Changing Temperatures, Changing Habits With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

i do the same thing i got my hospital socks those really work its raining right now and my hands r killing me i have rayuand’s too along w/the fibro and other things it’s almost that time for old man winter to come i get soooo depressed when it comes but im still blessed have a good and pain free night

The changing weather has been a big concern with me. Not just warm to cold but also storms. I have gone off all my prescription meds. for Fibromyalgia since I have been seeing Dr. Greg Ling in Muskegon, Michigan. I remember counting my days as to how many bad days have I had in a row. Now, I have more good days than bad, I’m so thankful I found this doctor. He is a healing physician. We need more just like him! I just can’t say enough about him. I wish everyone with Fibro could see him. He is amazing! I’m so glad I was able to stop taking those meds. I think we can all be be med free if we give Drs. like the one I found a chance. Please try. You won’t be sorry.

Cindy,
Do you have any other conditions or diseases? Does your insurance cover the treatments? I truly have tried to go to doctors like this. I was looking forward to acupuncture to help with my pain, but all the doctor could focus on was my diet. We spent each session of about an hour simply discussing what I ate. When I asked when I was going to get the acupuncture (which another doctor had REFERRED me for) he mumbled something about diet and acted rather funny. I quit going. I have had therapy before… I needed pain relief. Also, I can’t afford supplements and therapies such as acupuncture, acupressure, etc. If insurance doesn’t cover it, I’m stuck. I have to work outside the home to get medical insurance. We aren’t all able to go to doctors like this because, no offense, some are just quacks just after your money, and without financial assistance, a lot of us simply can’t afford it! Glad for you though.

Cindy, you are so right. I came off all the meds years ago and have gone it alone in this thought for the most part. I wish there were more Dr’s here in Florida that thought the way your Dr. does. We do not work the same way a regular person does………..

I found the med’s made me ultimately worse, and when you look at the ratio of benefit to side effects, there was not question to stop the medications and learn to watch the signs that my body is telling me. I have changed my diet, this helps, but also knowing your triggers, and balancing your day is important.

I am also using the guide, Eat 4 Your Type which tells you all about what is good or not good for healing foods for your blood type. I am slowly integrating this. This is not to say that we will not be in pain, but now it is Excedrin Back and Body instead of a narcotic.

I also suffer with the feet! I think we all do. Keeping ahead of it helps, but not perfect! It is always a challenge to live with this disease, but I feel that at least it is on my terms.

Thanks for sharing, it always gives me hope to know others are like me, and are going it without drugging. Have a blessed day.. gini

My life with fibro changed when I discovered the book “fibromyalgia, Up close and Personal” by Dr. Pellegrino. It covers everything and it works!!!! You can find it on Amazon.com.

Cindy, what exactly is it your Dr. has done to help make such a difference?

I rub Voltaren gel on my feet and hands. The only thing that works quickly for me. Even carry a tube with me. It works so quickly and so well at easing the pains from old breaks and pins in my ankle. Love it.

Cindy to Cindy, I too what to know what your doctor did that made such a difference. Please let us know. Thank you!

So how, in fact, WERE you able to get off meds?

I too determined to get off pain meds because the side effects were literally ruining my life after 3 years of constant medicating on multiple drugs multiple times a day. My body (vision, stomach, digestion) could no longer tolerate it. I am seeing a chronic pain clinic that urged eventually to reduce pain meds but I had to do it before they even envisioned it. I agree that the first two weeks were hard and some headaches rebounded but I am finding more relief in acupuncture from a Traditional Chinese M.D., but it is as you stated not paid by insurance. In my case, we had a car accident and hope one day to be compensated for medical expenses, even if I may never totally be pain free. I am still on work leave because of pain sitting. But, pt and chiro, massage, decompression treatments all fell short when my muscles were so tight from the trauma of a severe impact car accident. If any are on Lexapro or similar, I caution of the spiral of coming off these meds (which they do warn you), it was literally like a crack addict in terms of dealing with the withdrawl and St. Johns has helped me cope without the addition of a prescritipion Lexapro and the like. Reading the side effects of the pain meds is enough to cause anxiety!

