Do changes in the weather affect how you feel?
Do you get headaches when it rains or snows?
Do you have migraine disorder?
If yes to any of these, do you have a compromised immune system and/or a rheumatoid disease?
How do you cope and/or treat your symptoms?
I'm wondering how common this is among typical people in general as well as people with compromised systems. I have lifelong migraine disorder, diverticulitis/diverticulosis and fibromyalgia. The signs and symptoms from the fibro have been around since childhood and gotten worse with age and with each pregnancy. Symptoms have improved only slightly with an excellent diet, so now I'm trying to figure out, well, the rest.
I know, I know, totally unscientific poll. :-)
EDIT: I like the response, "I'm a mom so I have to cope." That pretty much sums things up, but it's so much more than that. Chronic pain is such a constant that days are often measured in how high or low the levels of pain are, and whether it can be ignored or not. No matter what I have to push through it. That's not to say there isn't a mental and emotional consequence.
I do NOT take narcotics for pain. I currently take nothing stronger than Advil for the worst of my pain. I take minimal anti-depression and anxiety medication that's also intended to help with the fibro. So far that's working.
I do yoga, eat a fibro/pain/migraine-friendly diet. I cook mostly homemade and eat as naturally as possible due to food allergies for myself, as well as serious food sensitivities and intolerances for one of my daughters.
What do I do? I tend to have a very positive outlook on life. I pray. I attend therapy. I am active. I have an active social life. I do have genetic tendencies toward depression, OCD, and anxiety but take steps toward keeping my life positive. I do more therapy than take medication.
But changes in weather affect me dramatically. When the barometric pressure drops and/or fluctuates such as with heavy snow storms or strong rain and thunderstorms, the migraines hit suddenly and there's a lot of body pain. No amount of positive thinking or pain medication touches the pain. Hence the thread.
Yes. I had a back fusion in 2010. I can always tell now when the weather is going to change. The weather people should call me!
I've got several injuries and arthritis that flares up when the weather changes. I'm currently in the process of getting a diagnosis from a rheumatologist. I suffer from constant(literally all day every day) headaches and occasional migraines. I'm always dizzy and have nausea at varying points throughout the day with no known triggers. Vertigo has been ruled out. As an FYI I'm only 28.
I usually will get a migraine when the weather changes significantly - especially with a storm and the barometric pressure changing quickly. I take Maxalt and/or Fiornal with codeine. Over the counter meds do nothing for me.
I used to get all migraines before my period, now it's 3-4 days after I start and it has been awful. Thinking a hormone drop, but not sure. I am planning to try those hormone patches on my next cycle to see if that's it. I haven't had many since the births of my children, but in the last 5 months, they've been coming back. :(
Migraines suck, and those who have never experienced one, just don't get it. I have been a lifelong sufferer. I can remember having them as young as 5 years old in kindergarten. My mom thinks I had them as a baby because I would just puke for no reason and be really sleepy.
I had a boss one time tell me he didn't understand why I couldn't "work through a migraine" and had to call in sick. I replied, would you really like me here in the office puking and gagging all day long, and demand that the lights stay off and no one can utter a word because it kills me? He shut up after that.
Good luck!
You sound like a combination of 2 of my friends! One had lifelong migraines (including blackouts) and diverticulitis (whole family had stomach/intestinal issues of various sorts), and the other friend had fibromyalgia which got worse over the years. The one with fibro has a healing practice (Reiki, etc.) but those types of therapies were not able to make much of a dent in her pain. They both have had great results by strengthening their immune systems by supplementing their already-excellent diets - they found they couldn't do it with food alone. It took the first one 3 months to be migraine-free, and it took the 2nd one about 3 weeks to be fibromyalgia pain-free.
The thing I found to get worse with the weather was my allergies. I was worse when it was wet, and better when it was cold or dry. I took about 3 months to get rid of my allergies and the dark circles under my eyes, but I sure am thrilled that I figured it out! I also had a lot of bronchitis during the dry winter months but I think that was the result of typical cold virus germs taking root in my bronchial tubes - every cold ended in bronchitis, sometimes 4 times a year from October to April. I had a lot of good help from others who had suffered similarly - that was the key: science and support/advice.
I'm not affected, but since I'm an apartment manager and around a lot of people all the time year after year, LOTS of my tenants have disorders that seem very seasonal. Autumn to be the worst.
Do you get migraines before your period or are they food related? If food related,you need to keep a diary of what you eat to find the triggers.If period related,do you drink coffee or soda pop with caffeine in it? If so with the caffeine,wean yourself off of it and see if that makes a difference.
There is a whole list of foods and additives to food that can cause migraines.
