Fibro - quick question..

[C.Ann]

I'm heading off to bed now, but I wanted to ask a quick question and I'll check back for answers when I can..

DD was diagnosed with fibro a few years ago.. The past week or so, she's been having a very, very bad flare up of it.. She has an appt. with her doctor later this week, but I'm wondering if this very cold weather could be causing it?

We can't think of anything else.. No unusual activities - nothing stressful going on - no other signs of illness..

What kind of impact does the weather have on fibro? Are others - who are experiencing very cold temps - having these flare ups now too?

Thanks for any info you can share..

Night..

 

[RNMOM]

Yes, the cold weather can do that. Also the stress of the holidays too. I tend to be a bit better in the cold and worse in the heat but I am unusual I guess. I do get a lot of pain when I get chilled so I do my best to avoid that. Right now I am sitting with my trusty heating pad to help my aching shoulders.

Her doctor can hopefully get her some assistance. Sometimes the only thing you can do is go to bed. That is usually my clue that I'm heading into a flare, I can't keep my eyes open and feel the need to sleep for long periods. It also is what helps me too.

 

[Trish Bessette]

I've had fibro for about 7 years now. I only "feel" it bad in the winter months. During the summer I am really good.

My doctor fought me for years because he kept saying in order to have fibro you have to have depression. I've never had depression. I'm a very upbeat, happy person. However, I DO HAVE fibro.

For me it is busy times that flare me up. The holidays...when school starts and I'm busy bringing DD's to games, President of the PTO, etc. My worse thing is not getting enough sleep.

I'm in a bad flare up right now too. Hurts to type, hurts to breathe, hurts everywhere. Just awful.

I don't let it get me down though. I stay upbeat and just try to block it out of my mind. It's hard to do but I feel it's better to stay positive then to have this darn thing take over me.

 

[Mermaid02]

I'm relatively newly diagnosed but I have seen a correlation between the weather and my symptoms.

 

[phorsenuf]

I do much better in heat than cold. Once I get cold it's so hard to warm my body up. Cooling off is so much easier. Fronts coming through also have a huge effect on me as well.
My fibro is a big part of why we are moving south. Living in NH is a killer and it gets worse every year. Yeah, Florida is hot but I do better there for some reason.

 

[binny]

fronts are a HUGE part for me as well. So far I have handled Denver pretty well which is amazing to me. Maybe its the elevation thing? I dont know I have had a couple of bad days but those have been when I have pushed myself too hard.

Inversion was another thing that really got to me but we dont have that here or at least not as bad as we did in Boise.

Usually when we get a strong High Pressure front coming in I can feel it before they say it.

 

[phorsenuf]

fronts are a HUGE part for me as well. So far I have handled Denver pretty well which is amazing to me. Maybe its the elevation thing? I dont know I have had a couple of bad days but those have been when I have pushed myself too hard.

Inversion was another thing that really got to me but we dont have that here or at least not as bad as we did in Boise.

Usually when we get a strong High Pressure front coming in I can feel it before they say it.

Yep. I can always tell a day or two before the front comes in. I think my husband is starting to use me as his personal weather channel now. LOL

 

[binny]

Yep. I can always tell a day or two before the front comes in. I think my husband is starting to use me as his personal weather channel now. LOL

mine too.
I am hurting today, its SO cold out right now. When I took the girls to school it was about -20 with wind chill. The sun is out now and theyre saying a high of 16 without windchill. By Saturday though it supposed to be 50!! Its the up and down constantly that get to me

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I have been diagnosed now for over 20 years. And for me, yes...it gets much worse! I do not really have "flare~ups" mine is more of a 24/7 on a daily basis thing. so when bad weather is coming, my legs feel really bad! like someone taking cut glass and running it over my muscles! I can barely move or I also get severely sharp pains running down my legs. and also in other parts of my body. Mine seems to have taken a more advanced turn for the worse.

I have to take 2 baths a day just to move and then have moist heat on my almost 24/7 except for in school

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks for the replies..

Everything said here makes perfect sense - right down to her doing better in the summer.. We were talking today - about this latest flare-up - and it suddenly dawned on us that just before it happened she had been out at a bonfire at the lake (in the dead of winter) and although properly clothed, for days after she kept saying she couldn't get warm.. Very shortly after is when she really started to flare; stiffen up; aches; pains; sleepiness; etc..

Although she'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow, I'm not sure there's much they can do for her.. They tried her on the Lyrica and she couldn't tolerate it for a number of reasons, so I think she's just going to have to tough it out during this abnormally cold winter.. (And NOT attend anymore bonfires - LOL..) Maybe she'll get lucky and spring will come early..

 

[Judy from Boise]

long hot baths are a must! Another thing we may do less of in the winter is gentle exercise and fresh fruits and vegetables.............so a triple whammy.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

and Massages!! they hurt like heck, but it relieves some of the intense pain! I let them know up front what I have and I like the deep tissue ones. I cry, but it helps for a little bit.

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

Thanks for the replies..

Everything said here makes perfect sense - right down to her doing better in the summer.. We were talking today - about this latest flare-up - and it suddenly dawned on us that just before it happened she had been out at a bonfire at the lake (in the dead of winter) and although properly clothed, for days after she kept saying she couldn't get warm.. Very shortly after is when she really started to flare; stiffen up; aches; pains; sleepiness; etc..

Although she'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow, I'm not sure there's much they can do for her.. They tried her on the Lyrica and she couldn't tolerate it for a number of reasons, so I think she's just going to have to tough it out during this abnormally cold winter.. (And NOT attend anymore bonfires - LOL..) Maybe she'll get lucky and spring will come early..

Lyrica didn't work for me either, made me drunk! Cymbalta has been my lifesaver. I highly recommend it.