This is definitely my issue–caused me to move to a warmer climate, and I’m certainly thankful for it.

My items:
1) Cube heater just in case–get ultra-warm quickly in case I get set back (my cold sensitivity is such that if I don’t get to solving it in time, I’ll feel absolutely awful until I put on tons of layers or sit right in front of a heater and then wait for quite a while; the cube heater speeds me up to recovery unlike other remedies (hot drinks are pretty helpful too, but not quite as much)).
2) Multiple layers of t-shirts, even socks, and most importantly by far for me, multiple layers of long underwear

I don’t have any stabbing feelings (I only have CFS, not fibromyalgia, maybe that’s why), but a long time of suffering, I realized I could detect the very subtle “leaking” of heat by sensing where in my body was not quite warm enough. I don’t actually feel cold until things get bad, so it is good to be able to detect it and then force myself as aggressively as my fatigue permits (making sure the layers are always available) to add the layers I need quickly when I detect where I need it. Of course, the chest, head, and legs are the most critical (a lack of hats is enough to set me back), but I do find a need for gloves, scarves, and extra socks too, even while when I was normal, I had no need for that.

I too, suffer terribly when it gets cold. Which is really a shame since I live in Wisconsin, where we only seem to have 3 months of warm weather a year. Dressing in layers, and avoiding getting chilled in the first place helps. Once I’m cold it takes forever to warm up. I also never drink cold liquids as this immediately drops my body temperature, so even water needs to be room temperature. I love big thick socks and wear them all winter, even to bed.

I have the opposite problem as most of you–I get overheated rather than cold. Before I developed the Fibromyalgia, I was always cold…now, I WANT to be cold. I am constantly hot and sweaty and drinking ice cold drinks and doing whatever I can to cool off. It’s still in the 90’s & occassionally the upper 80’s here. I can’t wait for January when it actually begins to get cold here.

I’m the exact same way. Much above 70 and I’m really uncomfortable. I hate being sweaty, I hate humidity. Before I got hurt and got FM from that, I was always *freezing*! It took forever for me to warm up, I was always turning up the heat, but now I need it to be cool in my room, so i can get under blankets, have cool air on my face and my feet. I can’t stand having anything on my feet, I hate socks, blankets are never tucked in at the foot of the bed. I used to wear socks ALL the time, slippers in winter, hoodies in winter, thermals under jeans at all times in winter, now I don’t want all those clothes layers on me, I need access to a blanket but it’s not always over me. It’s so weird. I’m very thin, low body fat %, I feel like how I was before I got FM makes far more sense for my body type. The thermostat is now always at 65 in winter, unless we have an ice storm warning and I need to make sure it’s warm enough in here to last the outage.

I thought I was the only one that has FM that does not like the heat. Most people I have heard of with FM hates the cold and is much worse. I am the opposite, The heat and humidity makes me want to lay down in an air cond. and do nothing. I do not want to go outside and play or do anything. I just do not feel good when I am sweating, just drained. Love the cold weather, I feel so much better. I want to go outside and play,I hate socks and pants. If I go outside and its really cold, I’ll wear long sleaves and long pants, after I get home I have to take them off and let my skin breath.
With having FM my joints do ache in cold but over all I feel so much better, so it is ok, Cymbalta and Celebrex really helps.

I too cannot handle the heart and look forward to the cooler temps. I live in northern Michigan and it does get very cold in the winter but I love it. I do however have to wear extra layers but on my feet usually. The season changes are a tough time but once I’ve gotten accustomed to them and take action to make the climate better, I’m ok. Fall is a great season for me. I cannot tolerate temps above 80F along with high humidity and barometric pressure changes. Thanks for writing in Amber and Valerie, I don’t feel like the only one anymore.