Good luck
My sinuses do not respond to quick changes in barometric pressure, so I get sinus headaches whenever there is a quick up or down movement in the barometer. I use pseudophedrine (no substitutes) to manage it. I have also developed joint pain, mostly my hands, with some strange blood tests. I am currently still in evaluation, but the tests suggest a comprimised immune system. I did have mono has a young adult, so I am not surprised. I manage the joint pain with ibuprofen and it is unrelated to the weather.
Yes - I can tell when a front is coming through before the weatherman. I'll start getting a killer migraine.
I take topamax and amitriptiline daily for prevention and Prodrin when I actually get a migraine. Imitrix when Prodin doesn't work - I really hate Imitrix b/c it makes me really sweaty and sick to my stomach. I stay away from the painkillers with narcotics b/c I need to be awake to take care of the kids. Also, I take them so frequently, I'm afraid that I'd become addicted.
How do I cope? I'm a mom. I cope. I have to, right?
I used to live in TX as a child; would get these episodes of weakness, nausea for no reason. As I grew into teen years, I got migraines. During childbearing years, migraines went away pretty much. Now that I am post-menopause, living back in TX, I get migraines again.
One day, early spring, we had a strong wind storm blow through -- I'm pretty sure the barometric pressure changed. I got one of those weird episodes of weakness again!
I have an ex-boyfriend who emails me sometimes who swears that his horrible headaches are from the barometric changes.
Now for me: I don't think rain/snow affect me. I don't have a compromised immune system, etc.
I am blessed that Advil will knock out a migraine everytime. I do avoid milk and am sporadic with chocolate. I think MSG has given me nausea before, so I avoid it when I can.
HTH
Edited: Mommyloveskids: that boss reminds me of a winner of a boss I had too. His line about working when you have debilitating cramps was "most women make the effort".... To all stupid bosses: SHUT. UP.
It absolutely does affect the way I feel. I have osteoathritis in my knees, feet, back and hands. Whenever is gets cold, I hurt more than normal. It really sucks.
Here is a counter poll, also unscientific, with other questions.
Bear in mind, for those who read this, "YOU" is a collective term, not necessarily you personally, so don't take offense, substitute "I" or "am I" in the question and see if the answer changes.
Do you feel life isn't so good?
Do you want to feel differently?
Do you say you would to ANYTHING to feel better?
Do you want to take meds all the time?
Do you want to go to Dr. all the time?
Do you think Drs. have all the answers?
Do you think you have tried "everything"?
Do you feel this is just the way life is and as you get older you just expect to feel bad?
How do you WANT to feel?
Or, do you want to just complain how you feel?
I have been there, weather affected me too, and I didn't believe anything could help.
Are you willing or open minded enough to look into something that could help that you haven't tried?
If you have nothing to lose, would you want the information?
If YOU found something that helps, would YOU tell someone else?
Someone told ME (and I didn't want to hear it) BUT, it changed my life! FROM severe chronic long term pain, disability, years of narcotics, numerous medications, many Drs., sick and tired, AND tired of being sick and tired. Fast forward to YEARS OLDER, healthy, medication free, off disability.
Now, about the WEATHER, hot in the summer, cold in the winter. No longer a "barometer" on how I feel.
Life feels good again!
Sounds like it could be autoimmune, especially with the seasonal component. Keep your stress level down as much as possible.
Have you been tested for Celiac? You need to be eating a lot of wheat to be properly tested, the antibodies to wheat show up in the blood. If you rule that out, try going gluten free for 1 month or more. And take some really good probiotics like Culturelle, 70% of our immune system is in our intestines.
Good luck, don't give up looking for help.
Yes! I used to have arthritis in my spine and could feel a pressure change coming 24 hours before a storm. I gave up soda and anything containing aspartame and haven't had a problem since. That was about 15 years ago.
I've been free of any medications for over 3 years now, including a 30 year dependency on antihistamines. While I still have occasional allergy attacks, I've noticed that I actually have sneezing fits exactly one hour before precipitation starts to fall. I feel pressure in my temples when the pressure changes as well.
I had trouble with arthritis in my knee the last couple of years. It went away 2 months after giving up wheat earlier this year(which all tests say I am not allergic to). A new doctor recently suggested I go on the GAPS diet. This is very similar to the Carbohydrate Specific Diet or the Paleo diet. The premise is to remove all grains, sugars and starchy vegetables for a period of up to 2 years in order to allow the gut to heal. I mention it because after 10 years of elimination diets, I feel this is the missing piece of the puzzle I've been looking for. I have autoimmune hepatitis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, both diagnosed within the last year. After just one month on the new diet, I already seeing results in labwork.
Hope you find your missing pieces of your puzzle!
