Help Understanding Correlation With Weather

[valliali]

I live in CA, but a little over a year ago, I moved back to the east coast because one of my parents, whom I am very close to, is sick. I moved back at a time that the weather was still very humid and cloudy days were common. I drove from the west to the east, and as soon as I hit Arkansas, I knew I was in for severe problems. I found that the humidity made me very short of breath and also very, very tachy. I have a PSVT, which is super rare in the west, but I was having them over and over again when I returned east. On the cloudy or rainy days, I had the most unbearable head pressure; a sensation that I could not even fathom being possible. I would feel and hear this intense whooshing in my head, ears and neck, and I was constantly clenching my jaw as tight as possible without even realizing it, just as an attempt to deal with the pressure. Also, I just overall felt way more POTSy. In CA, the least of my symptoms are a result of postural changes, but on the east, I couldn't stand for more than 30 seconds without having to sit down. And, oddly, after about four weeks of being east, my heart rate suddenly became really slow, like 45bpm, after it had been around 110 at rest everyday prior. And the change was sudden, I can recall the exact moment that I felt something weird in my chest, then suddenly my heart rate was slow!! It remained slow for a couple more weeks. I had also stopped taking my beta blockers as soon as I had gotten east because I felt like I couldn't breathe at all and knew beta blockers don't help that, so this wasn't related.

After two months, I realized that I was so much worse off that living east wasn't worth it for me. On the west coast, I am pretty highly functioning - I go to school and work. There are even some days that my illness doesn't really bother me, though they are rare. When I moved east, I assumed I could also go to school and work, but it became clear that there was no way I could do those things. I felt bedridden on the cloudy/rainy days, and just not that functioning on the clear days. So, I moved back to CA, where it was like immediately I regained so much of my life back.

I am back east now, visiting my family, and I feel just as I do in CA, I assume because it is dry. There have been several cloudy days here and they did not disturb me at all. So my response was definitely due largely to the humidity, but there was something about the combination of the humidity and drop in barometric pressure that really sent my body haywire. I really, really really want to be able to return east. I am very close with my ill family member, and he has asked me repeatedly not to leave. I am devastated because this illness is the only thing holding me back. No one has been able to help me solve this problem, as no doctors have no idea what I am talking about when I am describing the intensity of these symptoms and how obviously they correlate to the climate.

Does anyone else have this response? And I don't mean feeling just a little bit worse on the cloudy, humid days, I mean like wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy worse. Are there any ideas as to what the issue is that causes this? Does anyone believe that our bodies adjust to the climate in a longer period of time? I did give it two months and there was no improvement. Any advice would be immensely appreciated! I am so sad to have to leave my loved one in a few days and am desperate to be able to get these symptoms under control so I can make the move. I just need to figure out what is going on!

[vemee]

I live on the East Coast and I can barely stay vertical more than 15 minutes on some summer days. The weather definitely affects your condition and the change of seasons can also make you go through a good or bad spell. This past summer was bad, worse than normal as far as I was really potsy but when it started getting cooler in September I went through a spell of about 2 months where I was actually pretty productive for a while.

[brownsea]

i live in london, the last week the temp has been around 0, and ive noticed such a change in my symptoms. without tablets i would suffer chest pains, on them they eased. however with this cold,snowy weather the pains have come back, im unable to do very much at all, im much more tired then usual.

im pretty sure the weather in some way makes me deteriorate. especially the really cold weather. im hoping that the snow will go soon, so i can get back to normal. or at least my normal!

[janiedelite]

For me, extreme heat or cold always makes me sicker, but any significant change in the weather can do it too. We had a very hot summer, and one day in October the temperature dropped about 30 degrees and it was cold from that day on. I had a lot of pain for over a month during that change. I wonder if the sudden influx of cold weather had any influence on my cardiac problems last month. When the weather turns warm, I experience a great increase in pain too. Although any storm or abrupt change will do it for me too. I seem to do best in spring and fall.

[valliali]

it's so interesting that so many of us are sensitive to weather and especially the changes. however, i just cannot understand the correlation with humidity especially. i actually do best in dry hot hot hot weather in the northern valley of CA. i so much look forward to hot summer days. come east coast humidity, however, nooooooooooo way. anyone understand why this may be?

[Brye]

I live in Arkansas actually. Some hibernate during the winter ... I do in the summer. Thank goodness for my air conditioning!!!

Brye

[Chaos]

I have very definitely noticed a correlation between worsening symptoms and weather changes. Living in NM we have a lot of dry weather so I really notice when there are barometric changes. I'm much more short of breath, tachy and weaker on those days. For years I've noticed that I tend to have migraines whenever there is a storm moving in and several of my kids have the same problem. Since I got sick two years ago (after surgery) I've had a much harder time with the heat here and the humidity we get during the monsoons of summer.

Wish I had some suggestions to offer but all I can say is "you're not alone in feeling like this."

[TypewriterGirl]

I'm moving somewhere it gets very hot and very dry but also has cold winters. And it's in high altitude. After living at sea level for almost 10 years I'm pretty scared, especially since I get dehydrated so easily, on days that are above 75 degrees. Any suggestions - has anyone had success with an ice vest, and can you wear it at work (or will it look like I just ran a marathon)?

[janiedelite]

has anyone had success with an ice vest, and can you wear it at work (or will it look like I just ran a marathon)?

I bought a cooling vest last summer. Wore it every day pretty much. There are some great threads on cooling vests including people's experience with certain types.