I also have Raynaud’s disease. I bought a product online that works very well to help warm up cold hands and feet. It’s called “Thermomax Warm Cream” and it’s available at Footsmart.com.

What is Raynaud’s disease? Thanks

In the past I only suffered with extremes. Hot and humid in the summer were the worst but in winter if I had a hard time getting warm in seemed to over tax me. Now for the first time the change in weather to fall temperatures has given me the worst flareup in years. Fall and Spring used to be my best time

I’m a lot like Brett. I’ve even worn a hat and mittens to bed!
I’m also like Valerie and can just as easily become overheated – and quickly. Iced coffee and iced water only.

Humidity for me is the worst: with heat I can’t breathe or move, with cold I’m in pain and can’t move. (Have to be careful with A/C.)

I use Icy Hot on my hands, feet, joints, muscles, wherever. It really helps me. There are generic types. I believe the most menthol is the best, at least for me.
(I feel like the father in “My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding” he used Windex for everything, I use Icy Hot.)
I also always loved hot showers before I got CFIDS and Fibromyalgia but found I became exhausted since diagnosis. I read that hot water is not good for CFIDS so reluctantly I’ve turned the temp down and it has helped me but I do miss it when I”m really cold.
You might also want to be careful with heating pads, electric blankets and even electric mattress covers. ( I’ve had them all.) They feel so good but also can drain the energy right out of you.
Layering clothing is really helpful unless I’m in a cold, hot cycle then I’m exhausted from tearing things off only to put them back on again! Thank goodness we can laugh!

I have been going through ups and downs with my CFS since the last two weeks of September. Why, well the weather keeps changing here in New England. The humidity in the summer gets me really tired, but as soon as the weather goes from mild to cool to cold, well, I feel so exhausted, I ache, I wear socks to bed to keep my feet warm, and now for some reason, my legs seem to ache so much, and my knees feel like they are going to burn inside from the pain. This is something new this year. Tomorrow, it should be 70 and humid here, after being in the low 60’s today, so I am ready for another change with mother nature and with my body!

I’m not sure I have a good time of year. With fibro, migraines and osteoarthritis there is always something aggravated by the weather.

I need a place to move to that stays about 70 degrees, never has big barometer changes, occasional gentle rains, isn’t too humid or to dry, has clean air, lots of shade but no pollen.

When someone finds that, please let me know and I’ll have my bags packed in an hour!

its called heaven!

I, too, go through the routine of taking the sweater off because I’m too warm, then grab for it 3 or 4 minutes later, because I’m chilled. I used to work in a lab with no heat source, other than the equipment, and no insulation in the walls. I worked in a jacket and hat, and added thin gloves when I sat down to work at the computer.

My feet seem to get particularly cold in the evening, and going to bed with icy painful feet is a guarantee of no sleep. I discovered last winter that a heating pad works perfectly. I know that they warn you not to cover a heating pad, or sleep with it, but I have one that turns off automatically after an hour. Shortly before I’m expecting to be in bed, I tuck it under the covers at the foot of the bed, and turn it on to the medium setting. When I get into bed, I put my feet on top of the pad. If I get too warm, I can remove one or both feet from the pad. If I get cold again during the night, I can reset the pad for another hour of warmth.

I am so glad this subject was raised. I have problems with cold feet and hands quite often, but the rest of my body is covered with sweat most of the time. The slightest movement, exertion, stress or effort triggers it, and it lasts and lasts. I have started to wonder if my heart is bad, it seems like I heard this can be a symptom. Maybe it is just the fibro/cfs, though.

I am now very sensitive to hot weather, whereas this was never the case before CFIDS. When the temp goes above 75 I start to sweat. Before I know it I have to jump in a cool shower and lie down in an a/c bedroom. It’s almost as if I can’t bear to be hot and sweaty for another minute. It’s a very desperate and unpleasant feeling.

