I dont think its that. When we cannot breathe proper, we are not getting the correct amount of O2, and when that happens the body as a whole gets all out of whack. and systems that are normally not symptomatic become so because of the extra effort of the lungs and the heart are putting in just to supply what little O2 it can....its one big snow ball effect.

you got it jenirose.
when my 02 isn't right every joint in my body hurts worse than normal & my feet can get to the point they are on fire.
after going to physical therapy & new drs they all told me that when our 02 isn't normal, as in having COPD, our mind tells our heart to send the 02 to our vial organs before "unnecessary paarts'---so our joints muscles etc don't get the 02 they need.
it is all related~~~~i was so glad when i finally learned this as i thought my whole body was "quitting" on me one peice at a time; luckily i learned that 02 affects us in so many ways

But I was having the leg cramps and low potassium years before my first exacerbation. It was at least 5 years before when I first noticed the lower than normal body temperature. I think there could have been many little signs that things were going out of wack years before my copd became obvious.
Having had asthma my entire life it is impossible for me to pinpoint exactly when the copd crept in and took over. This Wed. when I see my pulmno I am asking to have the alpha 1 test. In 2011 I tested + for rheumatoid arthritis which is also an auto immune disease. My body started collapsing slowly about 3 leads before the downward changes in my lungs became apparent.
Could all of these little signs like low body temperature and low potassium been warnings of copd? The big question is ...would I have quit smoking even if I had known there was an off chance I was headed for copd....probably not.

Check thyroid, also often autoimmune- causes low energy and low temps..

Thanks for this post! I have suffered from foot cramps for years. My body temp also tends to run on the low side of normal. I used to attribute my panting and gasping for air to allergies and high humidity. I was diagnosed with emphasema and COPD a couple of years ago but now my new pulmonologist says no emphasema but definitely COPD. New meds are helping me as is a physical therapy program and I have noticed that foot cramping is much lessened and breathing is improved.

I was told to take OTC potassium twice a day 10 years ago for cramping but my first copd diagnosis wasn't until 6 years later.
Autoimmune is exactly what I am thinking. Tomorrow I am having the alpha1 test run and I will bet you anything I'm positive. Asthma (which Ive had my whole life) is considered an autoimmune disease. I also test positive for rheumatoid arthritis another autoimmune disease.
Speaking of cramping....I bet I got something started a few months back that when I cough wrong or reach behind me wrong I get a cramp in the muscles in the wall of my chest. This is a whole different kind of pain. Nothing to do but stop, sit down and try to relax and wait the cramp out. Thank goodness it doesn't happen too often or in public.....yet.

My pulmo just today discussed the same issues and answered them pretty much as jarca has. When my o2 is off my spinal stenosis gets worse and my leg muscles barely get me around. I've also been to physical threrapy and try to exercise and even bought a top of the line recumbant bike hoping to strength my knees and legs but as doc told me if those muscles are not getting enough o2 it may help some but wont make the problems go away. I too have had the leg and foot cramp thing and been on potassium. I will never go back to therapy because all it does is cost me money. As jarca says this thing just affects you in so many ways you feel like you're coming apart all over - Ruthie (dollaraudit)

Just above my ankles have hurt like heck for a couple months!! I posted here about it but no one knew anything. It has since stopped after hurting a lot 7 days a week at night for 3 months

I also have low temp have for a lot of years, think just normal for me. also have cramps often in feet when I lay down at night in bed. I get bad ones sometimes in my ribs, hurt, oh my. yes its pain like no other. I have to stretch myself out to get them to stop. copd and oxygen levels have many faces. I had superficial phlebitis for almost a year, they put me through all kinds of tests and scans trying to figure out why at first and never found a reason. it had me on crutches for awhile, with so much pain, and on blood thinners ,it finnaly went away.. I went to a new pulmonary doc last month and he told me it was from oxygen levels going up n down. none of the other 4 docs in the process knew that.