Respiratory symptoms usually start to appear after the frost exceeds fifteen degrees, says Hanna Salminen, communications and development director of the Respiratory Association.
I feel it as if there were pins in the throat. Coughing. You can't even say a word without feeling like your lungs are failing.
This is how a resident of Kanta-Hämee in Hausjärvi describes it Saana Lahdenperä we're feeling cold.
“Already at ten degrees below zero, I start to notice bigger difficulties. Breathing in extreme cold really hurts.”
Lahtenperen the breathing difficulties with frostbite started after the lung surgery a little over a year ago.
The first winter after the operation was spent still recovering. The symptoms didn't ease even when another winter came.
It has been especially hard to feel at the turn of the year and since the beginning of the year, when the whole of Finland has been tested hard frost period. In Lahdenperä's hometown in Hausjärvi, the frost has been at its worst during the first days of the year, reaching twenty-five degrees.
“Even when scrubbing the car, you have to put a scarf over your mouth,” says Lahdenperä.
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“The heating pads in the gloves helped, but they are disposable, so you don't really need to wear them all the time.”
Breathing difficulties are not Lahdenperä's only problem in cold weather. Three years ago, his fingers and toes started to become sensitive to the cold.
Lahdenperä says that he has always been sensitive to cold, but now the symptoms got worse. Even in a slight frost, the fingers and toes started to turn white and they lost all feeling. With more severe frosts, severe pain came along.
“Then I heard from a doctor I know that a rare side effect of the medicine I'm taking is Raynaud's syndrome.”
In Raynaud's phenomenon, i.e. white fingers, due to the sensitivity of the small blood vessels to constrict, the fingers and often also the toes turn white in the cold and later turn bluish and red.
“Due to the financial situation, we have had to keep the heat at home lower. Sometimes it feels like wool socks aren't enough.”
Saana Lahdenperä with her dog Hup. The picture was taken in the spring of 2023, when the temperature had reached above zero.
Respiratory symptoms usually starts to appear after the frost exceeds fifteen degrees, says Hengitysliitto's communications and development director Hanna Salminen.
Cold air dries and cools the respiratory system. The nose starts to run. The breathing volume decreases and the ability to absorb oxygen deteriorates. Exhalation feels heavy and the airways may wheeze.
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“Homeland is my own country to such an extent that moving away f
rom Finland has not crossed my mind.”
Cold tolerance is, however, very individual. According to Salminen, instead of staring at the frost readings, it is more important to trust your own feelings.
“Respiratory patients feel their own illness. It's worth listening to your own feeling and not going out for sports without being properly equipped and with a bronchodilator,” says Salminen.
“Neckscarves and wool, the dress codes of the old people. There are also breathing air heaters that you can get and put on your face.”
Also Lahdenperä says that he has tried different methods against the cold.
“The heating pads in the gloves helped, but they are disposable, so you don't really need to wear them all the time.”
Despite the difficulties, Lahdenperä does not feel that the symptoms would significantly limit his life. He does his work indoors as a home cleaning entrepreneur and travels by car.
The biggest sadness is for Lahdenperä's dog: a six-year-old golden retriever who has been evacuated to Lahdenperä's parents. Due to the severe frosts, Lahdenperä is unable to walk the retriever named Hupi himself.
“I'm starting to miss the dog quite a lot. Although I know it will do well with the parents.”
Neither moving south to a warmer climate is not in Lahdenperä's plans.
“Homeland is my own country to such an extent that moving away from Finland has not crossed my mind.”
Even though Lahdenperä can't enjoy going outside in winter frosts, he can still enjoy the winter weather:
Then, when the car and, by extension, the fingers and toes have warmed up, and you look up at the horizon, it's damn beautiful there, says Lahdenperä.
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