Does anyone feel so alone, that family and friends dont understand give a toss, I know I can be dying with pain and my kids just say dont wallow in self pity and this is after a day of working even thoug i have been killed with pain god i’m so stupid when i think of it trying to keep working to leave my kids with something and yet they dont give me time of day if they do do someting they dont forget it the daught afraid to break a nail and the son to busy he couldn have time to have a cup of tea with me and if he does stop its me has to make the tea

I can be hot and sweaty yet have cold bones inside. But the worst surprise I had was wanting an air conditioner so badly for years for the hot, humind summers, finally getting one and then developing so much pain when it is on for any length of time that I have to regulate its use and put up with the hot and sweaty all over again. What a let down, at a price too.

I agree with Tizzy, I have the same three conditions, Fibro,osteoarthritis, and migraines but my migraines have neurological tendencies( which has had ER thinking I was having a stroke). I have problems with both heat and cold so it seems to be a no win situation sometimes. As I type all of me except my feet are warm and sweaty…my feet are like ice it’s 80 degrees, suppose to be about 89. I have several pair of house shoes and keep them in different locations where I need them(computer, living room. I even have a pair in the laundry room b/c it is close to the kitchen) with FibroFog I would either forget what I went to my bedroom and it would take a couple of trips sometimes to get them or within minutes I didn’t need so I was putting them away. I put them on when I came into computer room BUT they haven’t warmed yet!In cooler weather I have a sweater located in the area’s also. I get off balance when too hot and have needle prick like pain when I am cold so if anyone finds that perfect place for Tizzy PLEASE let me know also…I will be packed myself!I hope everyone has a managable weekend!

I hurt in the cold weather and get sick in the heat of the summer. In the sold weather I layer my clothes, in the heat I drink cool liquids ALL the time and “try” not to get too hot.

I have cold and heat sensitivity. The cold makes my joints hurt and also my face. My cheeks and chin really ache when I get out in cold weather. The heat makes me sweat to the point my hair is wet at the roots. If I am walking around or slightly exerting myself my hair will be wet from root to end and my hair is moderately long. It is extremely frustrating to say the least. When I am very cold I do have a pair of long johns that were supposed to be made for fibromyalgia. They are knit with ceramic fibers. I can put those on and they will help warm me up. I also use a heating pad in bed to warm my feet. I wish I could find a solution for the heat sensitivity. It really makes me miserable. Any suggestions

I too suffer from heat and cold as well as weather changes – storms. The heat makes me sick on my stomach, even hot showers which feel so good on my body. Cold makes me ache so terribly. I’ve got a rice heating pack that I fashioned one night when I had nothing else around that is so wonderful. Better than a heating pad. I’d like to get the Therm-A-Vest. Wish I could have a whole bodysuit made of the rice heating pack.

Ann, I’d love to hear more about the long johns made for fibromyalgia. Sounds interesting.

Blessings to you all.

I have the same problem as Tizzy except I (luckily) do not have migraines. When u find that place let me know!

I’m miserable year round regarding the temperature thing. I literally have not found one public place in my community that isn’t freezing with “over air conditioning” right now, i have on 4 layers, INDOORS! at the library! and my winter scarf is next to me, but unusually not on my neck. this is the only room in the library where i’m not absolutely miserable. top that off with a fall and winter climate, and the only place i can go to warm up, is a sun warmed car, or my apt.

All I can say right now is, the Fall.

Oh, yes!!!! My bones are my barometer!!! I can tell that it will be rainy in the near future, even if it is presently sunny. The coldness in the hands and feet are particularly painful too. My feet ached so badly two nights ago even though the house’s heat was on 72. The pain felt exactly like the feeling when I was a teenager and had been iceskating for 2 hours….the skates came off and the toes were so painful like they were “frostbitten”. And how about our noses….ICE COLD…and it’s only October, guys!!!!

I never seem to have a comfortable time of the year. I’m either in pain, sweating, feeling like I’m going to vomit or pass out…It’s always something. If I get too cold, the pain and fatigue set in to stay for the long haul. I have chronic migraines that can be affected by temperature as well.

