Fibromyalgia & the Heat

It seems I’m in the minority when I say my fibro is better in the hot weather. I will sweat up a storm, but I can function so much better in the summer. Conversely, I can’t tolerate cold well and even require extra medical treatment in the winter months. So these tip aren’t for me, but everyone else! Lol!

Tips for Chronic Pain Sufferers During Hot Weather

1. Drink more water than you think you need to before going out into the heat. Hydration is extremely important. When you become dehydrated, your chronic pain condition can flare, and headaches that occur with dehydration are extremely common. Most of the time, if you feel thirsty, you’ve waited too long to have something to drink. Make sure you have plenty of water with you wherever you are in the summer. Taking small sips on a frequent basis will help mitigate dehydration.
2. Think about where you will sit. Activities in the summer months often involve seating that is not particularly comfortable for the body, such as bleachers at a ball game, picnic tables, or the hard ground at the park. Keep a lightweight, easy to carry, and simple to set up chair in your car so you always have it if you need it. While any seat may be better than standing or sitting on the ground, try to find one that will be comfortable for you so you won’t make conditions, such as back pain, any worse.
3. Spend time where you can stay cool — the water. The happy place for many people with chronic pain during summer is the water. Swimming or even just very easy stretching and movement in the water can be a wonderful respite. Preventing your skin and your body from becoming overheated will go a long way in preventing pain or flare ups. Consider taking cool showers if you do not have access to a pool or other swimming area.
4. Stay inside to avoid extreme heat when you can and take proper precautions. The common advice for avoiding sun damage applies for chronic pain — stay indoors, preferably air conditioned environments, during the hottest parts of the day, seek shade, wear protective but loose fitting clothing, and apply sunscreen regularly. Plan to be outside during the early morning or late evening, and take a handheld fan with you wherever you go for a little bit of cooling power.
5. Keep an eye on air quality. During the summer, it is especially important to pay close attention to air quality ratings before heading outdoors. Evidence has shown that urban air pollution can increase inflammation, particularly for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic pain syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. If air quality is an issue, it may be best to cancel plans for being outside.
6. Boost your immune system with fresh summer foods. Keeping to an anti-inflammatory diet during the summer should be easy with so many fresh fruits and vegetables available. Enjoy the delicious fresh produce while boosting your body’s reserves of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more. Cherries are a great example of a summer fruit that can have positive effects for those with chronic pain. The USDA found that cherries contain pain-fighting and inflammation-reducing compounds that can help lessen pain, particularly arthritis.

Source for tips: 6 Tips for Chronic Pain Sufferers During Hot Weather

Christmas 2022

This Christmas started with one kufuffle after another.

Family Christmas Dinner – huge snow storm buries my brother so he & his family can’t some down on Christmas Eve Eve for our family dinner. Only time of the year we get all 13+ of us together because of distance

Brunch – That didn’t happen. I had suggested to my parents & Mom agreed that we were going to have brunch when I got up in the late morning. I get up, go up with my cinnamon buns in hand.. I find dirty breakfast dishes. They are without me, but the atebmy cinnamon buns.. while I had to make myself something besides just cinnamon buns.

Pictures – We did family pj pictures This is something my Sister’s and brother’s families each do. Mom insisted we do it too. (My sister nor my bother did it). She complained when I only took two pictures, but the first one was a keeper.

Turnip – When I’m doing something new I need completely clear step by step instructions. Which is why I’m great with recipes. I’ve never made turnip for Christmas dinner. I got told throw turnip into a pot & put it on the stove. After softens add butter brown sugar. That was the totally of instruction I was given. Take 1. I toss the turnip & only turnip in the pot I figure I was guessing the turnip softened on its own. Well, not really. Take 2. I put the damn stuff in a pot with water this time, to boil – finally clued into that. But they burned in only a few short minutes. Take 3. Third time’s the charm right? Well, this time with strict adult supervision & instruction I was finally successful under the watchful eye of my BiL & niece..

