Neuropathy Flare Ups & Weather
 

Neuropathy & the Weather


I'm writing here to invite those who feel that weather plays some role in inducing neuropathy flare ups. To some this seems very evident, while others chalk it up to mere myth.

Indeed, it's hard to prove that weather can cause a flare up of nueropathic pains. Still, there are some weather websites that cater to concerns about weather related pain, especially for those who suffer from arthritis and such.

My personal case in this:

I suffer from Ciprofloxacin induced Peripheral Neuropathy. For the most part, I have gotten much, much better in the last 8 months since it began. However, as I keep a strict track record of my daily pains and symptoms on a calendar - I have noticed that my flare ups are the worst when it rains or there is a damp snowstorm.

In fact, as I'm typing this, I am in the midst of a flare up and it's been raining and snowing outside since yesterday night. To top that off, being a man - it's my duty to get out there and shovel that darn slushy snow! LOL So avoiding the weather is not an option for many of us (men & women alike).

Be that as it may, there are rainy days when it hardly affect me at all, but when the rain or storms are coupled together for more than 2 or 3 days in a row, I definitely start getting the flare ups, some quite painful.:eek:

The question is this: Does weather really effect neuropathy, or is it all in our heads?:cool:

The pressure change is what does it. I hurt big time when that happens.

I heard some say the same, but don't know what that actually means. Is it dampness, drop in barometric pressure, or other? ...Will check on this later- Argh, got to get out there and shovel. LOL

The change in barometric pressure. This site might help explain it all. I know it happens to me. My wrists will start cracking and sure enough weather is coming.

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management...ather_and_pain

There are various video explanations about pain and low pressure. (low barometric pressures).

We have one done at a TV studio somewhere on this forum.
But I can't find it now.

This is a close second illustrating that when pressures go down,
things tend to swell up.

http://www.physics.org/interact/phys...ows/index.html

Of course what happens on a small scale is not visible to us, but perhaps does impact sensory nerves.

Just about every forum we have here that deals with pain issues,
reports posts where people have more pain when the barometric pressure falls. In Europe doctors even consult the weather for their
pain patients.

...Very interesting and convincing. I noticed when I compare my neuropathy flare ups, almost all fall on days when it's a rain or snow storm, or when long lingering rain is occurring or just about to occur. Though I don't no if rainfall signals a drop in barometric pressure. --Does it? Still, it can't be coincidence.

A drop in barometric pressure precedes rain or other precipitation.

I know pain is worse for me as well (not just for PN, but joint pain too) when the pressure drops.

Last winter, there were FIVE major LOWS on the US map, at the same time.

That is not typical, but that time period was very painful for me.

If you watch the Weather Channel online, or on cable, and or CNN every day, you will get an inkling or at least a warning of sorts. Sometimes a LOW pressure area will be near and there won't be the rain/snow. You can still feel awful, however.

I have noticed the pain is worse the last few days since this bad weather in midwest USA. I would not use the term flare, however, as I do have pain every day.

My dad who had very bad rheumatoid arthritis for 50 years until he died. He felt much worse when a low came in. In his waning years he moved to Arizona and said how much better he felt.

Low pressure is an area of unstable warm air. It does not always mean rain or precipitation, but is associated with clouds and general bad weather.

Consult the weatherman or a barometer to know since it can slide in slowly.

Spending time in AZ for a number of years during the winter I still knew when the pressure changed. Didn't feel any better that way. I believe that Louisiana has the least pressure changes. I read that somewhere.

I understand - I have pn pain everyday, but mostly just very light pain that I can live with easily. What I term a flare up is when it gets notably worse over a period of hours or days.

This is always when a storm is approaching or during one and the pain becomes more intense and more frequent. No flare up has ever lasted more than a week for me, as it slowly returns to my normal level of slight pains, but when the flare ups do occur, it is horrible! The only other times I have flare ups of pn pain is when I get sick with a flu or something.

Thankfully though, I notice that I'm feeling better as every month passes and the flare ups that occur every month are getting less painful than the months before it. I thank God for that.:)

I am a lot worse on stormy, damp, dark days. I almost always need extra medication on those days. Not sure that I want to move to louisiana though!

My husband travels there on business a lot and he loves it because everyone can pronounce and spell our last name (he is French-Canadian). We would both miss the seasonal changes too much to move.

