Air Conditioning Problems With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I have fibro and severe osteoarthritis. I am also a cancer patient taking tamoxifen so in chemical and surgical menopause. Body temp regulating is not possible.

I need the a/c when its hot because I burn up from those sweats and I have severe copd but the chilled blowing air gives me severe joint pain and then mega migraines. I also use a comforter and a hat but wake up many many times at night kicking comforter and sheet off and then bundling up when I am freezing again.

I am not a cancer patient, but I do have fibro and osteoarthritis also, and a few other things going on. I take blood thinners also. At night especially I have to keep my A/C turned down to at least 74 if not lower, I freeze with it set like that but if I don’t have it set that low, then I am burning up. I go to bed bundled up, but in a couple of hours I am waking up throwing the covers off with my head soaked in sweat. As soon as I get cooled down a little then I start freezing and do it all over again. I don’t sleep well because of this. With the summer heat here, it is just as bad during the day now also. I have a fan on in the room, but that makes my shoulders hurt when it blows right on it.

This is me, too, Rene. All night long I’m up and down…hot and cold. We keep the a/c to 69, 67 sometimes, then I eventually freeze. Turn it off, then I wake up again boiling and have to sit on the side of the bed for an hour or more to cool off even after turning the a/c back on. And so it goes. It doesn’t make for a good night’s sleep . I have fibro and CFS as well as osteoarthritis and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Yes, that would be me. Air conditioner on if needed and bundled up under the comforter to keep the air from making my body ache. What else can we do? Nothing that I have found yet. You are not alone.

I am a 55 year old man. I have fibromyalgia with all of it’s delightful extras and inoperable, late onset, adult scoliosis with stenosis, and deteriorating vertebra. I wear a lightweight, zip up, hooded sweatshirt indoors and take it off as needed and then I’m usually trying to find where I’ve laid it. I also have a small electric heater in my bedroom to help regulate the room temp. I don’t fall asleep with it on or I wake up floating in sweat, worse than ever. I put bath towels on the sheets and pillows to keep from having to change them every day. Getting out of bed requires getting dressed immediately to keep from freezing. I wake up every hour to hour and a half. Doesn’t matter if it’s to go to the bathroom or not. I just wake up. This is a hell of a way to have to live.

I thinks accupressure or acupuncture can help.
Try accupressure, or magnets on nerve degeneration points (ND1-ND3), spinal cord points, and central nervous system points

I did have that same issue for several years, however, it ended up being my thyroid. With an under active thyroid, it causes an inability to tolerate the cold, among other things…

Also, there is a fellow named John Lowe that has done a lot of research regarding the connection between Fibromyalgia and thyroid disease. Of course it may not be the thyroid causing the issue however if you have never read any of his documentation, it is worth the read.

http://www.drlowe.com/

Wishing you good health,
Jeannette

I can’t handle cold air hitting my skin on my arms or legs at all – whether it’s winter or summer with the A/C on – the cold air hitting my skin makes my skin hurt, my joints hurt, but I can’t stand to be hot whatsoever either – so I’m always in long sleeves & pantyhose now and at home – under a comforter.

I have this problem, and it causes me a lot of problems when I shop in the summer. A trip to the grocery store is exhausting and painful- more so in the summer than the winter because of the temperature change. My skin actually burns, and my feet (if i wear sandals to shop) get cold to the bone, and take forever to warm afterwards. I actually enjoy getting into a hot car after I shop!

Oh, YEAH! I love getting into the car after shopping, because it warms me up so fast. I’ve discovered with the a/c problem, if I can keep the cold air from blowing directly on me, it helps. I also keep it set a few degrees higher than most, and put a fan on hubby if he’s too warm. Also, instead of wrapping up in something, putting a hot pack on my back seems to help my whole body stay warmer without getting TOO hot. (I think that the hot pack warming the blood as it travels to and from my feet and legs helps to regulate my temperature. BONUS: it also helps with my low back pain.)

