klgpdx Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 My husband and I are thinking about moving to Denver from Portland but I am concerned about the altitude and barometric pressure changes. For example, on a stormy day I went skiing in Oregon and as I was going up the ski lift I progressively started blacking out. I am pretty sure I would have fallen off if I I wasn't with friends. So I am just wondering if anyone here lives in Denver and has any input on if it is better or worse than other places in terms of how the weather an impact POTS symptoms. Portland is pretty bad with low pressure systems constantly coming in... so I just don't want to move anywhere that is worse! I'd move to San Diego in a second if there were jobs!Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy C. Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Yikes, passing out up on a ski lift, how scary! I live in Colorado Springs, which is even higher in elevation than Denver, but I think I am just used to the altitude, since I've lived in CO for all but 5 years of my life. I'll be spending a weekend in Breckenridge, a ski resort, soon so maybe being at that higher altitude may affect me more, I will find out. We do get some low pressure storms and I notice my symptoms get worse, but we don't get that many of them. There were some good threads on this forum that talked about this subject, you can search under weather, storms or barometric pressure, as I can't recall exactly which they were under. Perhaps you can try a visit to CO and see how you feel while here? If you do, make sure to research "altitude sickness" before coming, so you can avoid that or at least be able to differentiate that syndrome from POTS stuff if you feel ill for the first 2-3 days you are here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klgpdx Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Thanks Wendy! I read all of those posts a while back, but everyone seemed to have a different opinion. I do feel like even with the altitude, the Colorado sun has to be better for me than nine months of cloud cover in Portland! And I think you are right, I should be able to adjust to the altitude. But please let me know how you do in Breckenridge. I grew up skiing there every winter. But I am sure if I had POTS symptoms I would have attributed my tiredness to a week of skiing, not any environmental changes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy C. Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Sure, I will try to remember to post back after the Breckenridge weekend. Yes, I lived in the Seattle area for 2 years and know what you mean about cloud cover- it is so much sunnier here! We rarely ever have two cloudy days in a row. Storms tend to blow in and out within a few hours, whether rain or snowstorms. It is a great place to live! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfie Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I live in Colorado, also at a higher elevation than Denver. I grew up in CO at 9,200 feet and spent much of my childhood above 10,000ft. I was living out of state at a much lower elevation when I got POTS. I can't comment on the weather since where I was living also had lots of sun. I moved back about two years ago. It did take me about 4-5 months to get used to the altitude again with my POTS, but once I re-adjusted I don't have more symptoms than before. I do still have a harder time going up to visit family that live above 9-10 feet--- I tend to be more fatigued, a bit more dizzy/POTSy, and sleep a lot more.If you have Vit D deficiency, CO should be great for you! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klgpdx Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Thanks Elfie! Everyone in Portland has Vitamin D deficiency! So I do know that will be one huge benefit of moving! It's seems like if I live and work in Denver things should be okay. I assume living at one elevation and working in a totally different one would cause symptoms to flair up like when you visit relatives. I know a lot of people in Denver who commute from higher elevations, but with POTS, commuting is terrible idea anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy C. Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Klgpdx,Just a quick update to let you know (and anyone else who read the original thread and was interested) that I did not notice a worsening of my symptoms up in Breckenridge. I just had my normal symptoms when I stood still too long, got too hot or didn't keep up with my water/med schedule enough, but I'd get those anywhere. So, are you going to move to CO?Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemons2lemonade Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 High elevation causes the body to increase blood volume i went to Denver though and it took me a few days to adjust. I got pots within 2 months of coming back from my trip in Denver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klgpdx Posted June 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Denver is off the list for now, but thanks for the update! We are either staying in Portland or moving to Kansas City where we are from originally. I left because of the summer heat. But I think more sun in the winter would be worth it. I am really thinking Portland is bad for POTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy C. Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Ok, well good luck with whichever plan you decide upon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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