I remember when weather forecasts always made a big deal of mentioning the barometric pressure. They only seem to do that during hurricanes now. Too much high tech stuff with all the moving maps, etc. obscuring the information.

Nope, I would not want to move to Louisiana either. (No offense to anyone who is from there). I like the four seasons but winter less and less as CMT has taken so much from me so I cannot enjoy winter anymore.

Not only do my wrists crack I hurt all of the time but much more when there are pressure changes. I can always tell when rain, snow, you name it are coming.

I kind of think that moving to dry warm areas would be better for pn victims, since less humidity and less rainstorms are the norm. But don't know if the heat has an effect on temperature either.

What seems odd is that lots of older people retire to Florida, but Florida, (from what I see on TV) seems plagued by ravishing rainstorms and high humidity -not ideal weather for old folks I would think.:confused:

Yes, there is less humidity in the warm dry areas. However, the dry conditions, and they are dry, suck the moisture right out of a person. There is a T-shirt I saw which had two skeletons sitting next to a rock and it said, "But it's a dry heat". :ROTFLMAO: How true that one is. In those warm dry areas there still are pressure changes and so they do cause aches and pains and hurting for some people. :rolleyes:

As far as Florida, I guess some people like it and others don't. And it depends where you are in Florida. :Ponder: Whatever works, works.

We were in las Vegas and Hoover Dam in July five years ago. Since we live at the northern edge of the Chesapeake the humidity here is terrible so I always believed the dry heat saying, but it was 115 degrees, and it hit you like a slap in the face the minute you set foot outside. We drove to the Grand Canyon and the temperature dropped 40 degrees, it was amazing. There are obviously limits to the benefit of low humidity. We are going to Vegas this May to drive to Bryce and Zion national parks, that was our 25th anniversary trip and this is our 30th. I hope the weather is more moderate in May than July.

The weather should be fine. We were there in February a few years ago and it was great then too. Las Vegas is certainly a hot place in July but a decent place in the winter. However, I would not want to live there either. Las Vegas has changed tremendously since the time we went there for our conventions. Too many people and not a safe place to be anymore. At the time we were going you never had to worry about walking anywhere. Crime just didn't happen. Kids were not allowed on the game floors, people dressed to the hilt and great stars and shows to see. Not so much anymore. Everything changes I guess.

Here are some elevation statistics of different parts. Grand Canyon is 7,000 ft. depending where you are so it would be cooler than say Las Vegas. Las Vegas is 2,030 ft. Hoover Dan is 1,232 ft. Henderson, outside of Las Vegas is 2,402 ft. Boulder, outside of Las Vegas is 2,500 ft.

Enjoy your trip.

Jesse welcome to Neuro Talk only joined a few days ago and love it. I know forsure the weather plays a big part of the way I feel no question about it. One of my specialists also has fibro she tells me some days she cant even come in to work I live in Alberta Canada the weather can be -40 on one day and -10 the next when it changed in such a short time it is the worst. Like you know we dont allways have the option of not coming to work or shoveling of walks lol

Ha!

There was no reason at all why I would feel considerably more pain yesterday. Nothing alarming, (say, from a 1 to a 2) but it still made me go "hey?" and "Ouch!". Especially after everything constantly getting better, as reported elsewhere.

I am feeling great. I did not change my diet, I watch what I eat like a hawk, I didn't do any physical work that I didn't do in the last 90 days, I didn't take new supplements or stopped taking others, nor did I change dosage, no new medication, no more or less stress, no special events during the day or the days before, no different footwear.

What else is there? Natural progression? Would be a very sudden one.

As far as I can figure out, nothing that could explain it.

Except... the weather changed to low pressure, with lots of rain, for the first time in many many weeks. My wife came home and mentioned she... had tired feet. She looked at me and went "More pain? It's the weather."

As much as I keep thinking "it must be an old-wives tale" (hmmm, that is starting to sound very politically incorrect... anyway.), I really do think that the change in weather changed the symptoms, and I feel I'm in a good and calm position to conclude thus.

Now gimme back my sun! ;)

Weather pains

Weather pain measurement tool

Doc

Low pressure certainly can and does give some people more pain. Me for one. Not an "old wives tale". I believe I read where Louisiana has the least pressure change and so is much better.