Does Anyone Else Have a Child That Exhibits This???

I taught pre school last year in MA and had a child in my 3 year old class that we had to really watch when it was cold outside, I don't remember exactly what the mom called it but also he could not be sub merged in cold water. I will say that she told me he was making big progress and he seemed to be growing out of it. If you would like I could email her to get more information as I do still keep in touch with her, or I could have her email you.

My son had almost the same thing and after seeing the Dr. I got an appointment to be tested for( allergies) do this along with the ENT

I am no doctor but had preemies myself. Sounds circulatory. Has he had scans of his heart? Mom, you are his best advocate. Don't take no for an answer when and if your Ped throws her hands up. Mine did this when my oldest was two months and had stomach trouble. I kept pressing on with other Peds to find he needed emergency surgery to correct a birth defect. Follow your instincts.

K.,

My children do not have this but I do. I have always been cold natured (not during pregnancy.) I can be in a pool, shower, outside in a stiff breeze and if the temp is not just right I do the same thing. I have horrible attacks of the shivers, teeth chattering. I used big fluffy towels. I get out of the pool every 20 minutes and sit in the sun wrapped in my sun warmed towel. I do not exhibit any other symptom of Hypothermia, I just look like I am freezing. I have never been diagnosed with anything weird and all my blood work is good. I am just easily chilled as my Grandmother calls it. Good luck to you and I hope everything turns out well with your boy.

My son does the same. He is 6 and only weights 39lbs and he get cold in the pool even when it is 98 outside and the the pool is not cold but cool. I have to give him an exercise bar that helps. I found out about it when Tammy Van Wisse used it to swim some of the coldest water every. My son's Dr just has me keep his immune system strong and tells me to put some weight on him. He dresses to help keep his body temp where he feels comfortable. Please let me know if you want more info on the bars. I also read that you were concerned about the economy and how it will effect your family. I would love to help you and your family, just let me know.

Wow! Never heard of anything as complex as this. My daughter used to literally turn blue in the water (until about 18 mths), but she had close to no body fat. I hope you get more insight soon. I would love to hear what is discovered.

my friends baby was born with inability to keep his body temperature stable, they found out it was because his thyroid was malformed - they are testing for that so hopefully you should get some answers soon.

How much does he weigh, is it on the low side of his range? I ask this because I used to turn blue when I was thinner. Not my lips but my fingernails, I would be freezing when everyone else was comfortable. If I drank a cold beverage in a restaurant my fingers would become numb to the point I would have to sit on my hands to warm them up. I did not seem like crazy skinny either, I was just on the leaner side of my weight range. (not a problem I have now!) I have always been a person with a lower body temp, usually like 96.5 or 97 is normal for me so I think I can tend to get cold easily. I gained a little weight and had much less problem with it. So possibly adding some more food to his diet or even a pediasure etc. could help. I wish you all the best!

Hi K.:

Sorry, I can't address the specific question of your son's on-going temperature regulation. However, hypothermia can quickly appear in small children from swimming pools in about 1 hour of time.

My husband was an avid scuba diver during his college days and is more trained about how the body loses heat in water, signs to look for. Before that, I wasn't aware that only a drop of 1-2 degrees in body temperature triggers hypothermia. (I had always thought of hypothermia as something with winter and frozen lakes...)

Below is some info I found on the web:

Hypothermia may develop within minutes of being exposed to cold water, or it may take several hours, depending on the water temperature. Water doesn't have to be icy cold to cause hypothermia. Your body loses heat more quickly in water than in air. Any water or surrounding temperature lower than your body temperature causes your body to lose at least some heat.

 Very young age. Children usually lose heat faster than adults do. Children have a larger head-to-body ratio than adults do, making them more prone to heat loss through the head. Children may also ignore the cold because they're having too much fun to think about it. And they may not have the judgment to dress properly in cold weather or to get out of the cold when they feel cold. Infants may have a special problem with the cold because they have less efficient mechanisms for generating heat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothermia
Symptoms of hypothermia?
The following are the most common symptoms of hypothermia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently.

