Another Weather Post, Recommendations?

[valliali]

Hi all,

I know the weather topic is very popular now, especially because the weather is quite crappy for a lot of people with POTS right now. As I've explained on here before, I am severely affected by weather; I had to move from the east coast to the west coast just so I could live a little, and boy, what a difference! The east coast summer had me completely bed-ridden with the most intense pressure in my head, with whooshing in head, neck and ears, very rapid heart rates, breathing problems, dizziness, and panic.

I am visiting my family next week and the weather looks horrible. It's supposed to be very hot and humid, and of course, the thunderstorms. I am absolutely dreading my trip and long to cancel it. I also have major problems flying, and because my health has improved lately, I am able to do so with no problems. But I am very terrified that after a few days back east, I am going to have heart rate problems flying again which is really not a good thing for me. This will cause a panic attack and having a panic attack on a plane will cause me to not fly for years.

Given that I am only going back for five days, I am wondering if there are ways to stave off the very nasty side effects from bad weather? Is air conditioning just key? Does anyone find if they remain in air conditioning, they don't get affected much from the weather changes? What if you are forced to attend something outside for a day; how long would it take you to recover?

[potsgirl]

Boy, can I relate to this post! My mother lives in Iowa, where I can't handle the heat/humidity or the freezing winters. I moved to AZ to get away from the cold, but now of course I have to hide from the heat. I stay in the air conditioning as much as possible, and anything that's held outdoors is an absolute no-no for me. I can't even take 1/2 hour in the heat/humidity.

It's embarrassing how many trips we've planned and attempted to make back home that I've had to cancel because the weather was going to be too severe (hot or cold) and that I was just not up to the travel. We canceled our last trip back to Iowa last February, and instead, my mom and stepdad came here instead. Then we tried to get back at the end of May for a special occasion and I ended up having an appendectomy three days before we were supposed to leave. Thank God for TRAVEL INSURANCE! At least we don't lose $$. We now have plans to go back to Iowa for my class reunion at the end of this month, going for 5 days, and hopefully we'll make this one. But, I'm definitely be inside!

Good luck with what you decide and if you decide to go. I usually need at least one full day's recovery when I fly, depending on how I'm feeling when we make the trip. When we come back, I'm really exhausted and it'll take 2-3 days for me to feel more myself.

Let us know what you decide to do. Don't be embarrassed if you need to postpone your trip until the fall when there's cooler weather!

Cheers,

Jana