Seasonal changes in Peripheral Neuropathy?
 

Hi all – just want to ask a question of anyone who has peripheral neuropathy.

Do you find the intensity of your PN changes either by the season or if you move to a different climate?

I'm in the Southern hemisphere – currently mid-winter – and after months of particularly painful PN last summer, it has thankfully reduced as the weather cooled. The range of symptoms are still there (with a new one – fasciculations - starting yesterday), but the severity has mellowed. I'm aware it could also be due to a number of other factors such as medication changes and emergency surgery last spring. I've had slowly progressing PN for about 5 years and summers were usually a bit worse than winter and increasing each year but last summer was the pits. Normally I love summer and warm weather but I'm dreading the approaching one if it means a return to being in pain that leaves me pretty useless.

Seasonal effect on PN is just something I've wondered about for a while and haven't seen mentioned much on NT. I'd appreciate it if anyone who replies could also mention what type of PN they have (if they know).

Thanks for your input. I've listed below some of the climate variations where I am, for others to compare with. I know I'm lucky as I don't have the extemes some people have but would be interested to hear what others experience and how it affects them.

Winter Temps: Vary between about Coldest -4ºC (22ºF) overnight up to 17ºC (64ºF) during day.
Summer Temps: Vary between about Coolest 14ºC (54ºF) overnight up 34ºC (98ºF) during day.
There is never any snowfall where I am but we do get heavy frosts and cold winds.
Summers months are often dry but rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Many thanks
bluesfan

I would say (for me) that seasons have a huge impact on PN. I have PN as well as severe autonomic neuropathy (a subset of PN) and summer is always harder on me for the the autonomic symptoms because I am completely heat intolerant. That being said, my regular PN seems worse in the winter as I don't tolerate the cold either and my feet and hands have increased pain during cold months. So basically, I have problems in both seasons, but for different reasons. I think my best season is spring (and my favorite;)) when temps start to warm up and neither of my conditions are suffering greatly because there are no extremes in temps...and I also have several fun things to do (like getting my veggie garden going), so I have things to take my mind off any symptoms.

I loved fall for most of my life. Now I dread it. I am not totally heat intolerate, but I will say it is different now- I have a fan on at work everyday every season. I always ran warm (my wife called me a heater) but close to 80 pounds gone I am more of a poorly constructed toaster oven.

I find storms and massive weather events jack me up starting up to 12 hoursbefore. Ihave no clue if it is related, but my notebooks indicate a pattern, though as I said it could be something else.

I am in Florida and I plan pn posting part of the experience, once my hands work better. This took a lot of backspacing to get down.

I hope you find some relief.

edit- diabetes

Jon

I have idiopathic SFN and am cold intolerant. I think there are only a couple of other people on the forum who share that trait with me. It seems to be more common to be heat intolerant.

WWhen my symptoms went ape dung in March and I was sprawled on the bed my wife tried to move a twisted cover and grabbed my ankle. I yelled out. It felt like Iceman from the X-Men was grabbing my ankle. I don't have too much alodynia (Sp) but when I do it appears it is on the rocks, which is odd as what feels like a lifetime ago beer was my game.

So it goes.

Jon

I am also much worse in the winter, cold intolerant, as well as with barometric pressure drops. I have hereditary neuropathy (CMT). It was horrible years ago when our boys had night baseball games in fall ball my legs and bottom would get so cold I had to stay in a hot shower for 15 minutes or they would be like ice for hours.
I do not go out if it is very cold now because I simply can't warm up afterwards, and the pain is severe. Mixing cold ground beef for meatballs makes my hands hurt and I have to keep running them under hot water to get through it.

I hate the cold but it is better than hot. Heat just wipes me out. However, where I live we can be -30 below like nothing. That's a bit much and not so bad at -10 below. But in the winter the ice is worse due to being afraid of slipping and falling. Can fall easy enough otherwise.

I can tell when the weather is changing and there will be a thunder storm. My wrists crack it seems. You can hear them. Never fails. It's the barometric pressure thing.

I still love autumn the best as it is usually sweatshirt weather and the leaves on the trees are so pretty. But, alas, winter is coming. :( And then summer. :(

I have both heat and cold intolerance. I can't handle the cold and my feet tend to burn a lot in winter. In the summer, everything burns and feels uncomfortable. My face will turn red if I'm exposed to warm temps. It looks as if I just ran a marathon! :)

Thanks everyone - your answers help confirm my guess that PN could be seasonally affected. The variety and range of changes that you all experience due to weather is enlightening. Still learning something new about this aggravating condition every day.

I agree barometric pressure (and humidity) can definitely affect how the body performs - influencing BP and water volumes. I would also guess that maybe in stormy conditions there is extra electrical charge in the air which could have an 'excitability' effect on nerves?

KnowNothingJon - I experienced Florida weather before I had PN - even then the heat & humidity was difficult to deal with - can't imagine trying to cope with PN in that climate. Kudos to you for sticking it out.

I guess this means I need to get my A into G and get stuff done while I can manage before summer arrives.

My brothers, sister, our progeny and my parents planned to go. I almost pulled myself out a few times, though the thought of letting people down and the extra strain that would leave on my wife, I came.

It has been rough, interesting, arduous, but I have found my smiles. I am working on an essay of sorts on my experience, as I used a wheelchair to get around after the first day was decimated by my walking for three hours...

Fascinating stuff, people's behavior.