used to get them a lot when I was a kid.

Offline badger132

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #11 on: Feb 25, 2021, 12:32 PM »
any time i have ever put on rubber gloves my hands sweat almost instantly..im not sure i would want sweaty hands in rubber gloves in the cold...

Try it once, and see if it works for you. I am 7 years into a long term test, and happy with the results.

Offline CA1492

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #12 on: Feb 25, 2021, 12:53 PM »
Had the same issue.  I'll second having a towel to dry your hands is a big help.  Cheap microfiber towels work really well.

I am a big fan of the chopper mitts now and i buy hand warmers by the gross.
~CA1492

Build a man a fire and he is warm for a day.
Light a man on fire and he is warm for the rest of his life.

Offline Rebelss

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #13 on: Feb 25, 2021, 01:04 PM »
Once ya frostbite yer paws, or any orher area, it will be markedley sensitive to cold for a long, long time.
I frostbit my hands when I was building outside in winter when I was a young feller, and for many many years the areas that were bothered me a lot more when they got cold. From my Advanced Emergency Care manual:



Long-term effects

After having frostbite, some people are left with permanent problems, such as increased sensitivity to cold, numbness, stiffness and pain in the affected area. Unfortunately, not much can be done to treat sensitivity to cold, numbness or stiffness.

“The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation”  Thoreau

Offline Gamalot

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #14 on: Feb 25, 2021, 01:17 PM »
I had a mild case of frostbite as a kid while sleigh riding with my buddies. My hands and feet got so cold I could not feel them at all and had to run them under cold water to get any feeling back and it hurt really bad for days. Now when ever my feet and hands get cold while fishing I know the exact moment when they are too cold and the stinging pins and needles start to fire back up. I hate gloves and highly prefer mittens while fishing or doing anything in deep cold. I have a hand muff around my waist with either the disposable hand warmers or an Ewarmer in it and I also have a dry microfiber towel inside of it to quickly dry my hands. I have found the Joka Therm rubberized mittens to be indispensable both as a pad to kneel on at the holes and to cover my fingers when walking to or from flags. Agree with the Working Hands skin protectant and have not had cracks in years since I started using it. Once you have had frostbite those extremities are highly susceptible for it again and again and the pain comes much quicker and lasts longer. Good boots, wool socks and dry feet are an absolute must for me and I can't allow my feet to perspire inside the boots or I will be frozen quick.   
If I agreed with you we would both be wrong!

Offline jrjach75

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #15 on: Feb 25, 2021, 01:23 PM »
They're called "chill blains."  I used to get them a lot when I was a kid.

It's called Chilblains. I know this because I have it right now. Burning, itching, blisters, it's awful. I've never had athletes foot but I can imagine this is as bad or worse. After 2 weeks it's finally getting better, not much you can do but wait it out.

Offline taxi1

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #16 on: Feb 25, 2021, 01:55 PM »
Buy a pair of athletic sweatbands and put them on your wrists. Tuck a hot hands hand warmer under each sweatband on the vein clusters on your wrists. It will keep your hands warm without gloves down to 10 degrees

Yeah those "hot hands" warmers are the cat's meow. The wife used them and gave me a pair when I had to go out on the snowblower one day with wind chills below zero. Really made a difference!
I live in the midwest now but have fond memories of fishing in New England as a kid.

Offline Jiggerdoodle

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #17 on: Feb 25, 2021, 06:32 PM »
Hope you don’t have to go on blood thinners like I have been since a heart attack a year and half ago.  It makes it even worse.  I always only wear Jersey brown gloves no matter how cold, now when walking to spot I have to use insulated gloves.  I wear wool socks and feet don’t get cold at all.  Still get the tingling in feet and hands when I get in the warmth.

Offline RStock521

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #18 on: Feb 25, 2021, 07:31 PM »
A couple times I was fishing without a shack and packing away gear, my fingers got cold as heck, and once I got to the car and they started to warm up, it felt like someone was hitting them with a hammer.  I was yelling "ooowwww" to myself it hurt so bad.  My toes, I've got figured out with my Baffin Eigers, but I haven't completely figured out to how to keep my fingers cold-proof while also having dexterity.  When not fishing, my mittens keep me toasty. One day, I'll figure it out...

Offline TickleStick

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #19 on: Feb 25, 2021, 07:58 PM »
My joints get stiff when the weather fluctuates, it kinda sucks...
Just sayin
WINTER IS COMING!

Offline badger132

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #20 on: Feb 25, 2021, 10:47 PM »
Has anyone else noticed that all the gloves with a pocket for the hand warmer put it on the back of the hand, OUTSIDE THE INSULATION! I really wish someone made mittens or gloves that had a pocket for the hand warmer that held if on the inside of the wrist, against the skin, or at least inside the insulation, instead of outside. That idea below really got me thinking. Have to see what the wife can sew up.

Offline zcm_82

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #21 on: Feb 26, 2021, 05:28 AM »
Yep, I got severe frostbite (ended up in the hospital and almost lost a couple purple toes severe) on my hands, feet, and nose when I was 19. Now my feet are ALWAYS cold, and conurrently always sweat. 90° outside in flip flops... cold, sweating feet.

My hands aren't quite as bad, but it doesn't take much for them to go numb once a chill hits them, either. I pretty much always use a fish house to avoid issues, since I also hate fishing with gloves on. The second they get wet out in the cold, it's game over, though.

I'm just sort of used to the cold feet, but keeping a chunk of thick foam under them while I fish takes the worst of the edge off the burning tingles.

Offline bearnoob

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Re: Overexposure to the cold
« Reply #22 on: Feb 26, 2021, 06:24 AM »
Has anyone else noticed that all the gloves with a pocket for the hand warmer put it on the back of the hand, OUTSIDE THE INSULATION! I really wish someone made mittens or gloves that had a pocket for the hand warmer that held if on the inside of the wrist, against the skin, or at least inside the insulation, instead of outside. That idea below really got me thinking. Have to see what the wife can sew up.

I have had a pair like that (ice armor extreme) for the past 5 years or so. I find they are plenty warm with the handwarmer outside the insulation. Was wearing them couple weeks ago while out at -20 actual (-38 wind chill) for about 6 hours. Stayed warm the whole time.

My fingers are too important to my job. I have had had some cold days but I don't mess around getting close to the tingles. Did that as a kid and luckily didn't end up with anything permanent.

Toes I am less worried about, but I bought a pair of electric insoles about 2 years ago on Amazon and haven't worried since. Most days I never turn them on but they are nice to have if I ever need them.
Hardwater fisherman since 2014. All opinions subject to change as experience increases.

 



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