Yep, I dread going into the cold aisle in the supermarkets here in the uk, it triggers off my nerve pain, I dread it and if possible I avoid it completely.
Yep too hot, makes me feel weak, but I love the warmth and it calms my pain down alot. I still have my heating on in my sitting room (lounge) and it’s june!! Rubbish summers here!! My vit d was so low my dr put me on 20.000ug 5xdaily, hasn’t improved my M.E/CFS pain but did help with arthritis pain caused by ulcerative colitis. I have finished the course now, but I’m back at the drs this week, maybe check my vit d levels first, but hopefully he may give me some more!! But the cold gets me more, and I’m agony in winter.

I can sit in the hot car all day. Or in the sun at the pool. The only relief I get from pain is in the heat. But, then the fatigue sets in. Air conditioning about kills me. Someone mentioned the cold air hitting their skin hurts. I thought I was crazy when I first experienced that. I’m so sorry someone else has that awful sensation too, but I’m also glad I’m not crazy. But, I need the A/C because the humidity is dreadful.
Anyone know a place in the US that has a nice moderate climate without lots of humidity??

That is me exactly! I can handle all the heat in the world. Anytime it gets consistently below 65 degrees outside my skin hurts and nothing warms me. I live in Ohio and for 6 months a year the weather tortures me. The hotter the better. I could handle 90 degrees year round. I feel much less pain in the summer. Once I feel cold, at all, I hurt everywhere!

The heat and humidity of summer actually cause me more problems, but If someone turns the a/c up at night, the pain it causes wakes me up and I’m more stiff and achy than usual. I keep a lightweight jacket in the car for trips to freezing stores, etc, but then when I get back outside, the humidity in particular almost knocks me out. I do sometimes pass out from it, so I guess my struggle is centered around going between a/c and outdoors in the summer in the south.

And then there are the summer storm fronts moving through…….

Absolutely! I could have afforded to have my old house cooled by central air, but after livng with that for 5 years, opted for a swamp type cooler on a thermostat. I have a ceiling fan over my bed to keep the air moving but its not the dry cold air of an air conditioner. I am much more comfortable. I have found I have a very limited range of air temp that I am comfortable in, but cold dry air on me is just plain miserable!

Yes, this is a big problem for me. I cannot tolerate heat, like a hot shower makes me faint, tremulous and nauseous, and air conditioning locks me up. I get stiff, cold to the bone, have terrible pain and am under a blanket while my husband sweats. He tries to keep it warm in here so I don’t suffer but then he is too hot. I also have had a recurrence of painful skin, it hurts when I am brushed up against or rubbed. I guess you can rub me the wrong way!! Not feeling that humor, but I did try! God Bless each of you!

I can relate to this very well! I am usually very warm and need the A/C on or to have the furnace turned down…but once I do get cold it takes a lot to warm me up again. We have a LOT of humidity here and that really takes a toll on me and then add in all the weather fronts that have being through lately and you have one very sore body!!

I have suffered with intolerance to cold for years. My house is referred to as “the oven”. Although I have also been diagnosed and treated with low thyroid, it has no effect on my intolerance to cold. The doctors still do not want to admit or acknowledge fibromyalgia, but each new one (county clinic) is intrigued with my various symptoms although they have no clue what to do about them since most blood tests come back normal for everything.

Air conditioning blowing on me causes me pain.Now I understand why I am experiencing cold sensitivity.

I have wondered about this, thought it was just something else to make people look at me like I’m a freak!
The summer time intense heat hurts me more than being cold I think, but hate the frigid cold refrigerated air! So I also will cover up while watching tv. While in the winter months I swear when I go to work or the store I need to be wearing summer clothes!! The extreme dry heat makes me so miserable!
So what to do…like I said people cant understand and seem to either think I’m a freak or that I just am a constant complainer. I try so hard not to talk about it but this temperature sensitivity is so miserable.

I have had a sensitivity to air conditioning for quite a few years. I dont mind the cold as much as the air blowing directly on me. Anytime I go somewhere where the air blows on me and I cant control it, I get so stiff and sore and achy – and then end up with a headache from it. I never go somewhere without a sweater or jacket. I actually tolerate the heat better. I love sitting outside, unless the humidity is really high.

i also have a problem with the ac on me..i out it on low an put a fan opposite from it to circulate the air. i hate the winter..love the summer but hate high humidity…so glad to have u all here to share with

I have found that if I’m even in the heat, outside that I will get sick from it, as well as light sentivity. Sometimes in the winter i get sick as well from the heater being on. I do however use a heating pad, and that seems to help my fibro. Without my pain medication I’d be in bed all day.

