HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS EXPLAIN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF DURING EXTREME COLD

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A nurse practitioner from Lutheran Hospitals and a doctor from Parkview have given their advice on how to protect yourself from the dangers of extreme cold.

Nurse Practitioner at Lutheran Hospital, Elizabeth Mysliwiec, says it could take only 30 minutes for frostbite or hypothermia to set in. Symptoms of hypothermia can include shivering, a deep cold sensation, and confusion or clumsiness.

“The things you can do, obviously, are stay warm, stay indoors when possible, wearing mittens, those keep your hands warmer than gloves do, using warm compresses to help with your joints,” Mysliwiec said. “So it’s very important that you really pay attention to the weather, pay attention to how you’re feeling as well, and pay attention to others around you, because sometimes, if you’re confused, you may not even realize how cold you truly cold you truly are.”

A doctor from Parkview also weighed in on the safety concerns of being outside, as well as offered some advice on safely rewarming yourself if you do have to leave your home.”

“If you do feel like you’re getting cold outside, take the measures to get inside or get out of the cold,” said Dr. Thomas Gutwein. “And then when you rewarm yourself, make sure you that you rewarm yourself slowly, that you don’t use hot water to rewarm your hands, that you just use chill or cool or warm water. And it’s really hard to know what the temperature of the water is when your fingers are super cold, so be just really careful and rewarming that you don’t burn yourself.”

As the temperatures continue to drop, and as we look forward to increasingly dangerous weather conditions, be sure to check on yourself and how you feel.

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2026-01-24T01:22:21Z