Two years ago, we were fortunate enough to be able to purchase a far-infrared sauna. I love it. The dry heat is wonderful for pain and detox. I use it in the evenings, so I’m nice and warm for bed. I’m in Ontario, and am always cold, and it’s comforting to know that at some point in the day I CAN get warm. Winter is a little less daunting to me now.

Wow. As I read message boards like this, I gradually learn that something else going on in my body that was a mystery is just another aspect of fibro. Like Valerie from Texas, I went from spending the first 55 years of my life cold to being warm all the time, to the point of overheating, except my feet, which are still always cold. I can only fall asleep with my feet on a heating pad. As for the hot, I try not to overexert — pushing a vacuum cleaner across a room brings on a red and sweaty face — and I wear sleeveless tops for the first time in my life. My hair is very short, so, easy to towel off when my scalp perspires. No makeup in the summer; it melts right off. And cold drinks and fruit.

I have a big problem with air-conditioning as well!
It hurts my skin so bad, and makes my bones ache!
I have mine on 80 at home, but any place else I don’t understand how people are comfortable being so cold?
I can’t stand too much heat either, my heart starts beating too fast, and I sweat profusely. I can be sweaty and my skin too cold at the same time!
All of this started when I first came down with Fibro, at the time I didn’t know what was wrong I was almost fainting going out in Summer weather that never bothered me before.
I was finally diagnosed, now if we could just have,not a cure i know, but something that really helps us fight these oddities !

Does anyone else get develop a sudden slight fever spike and cold hands? They occur simultaneously You can warm your colder than normal hands, on your warmer than normal forehead. It seems to happen more likely when there is a pressure front approaching. Incident wont last long and it isn’t the flu; seems to correspond with rapid weather changes.

My feet stay frozen 12 mos. out of the year. I have to wear 3 pairs of socks and slippers 24/7, and at night I sleep with an extra blanket (folded so that there are several layers) just over my feet. The strange part is that from just under my knees on up I’m hot 24/7 – all 12 months – and dress very lightly, night and day. Sometimes I sleep in the nude because I’m so hot. I sweat heavily – especially from my head and neck – from the least exertion. I suppose my meds have something to do with the sweating, but I don’t understand the constant cold feet. My hands are of normal temperature.

I have FMS & Raynaud’s. Winter is my worst time – I joke to friends/family that I’m a bear and hibernate during winter. But it’s not far off. I tend to spend the whole winter in bed, under my electric blanket. It’s not the best choice, since I’m on a fentanyl patch, but I’m very careful.

My worst is when I get chilled on the outside, my skin feels like frozen meat, but have a furnace blasting in my chest, as my body tries to desperately warm me up. My limbs get so cold and painful during that time, and yet my face will be sweating from the heat inside. The ONLY cure is to take a very long hot bath to equalize my temperature. Again, not the best thing with the fentanyl but I’ve talked to my doctor and he said as long as I’m not doing for hours on end, it should actually help, by releasing a bit more medicine to combat the pain. Just don’t stay in a hot tub for hours, he said! And with the electric blanket, I keep a few layers between me and it, so there’s no chance it of it over heating my patch.

I end up planning the things I want to do for summer. To make it worse, I have seasonal affective disorder and low vitamin D levels — so the lack of sunlight just does me in. So I read books and zoom the internet in the winter, and have try to be more active in summer.

This describes me exactly only I use heat pads and hot water bottle.

I’m new to this blog, but I have had these symptoms mostly in the last 10 years or so. I’ve had fibro since the early 70s and was formally diagnosed in the late 80s. I also have arthritis, diabetes, interstitial cystitis, blah blah blah. I had a hysterectomy in 2000 but still had the symptoms when I was on HRT. Glad to know it is probably more my fibro than I thought. It’s hard to keep all my symptoms straight and with my fog it isn’t easy.