I have kinda this same issue except with me, it’s the heat that causes my flares. Except for my legs, they get the least bit chilled and BAM instant spasms! I can’t even sleep on my HEATED waterbed because it’s unbearable. Too hot for the top and just right for the legs. MY solution to this is three throw blankets pinned together, just to cover my legs and multilpe fans in the upper half of my room to regulate the temperature. Maybe this could heelp some of you….

Really love it chilly, with a warm quilt. I crave to breath the fresh cool air, but my internal thermostat stopped working when i first got CFIDS. The cold is best when I am still, then I can easily expose myself to the cold when I overheat, and recover when I get cold. But, I do need it a bit on the warmer side when I am moving around. I LOVE to sit in the sun, but it tends to weaken me after awhile.

I cant stand to be hot it makes me sick and I can’t breath but the cold air thing I never gave it any thiought why I was hurting so bad when I got cold. The heat just knocks the stuffing out of me and I just want to cry cause I dont feel like doing anything but to go to my recliner and collapse.I have been on Lyrica for 5 months and I don’t see where it is helping me at all now. God I wish I had something to help with the pain. I also have artritis in my back ad hands.

I feel exactly the same!! I can’t live with or without the air conditioner. My best time of year is early spring or fall when the temps are more moderate and the humidity is lower.
I live in TX with extreme heat/humidity!!

I could have written exactly what you did, except I don’t take Lyrica.

Thanks for sharing.

I too have Fibromyalgia and other health issues including menopause. I am not able to regulate my body temp. with any kind of consistency. I will be fine one minute and about to pass out the next from a heat surge. It is really bad right before I go to sleep. I am freezing my husband out of the bedroom because I have to have a window unit in addition to central ac. 70 – 72 degrees is good but I am cold the hot then cold and on and on and on. People who have never experienced being overwhelmed by sudden heat flares don’t understand what it feels like. I work in the legal field and have to dress for court. I always have a hand fan and layers of clothes so I can adjust as needed. I have noticed that the cold air blowing on me makes me hurt so I understand the need for buffering. Yet at the same time I need the air to blow on me to feel any relief. Catch 22 anyone?

ALWAYS have this problem, my husband gets so annoyed with me, if he only had to go through this!!!

I find I get achy in air conditioning, but I also get very fatigued and achy in hot/humid weather. Extreme hot or cold gets to me. I sleep with blanket year round, so we can keep the temp in house at a low enough temp to get really good sleep.
I also swell more in hot humid weather. Places ache and pain that don’t very often. Thx

YES YES AND MORE YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i take a blankie with me EVERYWHERE I GO….. even in restaurants…i cover my legs and knees with it cause i already usually have a sweater.. and i DARE… DARE!! someone to say somethiing..

Your comment made me laugh… sounds just like me. I wear a sweater/fleece zip up sweat shirt though. Blanket in the truck and a heavy comforter on the couch to cover up with. I used to be able to dress up in those little summer dresses and go out to dinner but, now the thought terrifies me….

I have the same problems with air conditioning. I can be freezing in my house and the temp is usually a normal temp for hot weather and my boyfriend says it ain’t cold in here. And also in the summer and winter I have to sleep with pj pants on because if my legs get cold they ache.

I have fibro and cfs. I live in Dallas where temps are 100+ right now (June). Heat is brutal and completely zaps my strength, but the ac can be painful, and turning it off isn’t an option. I also have episodes of intense sweating on my head… cute.I am feeling MUCH better this yr, though, with treatment at the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Ctrs (now called Chronicity.) Night and day compared to last yr.

I can’t cope with air conditioning systems! They make me feel very cold,sick stuffed up and can not stop sneezing.much rather be to hot! I have fibro.

Yes, I began to notice how blasts of cold air would cause the FM in my chest area (the breastbone) start aching when normally it would not. My lower back is covered so its not exposed to A/C. But usually besides my chest, my shoulders (osteo) and back (osteo and FM).

When I’m in the car, I turn the little vents away from me. My husband loves it all directed toward him if he’s driving. As long as the car A/C isn’t blowing directly on me or in a restaurant, etc., then I can tolerate it.

