Heat Intolerance/air Quality

[PetuniasMom]

I know I'm going to have a hard time putting my thoughts into words on this one, so please bear with me. We have kept the air conditioning on all summer long, something we don't ordinarily do, for my daughter. She was extremely heat intolerant all summer long, and we have been looking forward to fall weather. Well, the fall weather hasn't been that much of a help. She still finds it 'heavy' to breathe...she has no asthma, no lung problems etc, just finds the air warm and heavy. Even when we are all freezing in here, she says its hot in here, and hard to breathe. And I know she isn't just being difficult - when she isnt feeling well, its written all over her face. All summer long we knew when she was having a worse day than others, because she would go and lower the temperature on the air conditioning unit.

I would do anything to make her comfortable, but the cold winter is coming, and I dont mind keeping the house cooler for her - we can put on sweaters and blankets....but I am worried about not being able to put the A/C on, which seemed to 'lighten'up the air for her. And, its not every day, its just random. Worse when she has her period...worse if she has overexerted herself...worse if she has been on her feet for a while.

I guess I am just wondering what anyone might have for a suggestion, do you feel the same way, and how do you manage your home air quality/warmth environment?

Thank you!

[abnel]

PetuniasMom, I had exactly the same problem all last Summer (November/December/January) and it was utter torture. I can really empathise with what your daughter and you are going through. It was an unusually humid and tropical Summer where I live. The air felt so heavy with water vapour I couldn't breathe it in. My lungs felt like they were going to collapse and my breathing was no longer automatic. Breathing was bad even indoors with the air conditioner on.

Back then I was working and I really struggled. I felt like I was going to pass out leaving my air conditioned car to walk to my air conditioned office. It was truly the worst summer I've ever had.

On a positive note, last Summer I found I coped better and better as Summer went on. It just took me a very long time to acclimatize to the weather. As I was working I had no choice but to force myself to acclimatize to being outdoors. I had to walk to my car, park my car, and walk into the office. I also continued to force myself to go outside and do walks every day (usually when it had cooled down a bit at night and early in the morning).

I've recently been through another breathing crisis so not sure if heat/humidity are the sole culprits anymore and whether there are other complicating factors.

Sorry, I wish I had some magical solution I could offer you. You are doing the right thing keeping the air conditioner on for your daughter to help keep her as comfortable as possible. She might find a cooling vest helps also. It definitely helped me when I was overheating last summer, and perhaps eased my breathing a little.

If heat/warmth are what troubles her breathing, then she will hopefully get better over winter as I have. I've been so much better this Winter with breathing and with POTS symptoms overall, until this latest breathing crisis.

[Katybug]

Hi Petuniasmom. I have been dealing with this issue myself this summer. I know exactly how she feels. Its like someone has put a hundred pound weight on my chest. I can breathe but it just doesn't feel like I get enough oxygen and it is an effort.

Cooling the air temp does seem to help but I have noticed recently (I live on the East Coast of the US and it has been wet, wet, wet) that it is not just the temp but the humidity too. For example, this morning I have goose bumps because the air temp outside is chilly (maybe around 60 degrees) but it is so humid that I am about to turn the air back on because I just feel like I can hardly breathe. I am going to get a dehumidifier as I believe this will help. I will probably have to put a long seeve shirt on after the AC has been on for a while because I can't regulate my temp very well and I will be cold but will still need to have it running for the breathing.

I also find that when I am having a really bad day or an acute attack that an ice pack on the back of my neck wrapped in a thin towel helps.

Interestingly, in the winter, I go the other way when I am indoors and can never warm up, have to wear many layers of clothing all the time including hats and scarves, and have to use a humidifier to keep the air from becoming too dry. I really think that my body has just gotten to a point that it can not adapt as others can and I have to be careful to control the environment to kind of maintain an artificial homeostasis for myself.

I hope your daughter gets some relief soon and please let her know that she is not alone and there are people that really get what she's going through.

[jennyg97]

I agree with what everyone else said about the humidity. It sounds like it may be the culprit in your daughter's case. For me, it's also a question of air movement. I might be freezing cold, but when the heavy air is still, it seems to be stifling. The easiest/cheapest way I deal with this is to have a fan that circulates the air. If that doesn't help sufficiently, you might try a dehumidifier.

Good luck!

[potsgirl]

I agree with jennyg97. I use a fan every night while I'm sleeping, and we keep a close eye on the humidity. We do have a dehumidifier and use it when it gets too humid in the house. Both of these things help me. I do live in a hot climate, which is not good and summers seem to last forever, but on the other hand, it's very dry here, so that's helpful.

Good luck with your daughter!

[lieze]

I'm going to go out in a limb here and suggest the use of home oxygen.

The reason I suggest this is I have those episodes too and it's horrible.

My last ER trip I called because I could not breathe I had chest pain and my heart rate was 159.

I couldn't help but notice how much the oxygen calmed me right down.

I would suggest really guarding it like an addictive drug and using it sparingly.

For short intervals when her breathing is at it's worst.

And this idea may not even work # 1 you need a doctor's order and I'm not sure if your doctor will agree.

# 2 it maybe really hard to use only as needed and cause huge issues but I realized if I had it during my rough times it might make a huge difference.

My anxiety left in a snap.

It was just amazing just in the time it took to get to ER what a difference the oxygen made.