I clicked the link to an article about Giardia, which I very much want to read. What came up was the section on temperatures. Can this be fixed? I want to show my naturopath the information about Giardia. j

I am in Ohio, the weather is a huge issue. I can be in yoga pants and change into shorts after a warm beverage, or maki.g the bed. My toes,fingers, and ears are always cold, and my core is uncomfortably warm. My extremities hurt in the winter & winter jackets cause my core to sweat. I can be freezing & sweating under my knees at the same time. I will need gloves and ear muffs when it is 50 out, but wearing light clothing. I keep a range of gloves around, thick and thin. I layer with thin zip ups and remove them as I go from hot to cold & back again. I can handle warm weather better,but still bring a zip up for cold air conditioned environments. I keep several different shades of sunglasses in my car too, even in winter. I have fibro,severe pmdd\perimenopause and systemic lupus,so I live minute to minute, and can not commit to anything because I go from good to bad in a moments time. I layer with light blankets, removing as I get too warm, adding as I get cold. A cup of tea can take the chill away, but can make me too warm. I need circulation in a room or car. The vent or ceiling fan. I am constantly adjusting the temperature through out the day. I place my ice cold hands around my neck to cool off when feeling too warm. I am very particular about breathable fabrics.

It’s not only the cold for me. It’s the rainy weather that really gets to me. Today it’s pouring and it has been off and on for a couple of days. I ache and have pain all over and the worst headache. I am also suffering from a herniated disk in my lower back which isn’t helping matters. Please Mr. Sun , come back out and play!!!! lol

I hate the change – my low back, ankles and feet are tough but the absolute worst is the sleeping – I am on disability but work PT and I am on my feet as I work as an outside sales rep. I have to slow down but as a single mom – Disability only gets us so far. I am so glad that I found a site that “gets me”.

I alway’s feel overheated. High humidity and high dew point’s make me retain fluid and feel awful. In early fall I feel horrible(don’t know why) and it usually last’s all winter. I first became sick in the Fall and two other people I know that suffer with ME/CFS/FM also first became sick in the Fall. I wish you all well and let’s HOPE for answer’s SOON !!!!

Overheating, sweating and the feeling of being extremely cold are very common symptoms of fibro. As well as being affected by temperature changes, humidity and weather changes such as storms.
I have been working with a group trying to develop strategies to deal with the symptoms for years but it seems that it is one aspect of the illness that reacts quickly and often without warning.
It is not an uncommon symptom and one that often people overlook simply because they do not consider it to be a symptom of fibro.
Our group found that whenever possible the best way was to prepare for situations that you know will cause your symptoms to increase/change. And, when you cannot control it and become overheated/cold then it is best to respond to that as quickly as possible to reverse the ongoing effect it creates on other symptoms.

Has anyone experienced when taking a shower that the veins and capillaries in your hands, arms and feet become so visible it looks like someone drew them on with a blue marker? It goes back to normal quickly when I get out of the shower. I haven’t seen this symptom mentioned anywhere before and not sure if it’s fibro related.

Denise, Funny you mention this because just the other day when I got out of the hot shower i noticed my legs looked like they were getting varicos veins. But I wondered because it wasn’t just in my calfs, it was all over my legs and my brests. It was weird for me to see that. Considering it was not painful and I was running late as usual, i didn’t give it a second thought till now. (I’ve been diagnosed with Lupus 6 years ago and recently been diagnosed with Fibro. Currently trying Savella)

Adrienne,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I really need this post tonight. We are having unusually warm weather here in IL this week and I have been super warm all week! And the air conditioner is on the fritz at work. Sweating one minute and chilled the next. I love knowing I’m “normal” at least in the fibro community. Reading your posts and the comments always make me smile and feel 100% better. Please keep writing.
Love you all!