Yes, I am very sensitive to the cold and especially cold air blowing directly on me- at work they are trying to lower their heating bills and the HAVAC blows from the ceiling- no matter what I do or wear, the not very warm air in the winter and the air conditioning in the spring and summer makes me achy and cold. And my husband insists on sleeping with the fan blowing on him summer and winter- he doesn’t understand that I just cannot stand that so I usually end up on the couch!

Yes! Bone chilling cold!

I wish all my friends and family could or would read this. They all think I’m nuts because I will put up with the sweltering heat rather than turn on the a/c. I even had to leave the emergency room last week because the air was turned up to ‘Artic’ and I started to hurt all over and stiffen up. Good thing my daughter could stay with my grandson who required stitches or I would have been calling for a gurney and some warmed blankets.

So depressing.

Yes! I have fibro and Hashimoto’s, so I’m extremely sensitive to the cold. I can’t take any cold air at all, but I’m especially sensitive to blowing cold air. I can’t even take a ceiling fan blowing on me, even when I’m hot. Cold air makes me HURT. That said, I’m also menopausal, so at night I need a cool room so I can huddle under my blankets until a hot flash consumes me. That’s about the only time that cold air feels good!

As often is the case when I read something like this that coroborates/validates an ‘odd’ or inexplicable sensation that I experience- I almost cried.

This has actually been one of the symptoms that has caused me the most grief, emotionally. Though the general temperature change being in an air-conditioned space will cause my body to plummet uncontollably into chills, it’s- and this is far worse- cold air blowing on some area of my body while another part is warm, such as sitting in a car on a hot day with the air-conditioning blasting.

I can’t control my internal temperature- I’m boiling, I’m freezing- and I can feel my body stiffening, my mind scattering like a flock of frightened birds and my emotions- anxiety, fear, sadness, welling up.

Partly that is because whoever I am with (alone, I’d never use the air-conditioner- I’d open the back windows) invariably reacts negatively to my request to turn it off. Perhaps overtly, perhaps ever-so-subtly, barely discernably, but they react. The blank, ‘what a fruitcake’ slight smile or the angry, accusatory, ‘you’re such a hypochondriac’ retort.

I understand. It’s hot, they’re being inconvenienced, being asked to sacrifice their comfort for mine, and to those who don’t experience it, such a physical reaction must seem most unlikely or fabricated.

But though I understand, the reaction still hurts.

Air Conditioning sends me in a downward spiral especially if it blows directly on my skin or if I inhale the cold air. My muscles stiffen and I hurt for days. If my head or even my hair gets cold look out, I will have a sinus infection or sneeze for hours. I have had fibromyalgia and r/a for years and was laughed at for wearing hooded sweaters in the summer. When it is humid outside, I break out in a sweat and have to turn on the air but bundle up. At night I cannot sleep with the air conditoner on because I will be sick for days. I get the house as cool as possible and then take my sleeping pill. Reading the posts have made me feel better because people, not even my doc understood. Our lives are merry go rounds which never stop.

This is a little strange. When the weather get really hot I like to keep the A/C on in my living room where, when I sit, is it usually there. But I have an electric heater sitting on the table next to my couch, where I also spend time on my computer screen mounted there. Even on a warm and not so hot day I turn the heater on and it blows against the side of my body and faith. For some reason the heat blowing against me, even if the room is cooled, gives me some relief from my FM pain, which is really bad in the morning when I get up. It runs up my electric a little but it’s worth it.

I have to say it is the exact opposite for me. I cannot tolerate any heat and can handle the cold very well. I have been diagnosed with CFS, FMS, chronic Myofascial Pain, adult scoliosis, DDD etc. I completely fall apart in any kind of temperature over 74 degrees. My muscles spasm more and I ‘vibrate’ from some muscles moving so much. I get a horrible mental fog and just wilt. In the winter I do not usually need a coat or jacket unless it is below freezing. I find I am most comfortable around 65 degrees and though it makes me a little stiff it is far less painful for me. I even sleep with a fan directly blowing on me so I stay cool while I sleep because if I am the slightest bit hot there is just no sleeping for me. Interesting how temperature and all can be so different for everyone.