Dessert – I literally forgot to bake it.. Both the apple crisp & pie. Luckily the pumpkin pie was pre baked

BUT This Christmas was on blessing after another.

Family – Everyone is safe, health & whole. Except for Uncle Barry who passed just before the holiday.

Food – We were blessed to have not one, but two Christmas dinners (& I got ac YE one too)… With 2 kinds of meat, multiple vegetables, potatoes, buns, dessert and a ton of leftovers

Memories – Good memories are made over the holidays. My nephew who lost it trying to play Cards Against Humanity. My VR skills where I used the light sabers on my sister’s tv tables. The first bottle of alcohol for Christmas from anyone & it’s the 21yo niece..

Learning – Learning new skills, specifically how to make, and not make turnip for Christmas dinner.

Family Time – The opportunity to spend time with the family you can see. Even tho he & his family were unable to make it, they were missed & they still will get their Christmas cookies!

Christmas Gifts – I’m one of these people whole, while like to receive gifts, it’s the giving of them that unlike most. Now I did very much appreciate when I did get – weighted blanket, electrical blanket, ton of clothes, alcohol, home made scarf & hat with matching scarf for Lilly (so cute), & a favourite Aunt mug. I asked my nephew if he really thought that & he said yes, but yer my only aunt. So my sister & I start rhyming off the names of the rest of his aunts. He clarifies, only biologically related aunt, which is technically true.

As always, everyone loved what it got them. Two were too big (one fit me so that was a bonus for me), and resulted in quality shopping time with my sister getting her clothes worth 1½ times, almost, for the budget. & Then the cookies. Esp when my one neice realized that her cookies were gluten-free & still baked by me.

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So while there were stupid things, annoying things & uncontrollable weather, we are still blessed.

How Is Fibro Reliable

The are only two reliable things about Fibromyalgia and chronic pain in general

1. Our bodies are pretty much always in pain. All day, every day we are in pain to some extent. I don’t think I’ve had a pain-free day, other than heavily medicated, in at least 2 decades.
2. Our bodies are reliably unreliable in regards to this disease. Consistently inconsistent.

Pain Levels Change

These change, frequently. They ebb & flow.. We can from a 2/10 one day, but the next a 5,/10, then a 3 then a 6,.. Even worse, they can shift hour by hour, especially when it bounces. Goes 5 to 6 to 5 to 6 to 5 to 4 and to screw me up, back up through 5 to 6 again.. Some of our pain is predictable by pattern like weather changes & over exertion, but not even necessarily then..

Now, jumping at lower levels like 1, 2, 3, or even 4 aren’t so bad.. but bouncing at the higher levels is alot harder on the body .

Duration Changes

The shifts in our pain levels can bounce from hour to hour.. They can be sustained for a period of time. Sometimes hours, days, even weeks.. I’ve even stayed steady at a 3 level pain level steady for months at a time. And I have seen no way to predict how long it will last I’ve had the same thing cause a shift and each time the shift (be it up or down) has lasted different lengths of time.

Frequency Changes

Our pain levels, as you can tell from comments above can last a different length of time each time. Sometimes minutes (but that’s usually an outside source!), Hours, days, weeks & as mentioned even months.

Triggers Change

I’ve noticed that sometimes I will get triggered by an activity one time, but not the next. On the reverse, something else that doesn’t normally trigger me will. Inconsistency. Shifts in the weather are a good example. We recently shifted to rain at the end of last week and I got hit hard for a bit, up to a 6, but slowly was able to manage it back down. But the inverse, the week prior we got hit with a similar shift to rain, but there was very little impact to my body.

Timing Changes.

When our pain will change is in no way predictable. Since childhood, I’ve had a tendancy to be better or healthier in the evenings. It’s to do with my circadian rhythms, I think but everyone has that Other than that, time of day has very little impact. There are days where I will suddenly wake in excruciating pain because of the pain. There are days where I will wake naturally & when I make that first move, Whammo! There are days when suddenly, mid-day, pain shoots up. There are days where I woke well and by the time dinner rolls around, I already want to curl up and ignore the world to deal with how bad I feel.

