Rain Rain Go Away….

I often get asked if weather affects me. Which is a good question and one that I don’t think everyone knows. I knew weather could affect pain and headaches but I never really experienced it until I got sick.

There is an ongoing joke in the chronic illness world that we could be really good meteorologists because our bodies can psychically feel and tell and when the weather is going to change.

In fact most doctors now ask if you notice a change during weather changes. The answer is yes and especially with Fibromyalgia they note the pain gets worse in the winter.

Every season change, every drastic temperature/ humidity change , rainy weather, storms, snowy weather , freezing cold are all things that make me feel worse. Having POTS makes season changes really hard. I don’t know how to explain it but usually during that week my heart rate is much higher and I am a lot dizzier and out of breath. I also notice a change when there are big temperature changes (usually a 10 degree or more difference).

The weather change that I feel affects me the most is when rain is coming or a storm system. Once it actually hits the area, it’s not as intense, it’s usually just when the system is close. Traveling can be difficult, especially if you pass through a lot of temperature changes or rain systems nearby. Rain usually is like a double edged sword for me. My pain gets worse and my joints get really stiff, red, swollen, and warm. Then this is usually when I get a migraine.

Other weather changes affect me mostly the same way more joint pain and more headaches, energy goes down, and sometimes I get a little bit more confused or forget things. So when you hear someone say my joints (etc) hurt today – must be a storm coming, chances are they aren’t joking. I know it’s not fun to deal with pain during these changes but in the scheme of things, to think how our bodies change just due to a weather change, is kind of interesting.

Last weekend we had rain coming and I was pretty tired and not feeling well the whole weekend. It rained basically the whole afternoon on Monday. While weather changes are awful, in a way, I do like to pinpoint why my pain is changing. I would much rather have a weather change to blame then to not know and to just assume it’s another big flare-up happening.

I did a few Instagram polls asking what people wanted to see on my blogs for chronic illnesses. So I have a few to do and I am looking forward to that. Sometimes I just write what I need to write, but I do like hearing what you would like to know and learn. The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness and teach so if you ever want me to blog about something that deals with a chronic illness you can comment below or e-mail me anytime!

xoxo,

Abby