I am the odd man OUT who relishes the cooler weather. Being in Oregon, our temperatures are much milder than those in the rest of the country. We’re currently in the low 50’s at night and mid-high 60’s during the day. Perhaps it’s my various medications, diabetes or gastroparesis, (I’m 10 yrs past menopause), but I sweat excessively. My hair and face are soaked almost all of the time. I used to love to hug my family and friends, now I’m just embarrassed and apologizing. I LOVE THE BEACH, and have been spending more and more time over there, often alone. Others don’t like the wind and “marine air” (sprinkles) and I just CRAVE IT. We don’t get much for freezing weather but it does get down into the 30’s. If I have to, I wear a light fleece jacket – but it’s rare. I hardly ever wear sweaters, gloves or hats. Our furnace is set at 63 degrees and doesn’t come on much until the end of October. One REALLY nice thing is we have heated tile floors in the bathroom and a heated toilet seat – and I have to say, I do like those niceties.
What I notice with the changing weather is the lymph nodes in my armpits and down the inside of my arms to my elbows are highly inflamed every Autumn. My doctor has said she’s never heard of this weird symptom, but I swear it has to do with FMS.

“High fives” on preferring the cold, loving Oregon’s temperatures, and hanging out at the beach despite the wind. I have always had somewhat of a heat sensitivity since I was a kid. I came down with fibro about six months after my hysterectomy. Which of these two conditions (or both) caused me to become even more heat sensitive than before. I love the feeling of thick blankets on yet I get too hot so can’t enjoy multiple blankets until it gets really cold. I may hurt more when I go outside in the colder weather yet it beats trying to survive the summer heat. I pray for fall/winter each summer and it didn’t used to be that way. I moved to KS from Oregon last Spring and almost baked myself from the heat and humidity. I PRAY I get back to Oregon by next summer to a land of beauty and good weather.

We are moving from Pennsylvania to Portland, OR in the near future. I have wondered how this might affect my Fibro and Chronic Fatigue, so it is great and reassuring to read your comments. I have visited my daughter,who lives in Portland, at various times of the year and usually feel good while I’m there. I’m hoping that the milder climate will work for me. The change of weather here in PA is always difficult. I’m already wearing socks to bed!!

Hello all fellow fibromyalgia suffers,

For me the worst time of the year is the time the weather changes in the fall to the time spring comes around and all that’s in between. Summer and the heat is my best friend. When the weather is changes it’s a painful time also. I can tell you that the weather is changing before it happens. I have to remember at those times to know my limits and adjust my activities so I can tolerate the pain better. Keep active my fellow suffers and keep a good attitude. HUGS

At the moment I am having the worst flare up of fibro/cf I have ever had. The change in temp is leaving me in a lot of pain, I also have rheumatoid arthritis in my fingers and other places. I just want to cry with the pain, I have been to see my GP what a waste of time. My husband bought me a pup who is 7month, who needs lots of exercise. As Evonne suggested I will be trying to keep active this winter if nothing else.

I’m very sensitive to temperature changes, changed in humidity levels, and especially low pressure fronts. If the weather makes a big change during the night, I wake up feeling like I’ve been run over by a Freightliner. Once we settle into a weather pattern for a few days, things level out. I feel the best when it’s warm and low humidity, and the worst when it’s warm and very humid. Since I live on the north Oregon coast, I don’t get warm and low humidity very darn often. LOL! I’m a big fan of fleece, and even have a pair of fleece pants. I always have a fleece pullover hanging on the back of my chair, and a moist heating pad has taken up permanent residence on my chair, as well. I start my day there, end it there, and visit it when I can throughout the day for 5-10 minutes, which I found helpful.

Hi everyone!

I have had same problem!!! I thought it was just me. And it used to be just winter then spring and summer. I hate summer cause going from extreme heat go into grocery store is extremely painful!!!

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 2001. I don’t want anything to do with winter!!!! No way!! Now I’m in pain all the time, which sux. Now the pain goes through all four seasons! I don’t want to worry anyone cause not everyones body is the same. Plus for the last year I’ve been real bad. I’m on a few pain meds.which does help some but causing me severe constipation. I have tried magnisum citrate, this Rx powder, I’m bloated and look pregnant. Seems like they work for a while, then quits working. I think I have blockage oin my bowels and gas blockage. Does anyone have same problem???