And here I thought I was the only one who had this problem. I have to have the AC on to 72 degrees or I am miserably hot, I, too, will kick the covers off at night, then freeze and have to cover up again. Its almost impossible to find that comfortable balance. I have night sweats, too, and excessive sweating while active even when its only 65 degrees!

Temperature regulation is impossible due to the Fibro/CFS. If I get chilled, my body cannot warm itself and I have to crawl under covers, put on a jacket, etc. If I get overheated, then I have to use ice packs, get indoors under an AC… I’ve been known to take hot or cool showers depending just to regulate my body temperature.

Ain’t Fibro/CFS fun? NOT!

At my work place they keep it between 68 and 70 degrees usually. I keep my home between 75 and 78. I freeze especially because the breeze blows right over me. I wear a warm jacket and sometimes a winter sweater in addition to it and I can’t usually warm up until I go out into the warm weather outside. I can take the cold, but not the cold air conditioning. There’s quite a difference. I also can’t warm up easily after that cold breeze and it often keeps my shoulders and neck rigid and tensed all day. Then it takes me an hour or more to even start getting better. At night I often need a hot shower or bath for 20 – 30 minutes to even start to counteract the tenseness in my muscles. The pain it brings is a lot. Americans like their air conditioning more than ever now, too. I never grew up with A/C, so it’s maybe even worse for me. Maybe some day the United States will start changing their ways with this waste of energy, but I really doubt it will happen in my lifetime???

Yes, epsecially in the hotel during the night when I’m on a medical trip. I need to shut the fan off and use extra blankets. I’m in more pain and can’t sleep when I’m cold. My feet are always cold and I wear socks even in summer when I’m at home and during the night. The only way I can truly warm up is to take a bath. Yet, ironically, I have the symptom of sweats. My thermostat doesn’t work properly.

Wow! This is so interesting for me to hear because I have Fibromyalgia and have a major problem with getting cold easily and not being able to get warm. I do not barely use air conditioning because it makes my arms,legs, and rib cages ache down to the bone! I am always cold even in the summer and can’t wait for the temps to get over 80 degrees. I always have cold hands and feet and the only way for me to get them warm is to run them under hot water. I can put socks and slippers on and put my feet under a blanket and hours later they are still cold as can be! Sometimes out of no where I get cold internally and can’t seem to warm up and it makes me drowsy! I am 29 and have struggled with this my whole life, so GOOD POST! I am glad to have an answer to this problem:-)
THANKS, Kati

So I’m NOT crazy! I have trouble with both hot and cold temps. The heat makes me nauseous and weak very quickly. Cold makes me stiff, sore and miserable. And cold air blowing directly on me (even a fan) makes my skin hurt. Even the sound of the air conditioner blowing in the car gives me a headache and makes me jittery and edgy. Good to know I’m not alone.

I have had FM for 13 yrs. I also have a wonderful husband of 23 years who, unfortunately, is a human heater. He keeps the house at a chilly 68 in the winter, and turns both evaporative coolers on high in the summer. I, in turn, wear fuzzy socks, sweat pants, turtlenecks and hoodies all year long. I keep soft and fluffy blankets on the back of every chair and couch to wrap around my legs and feet. It should be lovely to cuddle up with my warm hubby, and it is for a moment. Then I overheat, and the cuddle starts to ache, and then I have to go sleep on a couch.
Also, My hands are always so cold all year long that I use them for ice packs on my daycare kids heads!

I often spend the entire summer under my electric blanket WITH the AC on. Makes people around me think I’m crazy. But air in general can be a problem. I have to keep a sweat shirt in the car for going into stores. Grocery stores are always the worst. Their AC’s are always turned down so low – absolutely FREEZING.

I also tend to have to run around in long sleeved shirts even in the summer. I try to use the AC just enough to take the humidity out of the room, but still pretty warm.

One of my sleep problems is the result of the fact that I vary between chill and the hot flashes from he!!. I wake up sweating and then pull everything off and drift off to sleep and then wake up cold and in pain. I put covers back on and then start all over again.

A big yes here especially when I go out. Seems everyone thinks the A/C has to be set to 65 during the summer. At restaurants I always request a seat as far from any vents as possible. I also set my own A/C to just low enough to remove the extra humidity but as little difference from the outside temp as possible so there is no shock to the system with sudden temp changes.

yes I do, I feel like im freezing sometimes in hot weather to, lol ! I am always under a blanket when the air conditioning is on!

