Help with the cold and my hands

[Spotted Owl]

Anyone have any good ideas how to deal with the cold? For us(not for many of you) we have have been cold. In the last few days my hands have just been aching with the cold. I went out this morning 3*, slight breeze to feed the stock and my hands hurt something fierce. I use wool gloves that are heated by the stove before going out so there nice and warm but not hot. That lasts about to the barn. Tried mittens but that didn't work had to take them off to get some of the chores done self explanitory there. By the time I'm done and back in the house I have to use hot water to get them moving again. I pull my fingers inside the main glove when not working so they are close to each other. Color is good, they are cold to the touch not bad though but the knuckles just don't seem to want to work. The wrist is trouble also but nothing like my knuckles. I try to keep them moving by making a fist and opening back up, slow then fast then slow again back and forth. Works for a while then it just gets slower no matter how hard I am trying to keep it going. Their not frozen they just don't want to work worth spit.

I have been is some damn nasty cold before and never had this before. This is new and I can say I don't like it one bit.

I would very much appreciate any thoughts you may have.



Owl

 

[M.R.]

Silk gloves or liners inside of........
polar fleece or poly-prop. or wool.....
then into the oversize outers.

 

[yooper]

dont wear fingered Gloves when very cold wear mittens, (chopper type) with a liner and fingered glove inside. (in case ya have to take them off) I use the cheep stretchy cotton gloves in side of mine or the fancy white ones (The fagot Michael Jackson ones) Hard to get used to working with choppers on but when fingers are warm ya get used to it, hell I climb with them all the time when it gets below 0.

 

[dingeryote]

Owl,

You on BP meds? They raise hell with the fingers and feet in the cold.

All ya really can do is insulate the return lines to the pump to keep the blood warmer before it heads back to the extremities.

Cover your neck, insulated boots, insulated hat that covers the back of your head, long skivvies, etc.

A little trick I learned in the corps, is "Wristovers".

Cut the top 4-5 inches off of a pair of wool socks and slide 'em on the wrists so they just cover to the base of your palm.
There's LOTS of blood vessels right near the surface in that area, bleeding heat to the air instead of getting it to your fingers, and gloves just don't cover the area well.

If you have run the saws a lot over many years, you might also have some nerve and tissue damage. Ya gotta just insulate and cuss with that one or have the doc go to cutting.

Also, Circulatory issues can pop up outta nowhere, and affect a guy just as you describe. If you have any kin that have had circulatory problems, make sure to talk at the Doc about it. My wife has an issue that has her hands freezing cold if it's 50 degrees out and working with her hands, and if it's colder, she gets the painfull joints as well.

When you go to warming the hands back up with water, be carefull about it.
Any warmer than tepid and you risk nerve damage. It's better to just stick your hands in your armpits, or if the family pooch dosn't mind, his armpits.

Hope this helps.
It's not cold yet here, but I'll be cussing with ya here in a few days.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Hddnis]

I've got just a few pairs of gloves sitting around from me trying to learn to keep my fingers warm.

All I learned is there is a reason for heated handles on saws. lol

Each fall I buy a few boxes of the hand warmers from Costco. I tuck them in my gloves when it's real cold and it works really well. Usually I put them against the palm, but sometimes in the back.

Mittens work the best, the kind with the tip you can move out of the way, that lets you do the detail work.

A coat with really long sleeves that you can almost pull your hands back up into can seem clumsy, but is faster than the mittens and works well if the wind isn't too bad.



Mr. HE

 

[dingeryote]

dont wear fingered Gloves when very cold wear mittens, (chopper type) with a liner and fingered glove inside. (in case ya have to take them off) I use the cheep stretchy cotton gloves in side of mine or the fancy white ones (The fagot Michael Jackson ones) Hard to get used to working with choppers on but when fingers are warm ya get used to it, hell I climb with them all the time when it gets below 0.

Yooper,

Try the Mil-surp polypro glove inserts sometime.
They don't look like anything that would be worth a ####, but darn if they don't work better than the old wool glove inserts, and dry out as fast as you can sweat 'em wet.

If ya ever find a pair of Nokia Choppers somewhere up there, SNAG 'em!!!
Heck, snag two pair and holler at me.
You can sand Oak with the finish on them, and they don't get wet and freeze.
Just a booger to find anymore.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[peterupnorth]

Being somewhat used to having week long cold spells in the -60F range, I know about the pain in fingers, feet and other appendages...
There are jobs like laying under a vehicle to fix something, ie. not much movement where one just has to get back in to warm up. Then there are other things like getting firewood involving more exercise/movement where one seems to cross the threshold and after a period of time things do warm up and you can be good for a long time. I call it short term adaptation. This "adaptation" will not happen though by going back inside to warm up. I find it just gets even worse when going back out.
Yes, lowering of blood pressure is an issue. Definitely keep the head warm.

We just try to look at the positive side and think of all the bad bugs (viruses included) that are being killed off.
By the way, spit does freeze before hitting the ground at -55.
....and none of us is getting any younger!

 

[gwiley]

A few things I have discovered (after living in Wisconsin for a few years):

- snowmobile gloves are righteous! The good ones are waterproof, have a mitten style space for 3 fingers, a separate space for the pointer and thumb - perfect for holding the saw. (only downside is - no kevlar)

- silk glove liners rock (just don't buy the pink ones)

- keep your body core temp up - amazing what a difference that makes to your extremities

- never underestimate the value of the chemical hand warmers - cheap and amazingly warm

 

[slowp]

For those of us in the PNW, Choppers are those heavy duty leather mittens, usually worn over a pair of lightweight winter gloves.