Symptoms may include:
• confusion
• sleepiness
• fumbling hands
• shivering and exhaustion
• slow, slurred speech, or shallow breathing
• weak pulse and/or low blood pressure
• drowsiness
• a change in behavior or appearance during cold weather
• stiffness in the arms and legs
• poor control over body movements or slow reactions
• in infants, bright red, cold skin and/or very low energy
To determine if the person is suffering from hypothermia, take his/her temperature with a thermometer. If the person's temperature is below 96° F, call for emergency help immediately, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothermia/DS00333/DSEC...
Normal body temperature in humans is 37°C. Hypothermia can be divided in three stages of severity:

In stage 1, body temperature drops by 1-2°C below normal temperature (35-38°C). Mild to strong shivering occurs.[1][2] The victim is unable to perform complex tasks with the hands; the hands become numb. Blood vessels in the outer extremities constrict, lessening heat loss to the outside air. Breathing becomes quick and shallow. Goose bumps form, raising body hair on end in an attempt to create an insulating layer of air around the body (which is of limited use in humans due to lack of sufficient hair, but useful in other species). Often, a person will experience a warm sensation, as if they have recovered, but they are in fact heading into Stage 2. Another test to see if the person is entering stage 2 is if they are unable to touch their thumb with their little finger; this is the first stage of muscles not working.

My 3 year old son gets cold very easily, especially in water. His lips turn absolutely blue/purple. He has very light coloration (red hair, fair skin), which accentuates the blue lips. Once he's out, he warms up and is fine. It has never concerned me all that much, and he has become less sensitive as he has gotten older. I had to drop a Mommy&Me Water Aerobics when he was 1yo because his sensitivity to cool water was so severe!

Hi. I'm glad you're going to the pedi. I personally have no experience with this and not sure if this is related or not, but Extreme Home Makeover redid a home for a family in CO several months ago. They had a little girl whose body couldn't regulate it's own temperature. I think she tended to be too hot. They brought another family down from Minnesota or Montana with a girl who ran too cold. I can't remember the name of it. Both girls were very severe... Again, not sure at all if this is related. See what the pedi says. Glad your little one has you to watch out for him! Keep us posted!

It sounds like you are describing one of the boys in our neighborhood. We have 13 kids ages 4 to 12 on our street, 11 of them boys. One of them (8 yrs old) has always been like this. I have known him since he was 18 months old, he is my 7 yr olds best friend. I can't count the number of times we have gone to the park and my two boys are in shorts, sandals and sleeveless shirts and he is in long pants and a jacket. Our neighbor has a pool and even on days when it is 100 outside he shivers after being in the pool swimming. On days when it is only 90, he is just like you described, blue lip, translucent skin, veins visible. As far as I know she (his mom) has never had his doctor look into this. I guess we all just assume his is cold-natured because he has always been like this.

My sister was a small, very fair-skinned child. Our mother would get her out of the water first, as her lips turned blue, and she'd shiver like your son...fast forward 50 years...she's still petite and fair, but I haven't seen her turn blue in a very long time! She's also one of the strongest individuals I know....hopefully, you've gotten normal test results back by now, but try not to worry too much! Doctors seem to do a ton of tests. (I'm sounding reeeeaaallllly old now!)Good luck!

My brother was like that, and strangely enough he is a twin. One was always thick and stout, and the other was lean and displayed the same things you described particularly in the pool or even bath tub. One would be hot and the other twin usually appeared too cold but rarely complained about it. I don't think my mom ever worried too much about it and both are tall strong and healthy young men now (22 years old). The only thing I could think to mention is to research Marfan syndrome. I have no idea if this is linked to body temperature control, but my mom suspects my dad had this and she also thinks my brothers may have it. They exhibit afew minor physical characteristics of it. He'll probably grow out of it, my brother pretty much has- not completely I guess, but it is nothing like it use to be, lol. Scary blue, sorry to laugh, my brother was white white to begin with (our family is quite pastey) but he would turn purple and white with death blue lips and shiver fiercley but hardly complain. It was the strangest thing. Anyhow, good luck with your lil guy!!

I have a 30 year old friend that gets cold like that. I thought she was kidding because I was fine but she was freezing. She has to wear a thicker wet suit then the others to go scuba diving or she gets too cold. I have been swimming with her a lot and she is the one to get cold even in warm water. I am a cold natured person and she gets colder then me. She is a healthy person she just gets really cold easily. I hope the same for your son.

Do please let us know what the doc says. This weekend my 3 1/2 was swimming and his lips turned blue. He was cold and I made him get out of the pool and wrapped him up and warm up. Kind of freaked me out. That's the only time him lips have turned blue and really concerned me. I'm anxious to see what your replies are and what the doc says.

I'm sure there are many possibilities as to what this "could be," and hopefully by now you have some answers. However, I thought I would throw in my two cents. Some of what you wrote sounds like my daughter. She has a heart condition that contributes to circulatory issues, and is also very small for her age. If you haven't gotten answers by now, maybe your doctor could be double checking for a heart condition?