I can’t bear having air of any temperature blowing on me — it instantly wreaks havoc either way and I have to get away from it ASAP.

It is very hot and humid where I live and that just wipes my out. I dread summer. Spring and Fall are my best times. I have to have a/c but I wake up cold then hot and kick off the blankets and then cold again. I thought I was still in menopause but after reading all your comments I guess it is the fibro. I have found that if I don’t have the a/c blowing directly on me I don’t hurt but I still keep waking up and I don’t get a good nights sleep. If I am somewhere and the a/c isn’t on high enough I get very nauseous, l and I am miserable.

I hate this thing they call fibromyalgia, I have all the same complaints as the rest. IS THERE A CURE??

I have suffered through this since i was little. I will be burning up during the summer then when i turn the fan on and its hitting me, my arms and legs start hurting and the pain almost makes me want to cry. I’m unable to concentrate on anything else but the pain. It will be scorching out and I have to be with the fan and a/c on but under the covers. During the night its like impossible to sleep comfortably, one minute its super hot and i have to take the covers off because i’m sweating a lot then a minute later i’m freezing and in pain. I always thought it was just me being too sensitive to everything. Not fun at all!

I wanna cry right now because I did think I was the only person in the world with this problem and my legs hurt real bad right now. I find my legs hurt less in the day. I can’t run the air conditioner in the summer I just have to sweat. I wear long under ware in the summer.I’ve had problems with the freezers at the market for some time now but the other day my legs hurt the whole time I was in the market. I’ve never received a CFS diagnosis because I don’t have great medical insurance and they will say the HIV is causing the CFS but I believe I have both HIV and CFS.

RE: Cheryl Kirby – (28)

You are experiencing the EXACT same symptons as I am. Now, I don’t feel like I am getting old or completely losing my mind.

I have a remoted fan, heater, and a/c all in my bedroom, I get no sleep! I wake up almost every hour in pain, sweating like a pig, hurting body aches and stiff joints. I am only 50 years old. My poor husband does not understand at I am going through or why. I am afraid that my craziness might be driving him away. I can’t help it. My mood swings, severe sweating, fatigue, changes periodically throughout the day, I get cold, then I get hot, then I get irritable, then I feel like I want to come out of my own skin! Then at night, it worsens. I feel like I wan’t to die sometimes, the feeling is really hard to describe. I may have one normal day out of a month, but sleeping an entire night without waking up every hour on the hour would be sometime I would love to experience again! Menopause SUCKS!

I think I am going to remove the fan from the bedroom and hide the remote to the a/c to see if the pain and stiffness at least subside. As far as getting a good night sleep – I don’t have a solution for that. Prayer, prayer, prayer and more prayer is my only solution to it all!

I can’t deal with the heat or humidity because I retain fluid and in turn that causes me to swell and have more pain. My face and eyes are affected the most with puffiness. I have to have the air on but then I’m cold so for me it is air plus my furry bathrobe. I know it sound’s crazy but it seem’s to be the only way to be somewhat comfortable !!!

It’s 4:45 am and I have been in pain all night. I had the fan in my window because it’s hot in the house. I cannot stand cold air or any air blowing on my skin!!! I turned the fan facing upward thinking that it might make a difference; however the temperature dropped slightly over night and my entire body has been aching ALL night. I had to turn the fan off and rub my body down with pain cream. Now I am in bed with the heating pad on; while it’s hot in the bedroom now! I had a difficult time during the winter with the cold air and thought the summer would be much better, until the air started to hurt my skin. I take jackets and throws wherever I go because I cannot deal with air conditioning or air from fans circulating around me. The only thing that makes this type of pain better for me is heat and pain rubs. (Which make me even hotter in the summer) I am currently on a treatment plan with fibromyalgia and fatigue centers and am much better than I have been in the past. I suggest reading the book from Fatigued to Fantastic; if you haven’t done so already. Best wishes and many blessings to all who are suffering!

So what can someone do? I don’t enjoy going places anymore because it is physically painful to be inside. I love outside. While everyone is sweating bullets, I am happy and comfortable. It is embarrassing to bring my blanket and sweatshirt everywhere, but without them Im painfully misserable. What else is there to do???

