Weather related pain

[rohrer01]

Sorry, Jess. As beautiful as it is out there, I like the ground stable under my feet. I lived near the AZ/CA border for years. We felt the earthquakes all the way out there from the big ones near the coast. It was enough to knock things off of MY shelves and send a houseful of kids screaming into my bed (it was early in the morning). My sister lived in the epicenter of that quake. It was the Sylmar quake in the 1990's. We went and got her as soon as she had phone service to call me. She never went back.

[JuliaAnn]

There's a good reason folks move to dry and warm Arizona once they reach a certain age. I've thought fondly of the idea the past couple years.

I'm nearing 18 months post-op (fused T1 to pelvis with pelvic fixation) and the weather has a huge impact on my pain levels. I get the "bear traps" that Ed speaks of - it feels like a rigged steel band is wrapped too tight around my rib cage and it's painful to inhale deeply when the weather is cold and/or damp. I also have a sharp pain in one of my right hip bolts up to 6 hours before rainy weather hits and ache all over, like I'm getting the flu.

Sometimes I check the Aches & Pains weather map in my area but I usually feel the pain before it shows up on the weather map. http://www.weather.com/health/aches-pains/main - type in your local zipcode in the box in the left column to see what your area is like. Today my zipcode area says the pain index is "High". That's accurate.

If I keep the house really dry, I have less pain. So we use either the heat or AC to dehumidify the house year round, even when the temperature outside doesn't need heat or cold in the house. Sometimes I'll turn on lights and put a heater in one room and run it to dry out the room even more. Putting my back on a heating pad during that time is also effective.

When the pain is too bad, I take two extra strength Tylenol. I do have a high tolerance for pain though. I feel the pain as much as anyone else but stay distracted and try to ignore it. The tolerance was built slowly and intentionally over many years. The worst pain before surgery was when I walked around with a crushed disk and a broken back. It was foolish and dangerous of me to delay surgery just because I didn't want to interrupt the kids trip to the beach. It's a miracle I didn't get paralyzed during that time! The worst pain post-op was when I went cold-turkey off all meds but Tylenol just six weeks post op. (That also was stupid. I should have called the surgeon and got a different prescription to try!) But now I know what really bad pain is like and I can live through it. That's encouraging.

I'm fortunate that I don't have to work outside the home though. I stay close to the dry heat when the weather is poor. On occasion, even a blue sky day can have pain if the barometric pressure is changing as rain is on the horizon.

Ed, I hope you can find a solution. Your pain must be really bad if it stops you. You're the most unstoppable post-op person I know!

We're going to get a dehumidifier to run in the house this summer. Our AC doesn't remove humidity enough. Last spring I bought a little humidity gauge for in the house similar to this one http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-613-In...humidity+gauge. It's pretty consistent with my pain level. When the humidity in the house is above 40, I'm in more pain.

I feel for you all! I'm reading these posts and hope we can figure out a good recipe to combat the weather-related pain issue.

[jrnyc]

well, i don't know about post op pain..
but i do know about no op pain...
i feel the weather coming before it gets here...and have a better record than the guys/gals on TV....much better predictive record...am sure most scoli patients
do, and i know arthritis patients are weather barometers.

as to earthquakes...i have slept thru a few 4.0's on richter, and have luckily never experienced a big quake...
i do not believe the little quakes always precede the biggest...they have been having "little" quakes for years there, and haven't had a big one for a long time...my sister was stuck out of town for one of the last big quakes...her son was small and she was panicked to get back to him...luckily, a friend figured it out and filled in for her
by picking him up at school and taking him home that day...sister never flew out of town for her govt job again until her son was an adult...

by the way...there is a fault line that runs thru NYC up thru Montreal...
i slept thru the quake in NYC we had years ago, but it woke another sister who lives in Montreal...

i am planning, at some point, to take my chances in CA...i have had my fill of winter in the northeast....the older i get, the less i can tolerate the snow...and ice...and cold...ugh.

jess...and Sparky

[titaniumed]

Well, I (the snapping turtle) pushed himself into work today....and had that hiking boot pressing on my high thoracic and interestingly, my right shoulder was also aching, which was re-built years ago. The surgical sites all effected by low pressure. That’s why I suspect scar tissue....The good news is that the pain is subsiding because the pressure has dropped and bottomed out, the storm is in position, and my body has countered for this.

Ok, so the new term is called baroreceptor! Its nice to understand why this happens! Its part of our blood pressure adjustment system. Very interesting stuff!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroreceptor

With everyone posting all these possible geographical locations, I was reading about Jens hometown, (Mooloolubie) (Is that British? He he, I’m kidding, we have Kalamazoo here so we are even), its down under, and of course how can you not read about Steve Irwin....So sad...One day, some day, I would like to visit Australia.