A Side Note – Third Consistency.

In writing this entry I keep noticing that the reference to changes emphasized to the increase. That’s probably because the increase is bad. But I also noticed that I’ve never had the thought, as I’m writing & editing about sharp drops in pain.

3. Pain can rise quickly, but without intervention, it always drops slowly

I don’t look sick

Weather Changes – from +20 to -2

I`m up here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and we`ve been having some really funky weather. Our normal this time of year is about 5C.
The past two weeks have been lovely: mostly sunny with daytime highs hovering just under 20C.. I`ve lost count of the number of days that have broken the historic high temperature here. When it wasn’t warm enuf to break a historic record, it was pretty dang close to! Unfortunately all things must to end, including this gorgeous warm streak.. It took a mere 24 hours to go from late Spring/early summer, back to late winter/early spring. Weather shifts tend to be disastrous, especially dramatic, uncharacteristic ones. Not just to us, our pets and all of God’s creatures too. The worst goes to those of us with conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia when the temperature drops or the barometer swings extensively. These are some of the worst days we can have, living in total agony.
Today is one of the worst days in quite a while and I think it’s hitting me harder than normal cuz I’ve been doing really well physically lately, with the nice weather & all.. The worst of the worst is my right arm, just below the elbow, on the outside. I can’t remember the name of the muscle, but when I move it, it screams – Loudly. & I am right handed.. It sucks.

 

FYI, Temperature conversions
0C=32F, 5C=41F, 20C=68F.

Do I Prefer Hot? Or Not?

Do I Prefer Hot? Or Not? If we’re talking weather, I am not a big fan of extreme hot (>40) or extreme cold )
As for personal environmental factors, my skin prefers a bit cooler, but the muscles underneath complain for warmth.. When I am on vacation, I can sit in the hot tub for hours, my muscles love it so, however, back in the room I take a fairly warm shower to rinse off the chlorine & stuff, but my body can’t sleep well warm, so I drop the temperature of the water and rinse off the skin in cool water, which feels nice and also closes you pores. Since it’s quick, my body tolerates it.. I’ve even come to adopt it at home, after a long hot shower, drop the warmer to cool, and rinse, especially in the warms spots.. In bed, we have a sheet, comforter & 2 blankets. He rarely uses his, but I use mine significantly more often.. With no fold, it cuts most of the cool air in the apt.. With one fold, I will snuggle in when a fan on.. Or for when my SO kidnaps the bedding, leaving me out cold.. So, I don’t mind being that I’m rare company.. Hopefully we have some news at home..

My Acceptance

My biggest issue with my medical issues is me. I have so much trouble accepting my limitations. I am still trying to figure out how much I can and can not do. It’s more the can not that is my issue. I used to be way more than I am now. I used to be intelligent; Once upon a time I had an IQ of about 180 which is the beginning of genius. I’m not meaning to brag, just illustrate how much I’ve gone down hill.. I’m now at 130-140, which is considered average (to my knowledge).. That’s a *huge* drop, but it’s all from the fibro.

I used to be physical. I played soccer in a ladies league (the term ‘ladies’ here is used loosely) with 2-3 games a week and I played an aggressive & physical game. I was also involved in scouting, as a youth member, as a adult member, as a leader, as a group or area representative. As a result, I was very physical – hiking, camping, marksmanship, skiing, skating, all in different types of weather. & yes, I have camped outdoors in the cold weather and the snow. I can not do any of that. It’s not struggling with just those losses, but also the loss of the ability to function doing ‘normal’ day-to-day stuff like laundry, cleaning floors, vacuuming, washing walls or windows, and cleaning the bathroom.. Or even worse, I flare after being around my nieces & my nephew.. Moreso my nephew cuz he’s more physical, still into aggressive roughhousing. (Çuz he doesn’t get a lot from Dad – long story, not really Dad’s fault) I should be able to spend time with my family without getting sick. I just don’t know how to. Any suggestions on how to deal with this issue and help me accept my limitations? Feedback would be greatly appreciated. ~ Thanks.