I don’t have Fibro, but i have osteo arthritis, and anemia bad. I have IBSC, and GERD, and Hiatal Hernia and 5 Gallstones. I need to get some help but my doctor has been, making me wait as I to see what they can do. Iy has been years but this year, 3/6/12, My Darling, Dad, passed away, and he lived with me for 23 years,i took care of him, and I am in horrid grief over him. I am 85 lbs, and cannot eat without pain, and nausea, and have to go to the bathroom. I am always freezing, and the A. C, Central air, is killing me.My face neck and teeth, and head hurt so bad,right now. My daughter and her husband live with me, now, and they need the air, but it is awful for me. I cannot go to a store or anyplace without shaking and freezing, then comes the pain..my pressure drops so bad, and then cannot warm myself up, or get rid of the pain for hours. What is this is there help for this, my family does not understand this, as I was never like this before, and thinks I need a therapist or operation, i pray for help, i don’t know how long i can go on like this and not eating, and freezing ect! Any suggestions please let me know, God Bless Us All! Ginger

After having surgery on my back and then having whiplash my body hates air con blowing on me, I have had lots of problems at work. I now have to wear a body warmer and a scarf, I also stick a throw away heat pack in my scarf each day to warm my neck up, people at work do not understand and I know exactly what everyone means when they say they recieve that look from people, you can see they think you are mad. They just don’t understand, when the pain/burning feeling on my shoulders and down my back start I cannot concentrate, the problem with the heat pad is although it warms up the area that is hurting the rest of me is overheating, reading everyone’s comments has comforted me a little, at least I know that I am not the only one. If only there was more that could be done for everyone, I went to the Canary Islands recently and it was bliss my body absolutely loved the hot weather, it was the best I have felt for a long time. To everyone out there I hope you all find relief. Take care

I suffer from Fibromyalgia and this ALWAYS happens to me! Also the reverse is true. If my hips are overheated then they ache so bad too
I constantly tell my hubby to turn off the air in the car because it blows right on my hands then they hurt so bad. I am the one outside on a hot day with a sweater on. Please just don’t get it!

I’m so glad to find this site. I had Hashimoto’s and had my thyroid removed. Also in a car accident that injured the left side of my head.

I cannot inhale A/C that is below 74 degrees. I get such awful spasms in my esophagus that it feels just like a heart attack. (I was sent to ER because they thought it was my heart). My solar plexus knots up until I can’t get my breath.

I cannot tolerate a/c on the side of my head that was injured. It will ache like the worst toothache I’ve ever had and then go numb clear down around my neck. It will stay numb for days.

You’re right….people think you’re weird and they don’t understand. Thankfully, my job people do and I have an office to myself with the a/c controls. They’ve also blocked off most of the vent above me so that it does not blow on my head. Anywhere else, I leave the place as soon as I feel the first hint of pain. It is just not worth it.

For me, air conditioning is a love/hate thing. My internal thermostat is out of whack and I have hot flashes and night sweats, so I need the a/c on to help me sleep. I’ve always liked a cool room to sleep in; I’d rather throw on an extra blanket than toss and turn all night because I’m too hot. Now, however, I can barely sleep more than an hour before I’m playing the “blanket off, blanket on” game.

On the other hand, I’m at work right now in my new office wearing long pants, crocs, a long sleeved shirt, and a sweatshirt. My space heater is running under my desk because my feet and legs are so cold I can barely walk. I have a heating pad in my drawer that I need to use when I don’t have the hood up on my sweatshirt. My windows are wide open because it’s over 80 degrees outside. And it’s barely tolerable in here because the a/c is blasting arctic air.

I literally feel sick. Every bone and muscle in my body aches from the cold and I can’t concentrate on anything except how cold I am. We’ve begged and pleaded to have the a/c turned down, but to no avail. Maybe it’s time to put in a complaint with the disabilities office.