I lived in San Diego 30 years ago, and Las Cruces, New Mexico so I am familiar with the desert.....and earthquakes! I would take a shower in the morning, lean in the corner, and boil my back in the standup position. One time while doing this, I felt dizzy for some reason, opened the shower door and saw all my clothes swinging in the closet.....I have had earthquakes wake me up in bed to see swinging lamps in the house. Nothing broken, just everything swinging.

I ask about Florida since I have relatives down there just bugging the heck out of me about WHEN,WHEN,WHEN, am I moving down there? (Elvis smirk) They need a date with some accuracy! I don’t think I can get out of this.....I am losing this case.

It would be nice to know if Florida would solve my beartrap issues.....I would know after the 1st winter since it ONLY happens during winter storms. The dropping of atmospheric pressure, during the winter, in surgical joint areas. Scar tissue is an annoyance, doesn’t matter where its at.

Thx for the posts....

Ed

[rohrer01]

Speaking of pain, I was cooking dinner last night and looked out of my window to see a BLIZZARD. No kidding! Today was in the low 20's and both me and DIL woke up with PAIN today. She's fused and I'm not. So I don't really think that matters. It's "supposed" to warm up this weekend, so I'll see how we feel then.

[scooter950]

barometric pressure internal effects

well, I also have noticed the coincidence of rain or other bad weather coming in right after a day or two of realy bad pain. Here's my two cents: when a low pressure area moves in - before the rain/ bad weather- it's the decrease in atmospheric pressure that affects our joints.

we walk around at sea level more or less, the same atmospheric pressure bearing down on us, causing our joints to compress. When the atmospheric pressure drops-== less pressure is exerted on us/ on our joints so the discs expand slightly- microscopically- but less pressure means things expand. So now if our slightly bulging discs expand- and so does our pain level. especially if we have degenerative changes in the spine/ neck/ joints.

for those that dive - you probably feel less pain at greater depth- because the increase in barometric pressure is "shrinking" the discs so to speak. if we go to altitude - Colorado ( personal experience) - we would feel more pain because of a lower atmospheric pressure.

when bad weather is moving in- there's usually a low pressure area in front- that's my theory. however it works, I also can predict weather changes. :/

blessings to all - Jamie in TX

[rohrer01]

Jamie,
That's an interesting and logical theory you have there. That may explain why so many "older" people move to places farther south where the elevation is lower. I'm a mountain girl. I don't feel comfortable there in the deserts. I DO LOVE the beach, though I would NOT move to CA right now. They've had a series of about 4 quakes in the last two weeks, each time getting bigger and bigger. EEK! I lived in the desert for 20 years of my life and I hated every minute of it. I hate the weather when I go back and visit family in AZ. Everything is the same color, tan. The Springtime can be really pretty for about two weeks if you catch it just right. There can be a light covering of desert grass and beautiful blossoms. Almost nothing compares to the sweet aroma of a blooming wild mesquite tree. Unfortunately, I'm terribly allergic to them in bloom! LOL

Florida is also a popular retirement spot. That goes to show that humidity may have very little to do with pain. AZ is dry, but FL is not.

[rohrer01]

Correction. Just spoke to my friend via FB and it's 8!!! At least two were today! I hope that the "Big One" that everyone's been talking about for decades isn't getting ready to happen. I have friends over there. :'-(

[titaniumed]

for those that dive - you probably feel less pain at greater depth- because the increase in barometric pressure is "shrinking" the discs so to speak.

I started diving in 1995 for my scoliosis, it was more about de-weighting. I felt better because it was a zero gravity situation. I don’t have this relief anymore while diving since I’m fused.

1 Bar or 1 atmosphere is 10 meters. At 100 feet that’s around 3x surface atmospheric pressure....

I did drink a root beer at 100 feet once with no salt water entering my mouth....I did this on my advanced test. The instructor brought a tennis ball down and it was FLAT. Funny also because at that depth, it doesn’t feel like 3x the pressure. My huge belly doesn’t go flat on deep dives???? This is an unsolved physics question. LOL

Maybe if I had the traps and did a dive I could prove it out. I never had “Bear traps” while diving, and I don’t dive in the winter. I hate cold water. Under 78 degrees is cold....and requires more rubber which is a lot of work. It would be a very interesting thing to prove out....I don’t know if 60 minutes is enough time for any results????

Ed

[rohrer01]

I feel better when I can float around in warm water. It does take the pressure off even at surface pressures. I've never learned to dive. Ocean or even large bodies of water scare me because of man eating fish!