best weather for fibromyalgia pain. (thyroid, cold, hormones, doctor)

[countrykaren]

What is the best weather for someone with chronic pain: humid like Florida, or dry like Arizona? I have fibromyalgia. Sometimes even my lower jaw, fingers, and toes hurt so much I wake up at night, and have balance issues. The rest of me hurts all the time. Anyone with any experience with moving to a different climate and feeling better? Thanks.

[phonelady61]

well I moved from ohio to sc and I feel so much better I was always sick in ohio with bones hurting , breathing issues etc and now I feel very much better moving into a warmer climate with a much shorter winter and maybe 2 hrs of snow last winter .

[in_newengland]

When I had fibromyalgia the climate made no difference. I got rid of it once with physical therapy in a heated pool and the second time I had fibro I was getting rid of it in a heated pool with PT but tried L-Glycine. It was gone within a few days! BTW, if this is any help, the fibro specialist recommended the same thing for all of us: 20 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. It worked, even though for me, I was too weak to exercise so I had to use the therapy pool.

But with our cold dry winters and hot humid summers, the weather made no difference at all when I had fibro.

[Flamingo13]

I've never been in a dry area (AZ) but I do find that I'm much better when it is warmer (miserable in the cold of winter).

(Not understanding the "when I had fibro.) - you got over it?? Never heard of that.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

I've never been in a dry area (AZ) but I do find that I'm much better when it is warmer (miserable in the cold of winter).

(Not understanding the "when I had fibro.) - you got over it?? Never heard of that.

Yes, the first time I had it, it lasted for years. I think there are different kinds of fibro--it's kind of a catch all diagnosis. I had damaged my muscles badly from a strenuous move from a large house--too much heavy lifting over a long period of time. I ended up with a fever and then dizziness. When THAT went away, the pain and weakness occurred. It was debilitating. I went to a fibromylalgia doctor in Boston who, since he had so many patients, met with all of us in a group. He told us all the same thing: 20 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. I ended up doing my exercises in a pool because I was too weak to stand or walk.

Luckily I had a PT at the pool who specialized in arthritis and fibromyalgia. She had me doing my twenty minutes in the pool and then 20 minutes at home on other days, lying down on a mat. The fibro went away in a few months that way.

I got fibro again a few years later after having been very sick for months with some sort of a virus. When I got better from the virus, on came the pain and weakness. Again, I tried the pool therapy, but I was also working on the usual fibro/CFS symptom of insomnia and had read about L-Glycine for sleep problems. I took the L-Glycine to help with sleep but it cured the fibro instead. It cured it in about three days and the fibro hasn't come back again. Fibro is different for everyone. I don't know if I (or other people) have some hidden virus that surfaces when we are weakened or get very sick. I don't know what causes fibromyalgia but the doctors don't know either. L-Glycine is an amino acid that worked for me but it's unlikely that it would work for many other people.

[Mikala43]

I have FM and travel quite a bit and weather does not seem to be a factor. Maybe cold (30s) affects it some for the worse.

[movinon]

Barometric pressure drops bring it on for me. I will crash and wonder why. Then I'll look at the barometer and it will have dropped. This has happened for years and evidently is quite common among the fibromyalgia and autoimmune communities. I should hire myself out as a human barometer - I'm that exact!

I was advised by several doctors over the years to move where the barometric pressure changes very little. That sounds great until checking on just where those places are. San Diego is high on the list - but there are other things to consider, like the cost of living. My aunt, who had Rheumatoid Arthritis and was sensitive to barometric pressure changes, was told the same thing. She moved to Eureka, CA, which seems counter-intuitive as it's cool and damp most of the year. Because of that, the barometer is pretty steady. She was much improved after moving there. But that kind of dampness would make some of my other problems worse!

Is there a perfect place? I haven't found it. I am doing better at a lower altitude and without the somewhat wild weather I experienced when I lived in the Sierra foothills. I'm in the Sacramento Valley currently and much improved. Shorter, milder winters and warmer the rest of the year have definitely helped.

[jaminhealth]

I believe the dryer climate the better. I live in So. Cal. which is so much desert but I live close to the ocean and it can get damp here...but basically pretty dry. As for Fibro, I've wondered about it from the day I was dx'd in 1999....I believe so much is dsyfunctional thyroid and other hormones.

EBV also and I've been taking olive leaf extract for years which is an anti viral. I've posted about grape seed ex and KNOW it's helped me so much. I don't know IF I have this syndrome or not. I deal with a bodywide arthritis.

[countrykaren]

Thanks everyone for your response. I'm in pain constantly and was hoping there was someplace better for me. Seems probably not. The doctor told me that I have mitochondrial damage, and take 20 supplements a day, plus on a paleo/ gluten free/sugar free/ dairy free diet. I do what I have to do, but I'm in severe pain soon after. Even cooking dinner bothers me, and I wear out for the day early, tho I'm better in the fact I'm not in bed by 6pm. Between Tylenol and hydrocodone I barely make it thru some days. I'll probably add liver damage from the meds somewhere down the line. Oh well. Thanks again everyone.

[Mikala43]

Have you tried the drugs like lyrica and cymbalta? They can make a world of difference.