I so wish my old co-workers could read this. I worked in a medical office doing billing, so my entire day was sitting at a desk, even in the winter they would have the ac on and I would be so cold my entire body would ache. It made me not even want to move. I had a hard time concentrating and would get so tired, my body would be exhausted. I have hypothyroidism, and fibro, so the cold really effects me. I also do get hot flashes after being put into surgical menopause, but honestly when the hotflashes come on I welcome them, they are the only thing that makes my body not tense up so much. Everyday going into work was torture, even wearing a sweater and sitting with a heating pad didn’t change the fact that the air was constantly blowing down on me. When I would complain I would get the smart answer to put some meat on my bones, since I was skinny and younger than most, my complaints were just annoying to them. It helps to hear that Im not crazy. Even at home we have the air set at 72 and once my husband leaves I turn it up to 74, its the only way I can really be comfortable. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories.

I’m glad I’m not alone. my husband thinks I’m nuts. I get severe toe, calf, back, and arm cramps in air conditioning. I can’t walk well till I go outside and and get in the hot sun. He keeps telling I need to have cold air on me. I think he wants to cripple me. My sinuses clog too I can’t take it. I want to live in my car.

Finally, people with the same problem. Regular room temperature makes my arms/legs ache if left uncovered for some time. So I always wear leggings and a long sleeve. When there is a/c, I have to wrap around in a blanket. I have lots of sweaters and blanket at work too.

I am still looking for a solution. But I discovered one thing that helps me. If I wear a tight cotton/stretchy shirt that really really hugs my body, then the air doesn’t get to me and I can survive much better. The interesting thing is that it doesn’t even have to be a warm shirt, but just something that really has a contact with my body and doesn’t let the air in too much inbetween. So I have started to wear one of these shirts under my shirt all the time and it helps a lot. As soon as I take it off for one day, I am starting to feel my back acting up again.

I am so glad I found this information. I thought I was the only one. I have just been diagnosis with Fibromyalgia. I just move to Tallahassee from Germany. In Germany Air Condition is not common so I did not have many problems with pain until the winter. However, now that I am in Florida I need to the air condition and I am suffuring a great deal. I started sitting with blankets or sweaters and socks. When the pain is really unbearable I sit with a heating pad covered with a large beach towel.

i am 98 and i sroke out win i get to cold. wake up burning up and haveing another sroke.pray for me.

I have had fibromyalgia for 30 years the weather changes have played havoc with my fybro. If I have a fan or a/c on and the air is blowing on my back I begin to ache mainly in middle of back and shoulders. I always have a heat pack with me as I find it helps with flare ups in these areas. So fed up with fybro!!!!

I am trying to get diagnosed properly with Fibromyalgia by the doctor. My rib cage hurts the worse and the doctor thinks I’m full of b.s. The heat outside makes me feel suffocated now, and the blowing cold air from my air conditioner and fans HURTS ME. I don’t get it!!!

I take a hot shower for a good ten minutes only hitting my back I wake up with fibro attacks on my back cuz of my AC was on and my back was facing it at a point at night! If u cover urself u get hot when u uncover ur so cold with chills instantly! I have noticed that a hot shower while scrubbing ur back arms with them in the air position of three mins each the. Pain goes away next thing u know u can breath without pain and finally lay down without that big hot knot on ur back! What first started as shingles is now fms

Sounds like Most of u r suffering with Hashimotos Disease!!!! God bless…get checked!

I have had fibro since i got what i thought was a bout of flu in 1988 since i was 25 just after my son was born.never been right since.i hate it it has ruined my life am always worse in the winter season improve slightly in the summer..change in weather seems to do it for me .central heating makes it worse so i tend not to have it on then end up getting too cold i turn the heating on and end up getting too hot and feels like am burning up like am going to set a light.it affects my head badly too am more unwell during the winter

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I arrived at this site because I knew there had to be a connection–I have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (the latter is much less severe than it was originally) but I ache all over most of the time. My problem is that I’m raising my 15-yr-old granddaughter who gives me lots of grief regarding air conditioning. She wants it on as much as possible, and that cold air blowing on me produces so much pain that I have to wrap up as if it were winter! Either that or go to my bedroom (where the vents are closed) and lie with my heating pad.

Just wondered if I was the only one with this problem! Thanks for any advice.

I have fibro and air conditioning has plauged me for years. It not only makes the pain worse but also gives me flulike symptoms. Aches all over, congestion, low grade fever, and a mild sore throat. When the a/c goes off my symptoms subside except for the “normal” fibro pain. I can’t bear the heat, but the a/c is torture. I have to bundle up in winter AND summer.