My best explanation of the weird symptoms over the past 8 years has been that when the brain is not "happy", any number of small things can irritate it that normally should not be a problem - food, temperaure, sleep, stress, bumps, etc. My neurologist described it as being in a quasi-migraine state almost all the time; and in this state, you are affected by everything. Since being in CA, I have had very few issues - even with bumps which used to set me back for days. The other day I bumped the car up against a curb, and was expecting a reaction from the jolt, but there was nothing! It seems that since my brain does not have to face the constant pressure changes, it has more reserves for little things.

I have tried to put a number on how much better it has been for me here. In WI, I averaged 180 "points" of symptoms per month (daily log), and in WA I think that it was something like 70 per month. In the past 6 months in CA, I have averaged a 2! I feel like I am living a normal life again and am VERY grateful.