So, I'm still in the relatively new to CRPS stage. My new pain dr. asked if changes in the weather affected me and I said, I don't know, I haven't noticed.

Well, the weather suddenly got cold (for CA, yes I know we are weather wimps) and BAM. My arthritic knee on my "good" leg hurts and the CRPS leg is on fire. The whole leg. Which means that the pain meds aren't effective anymore. The meds had the leg quiet for me, so I just felt the foot. And now, suddenly, the whole leg is active again. Why? Cause the weather changed.

Even a breeze or a sudden increase in wind (stormy here yesterday, and the night before I woke up in terrible pain for some reason). And I have been on these medications since 2004. You can never truly 100% predict what it (the CRPS) is going to do.

Sorry to hear that you are going through a bad flareup. Yes, weather, especially cold or windy weather, can cause flareups. Some people are sensitive to changes in the barometric pressure. You also mentioned that your arthritic knee is acting up. I have found that pain in other areas of the body can trigger a flareup in the CRPS affected limb(s). Add stress, fatigue, or some weird thing like vibration and things can get pretty bad.

It doesn't necessarily mean that the meds are no longer effective. Take away the weather issues, other pain, stress, etc. and those same meds may still be effective. Many people are prescribed a different medication for breakthrough pain. See if things improve on their own and discuss this with your doctor.

In the meantime, dress for the warmth that you personally need. I have been seen in the summer wearing mittens on a breezy day and also inside when the air conditioning is too much for me.

Hope you feel better soon. CRPS stinks!

Shay

The breeze from my ceiling fan all summer bugged the heck out of me. But this is new. My poor foot and leg. Not prepared for all this.

Oh it's not a flare-up, it's just the pain that has broken through (breakthrough pain) at an unexpected moment; I call them pain peaks. Normally, I have this a few times a day, but this was an unexpected moment. I get these "pain peaks" sometimes.

No, it doesn't mean the medications have become uneffective. I know. It's just very odd to undergo. CRPS is a strange beast! I know that much.

A flare-up is the whole shebang, discoloration, swelling going on in increased amounts to what has become normal in my chronic stage. And thank goodness it wasn't that bad.

It was "just" the pain. (which is enough)

Thank you for your concern, Shay! I appreciate it.