I like the mittens with the built in fingerless gloves. The warmest are insulated with thinsulite. They have mitten ends that you can fold over the back of your hands and it attaches with velcro so it isn't flopping about. Fleece insulated with thinsulite seems to be the warmest. They come in a ragg wool style also.

Are you wearing a warm hat?

 

[Gologit]

Also, Circulatory issues can pop up outta nowhere, and affect a guy just as you describe. If you have any kin that have had circulatory problems, make sure to talk at the Doc about it.

When you go to warming the hands back up with water, be carefull about it.
Any warmer than tepid and you risk nerve damage.

Good advice. Sudden onset circulatory problems can be a warning sign. I found that out the hard way. Go see your doctor and get checked out. Otherwise you're just treating the symptoms of something that may be more serious than you know.

And this has been a great thread. Even though Slowp doesn't believe it ever gets cold in California, it really does. Think Donner Party. I've picked up some good information here on keeping the hands warm and I thank all who posted.

 

[bitzer]

Like the others mentioned, light gloves inside of choppers. Hand warmers on your palm, throw them in your boots to, if you need too. Also its tough in winter because its hard to be thirsty when its cold, but stay hydrated. Circulation will be better. Think layers and layers everywhere. Its -20 right now with the wind chill here, fun stuff!

 

[Spotted Owl]

Good info here thank you. No BP meds, pressure runs low though by it's self averages around 102/65. I know that doesn't help anything. I will try some different mittens types and the liners. The wrist covers are something I never thought of and will surely try that out. Lots of good stuff. I try to stay with wool cause it's so wet normally around here and wool works well in the wet also.

Thanks much.


Owl

 

[GNAR13]

i know you get plenty of exercise in the woods, but keeping up the cardio helps with circulation, thus warmer hands and feet

 

[southsoundtree]

Bundle up before going outside and move around/ exercise a little to increase blood flow, stay very well hydrated (dehydrated thickens blood), cover all exposed areas. Hopefully its nothing medical. I've started the day with a synthetic shirt, fleece pullover, and two hoodies, insulated boots, and a hat with ear flaps. I start out warm, and delayer/ relayer as needed throughout the day. We aren't acclimated to this weather.

Avoid/ reduce caffeine/ nicotine as they constrict your blood vessels. Caffeine is a diuretic, making it harder to stay well hydrated.

Are your lips dry/ tight? Nasal passages dry? Its in part the dehydration of this cold, dry air. If you're exercising/ working and breathing more, then you lose more water in your breath.

 

[dingeryote]

Good info here thank you. No BP meds, pressure runs low though by it's self averages around 102/65. I know that doesn't help anything. I will try some different mittens types and the liners. The wrist covers are something I never thought of and will surely try that out. Lots of good stuff. I try to stay with wool cause it's so wet normally around here and wool works well in the wet also.

Thanks much.


Owl

Owl,

I picked up a few as well. Thanks for starting this one!

Ya like wool eh? LOL!!!! http://www.redflannels.com/
Best flannel long Johns made.

Not so good for frothing up a sweat, Polypropelene(Polypro) is best for that as it insulates as well as wool when wet, and dosn't hold the water as bad as wool.

But for chores and general grumbling around they are hard to beat, and don't melt in the dryer.

The constant extra layer to start with is something ya get used to, and saves time for just running out to shovel real quick or whatever.

In Polypro, it's hard to beat the Duofold Mid weights for GP, and the Lightweight for heading out to cut or work hard.

I gotta feeling this ain't gonna be the only cold blast to hit us this year.
It's been too long and we are overdue.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Jacob J.]

Wool gloves are good, but you need something that's going to block the wind or airflow through the porous wool. I have some Columbia nylon shells that are really thin and flexible I wear over wool liners.

I suspect you're dealing with capillary damage from years and years of running saw. The old time saw operators accumulated a lot of scar tissue in the fine capillaries in the hands which is a contributor to 'white knuckle' disease along with the corresponding nerve damage.

 

[Jacob J.]

This is new and I can say I don't like it one bit.
Owl

So much for global warming...

 

[little possum]

I do not get to experience the extremely cold temps like yall do, but I am a big fan of Hot Hands. I know it is wasted money everytime I open a pack, so I just eat cereal for breakfast. LOL.
I duck hunt so I am out in the cold most of the time for 3 months outta the year. I like them in the palm of my hands but sometimes I will put them on my wrist. Like dingeryote said. The nerves are pretty important. Also like to stuff them in my socks sometimes.

So what do the Mil-surplus gloves look like that yall are recommending?

This thread is very valuable, I can learn something from people that get to experince actual cold. The coldest it got here last year was 12 degrees I think, and for some reason I was out chasin ducks on the almost frozen river.

Stay warm, and safe out there.

 

[slowp]

I think I'm going in shopping this weekend, and I'll look at a store for what I have in mind. PM me your size and I'll see if any are still there. I'm thinking of some wool gloves lined with thinsulite. I've got a pair buried somewhere in my work pickup along with other assorted gloves.

I'm one of the lucky ones. If I'm moving, I'm warm.

 

[char]

Your feet and hands are the first place your body pulls blood from when your core gets cold. The first step is to make sure your core (chest/thighs/head) are insulated well. Layers covered by a windproof outer shell.

Don't be so insulated that you sweat when active. If you sweat, you will get waay colder.

I prefer leather gloves so if you can get your hands on some insulated KINCO's they are the way to go. Snoseal them and you are set. The advice about insulating your wrists is spot on. Waterproof gloves are the only way to go. As soon as you get wool or a synthetic wet they get much colder. Yes, they still insulate, but not nearly as well.

Chemical handwarmers are worth the money as well. If you aren't out for very long you can throw some uncooked beans in a little baggie and microwave them for some short term warmth.