I sleep with socks at night when I get cold. Cause my feet seem like ice when I get cold and the weather changes. I know notice that I sweat more in the summer than I have ever had before! I just keep myself in the house with the ac as much as possible. And I live in NH!

Fall and winter are the worst for me. Fall comes and my level of functioning drops significantly. I need to have warm / hot baths every night to truly get warm and stay warm. I helps ease the pain, helps me relax and sleep at night. Having hot baths and using medicated pain ointments is some of the only relief I get cause meds don’t mix well with me. I wear socks all year round since my feet are always cold. My home is kept very warm and if it drops 5 degrees my pain level increases significantly.

I also prefer cold weather to hot–I have more energy!–but there’s no denying that cold weather makes me ache more! Also, my hands and feet ache when they get cold. I heat partially with wood, and prefer my house cool, so I rely heavily on microwaveable “bean bags,” especially to keep my feet and neck warm. I have a whole collection, all sizes and shapes, most of which I get from mothercatco.com–they are made by a collective of stay at home mothers, so I like to buy from them, and they will make them to order. They make narrow beanbags with long straps that you can wrap around your neck or waist, so they stay on when you move around–i have two and use them all the time. I also LOVE my sheepskin slippers, which I get from newzealandnaturecompany.com–you can replace the innersoles, so they last longer. Those and merino wool socks (the only kind of wool I can tolerate!) get me through the winter. I also wear fleece sweaters, but since I’ve gone through menopause, I have hot flashes, so sometimes the fleece makes me too hot ie can’t wear fleece socks. Menopause has definitely made this more complicated, but my motto is: “Never give up, never surrender!” Galaxy Quest (the Movie!)

I have huge problems with temperature. I can go from freezing to boiling over in a second. I always layer & am constantly putting clothes on & taking them off again. I am better in summer , when I am dressed lighter the sweat dries without getting your clothes all damp & clammy feeling.It drives me crazy!! At night I sleep with the remote for the fan turning it on & off all night. Our winters are so cold & make me hurt. I live in my Ugg boots year round cause my feet (& hands) are almost always frozen. If my digestive symptoms are worse so are the fluctuations in temp.

My heart goes out to all of you and I certainly feel your pain-I have not been able to regulate my body temp in yrs. I used to love the summer-laying in the sun was medicinal, my mind and mood were so much better, however I cannot tolerate the heat anymore and my allergies have gotten bad. I never did like the cold, but now I simply cannot tolerate it either. I often feel like a prisoner in my house-in the summer I stay in b/c I need to be in the A/C(even tho I’m in layers of clothes and have a blanket over me most of the time)and in the winter-I’m just too dam cold which of course exacerbates the pain so I am still in prison mode. Spring and fall used to be my best times, however, Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be playing fair and the seasons seem to run into each other.
It is truly helpful to read what others are experiencing-makes me feel less crazy. LOL! It was thru this blog that I learned the pain in my feet was associated w/the fibro and that the reason I couldn’t exercise anymore was due to post exertion malaise(PEM). Don’t you just hate when well meaning ppl tell you to just exercise b/c you’ll feel better–that used to be the case, but it’s not anymore. Even a trip to Costco put me out of commission for 5 days-truthfully, I don’t know what was worse the fibro/the CFS-they both suck! And, of course, my symptoms went thru the roof after I had hernia surgery in June.
I have only been able to work 1 day/wk for over 2 yrs now,it helps to get out of the house, but I’m always anxious that I won’t make it in, then the next day is sheer hell. My boss has been great, my family and friends are as supportive as they can be, altho I know they get frustrated b/c I’m always cancelling plans. I don’t think they understand just how awful it is to cancel an outing/how much worry and anxiety that comes w/that.
Thank you Adrienne for this forum and thank you all for your wisdom. Blessings, Cindy G.