Summer teased us for a few days, but today it didn't get above 50 degrees until after 2 pm. Saturday evening rain and a cold front moved in. By Sunday it was cold and damp. I was exhausted and my limbs were very heavy. I didn't blame it on my fibro immediately. I had an extremely busy week. I could just be tired from all the activity.
By Monday I perked up. Although the temperatures remained in the 60s, the sun made an appearance. I felt pretty good. Rain came back that evening. During the night, I slept badly. I couldn't get comfortable, and my nerves were sending out all kinds of crazy signals. One minute my skin would ripple in various spots as though something were crawling on me, then I would get intense itching jumping from spot to spot--my neck, my arm, my chest. My whole nervous system seemed to be experiencing a short-circuit.
I was exhausted when I got up, but today was one of my market days. I needed to make five pies and pack for the farmers market. It was cold and rainy outside and the temperature was barely 50 early in the morning. I had things to do though and couldn't be dwelling on my fatigue, so I baked, then I sat down to work on a portrait I need to complete by next week.
After an hour, I noticed my upper back was aching. The fatigue was reminding me forcefully that it was still there. I was starting to feel nauseous from the discomfort. I had time for a brief nap, but it didn't really help. I just didn't feel good. No time to fret about it though, I needed to walk the dogs and head to the market.
Needless to say, I was a bit cranky when I got there. Although the sky was starting to clear, the wind was gusting. My brand new canopy, blew over my car. A number of vendors had to help me chase it down and set it back up. For awhile there, a warning rating was needed to let parents know that there might be adult language in my vicinity. Then the sun came out, the air warmed, and the wind settled, I started feeling much better.
A few weeks ago I discussed being a human barometer. This is a feeling that many people with fibromyalgia share. I start wondering what the health experts had to say on this subject. I couldn't find a lot of material, but interestingly enough, what I did find supported my feelings of being a human barometer.
According to the site, Fibromyalgia Symptoms, "Many fibromyalgia patients claim that changes in the weather directly affect many of their symptoms. In fact, many fibromyalgia sufferers claim that their symptoms vary according to temperature changes, changes in air pressure, and changes in precipitation in their part of their world." It goes on to state that five major weather conditions appear to affect fibromyalgia symptoms: temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, preciptitation, and wind.
Recently Joanie Hall of FARNY posted a link about the affects of sunshine on fibromyalgia, Sun Therapy for Fibro. In another of my posts, I claimed that sunshine makes me feel better. This article supports my claim. "The sun can soothe sore muscles and induces relaxation, but that's not all. A new study shows UV rays may also reduce fibromyalgia pain by triggering your skin cells to make more vitamin D." So although the weather can hurt, it can also heal.
I decided to see if anyone had researched the best places to live with fibromyalgia. This was inconclusive. It appears that many others wonder the same thing, but I couldn't find any research that studied the affects of region on fibromyalgia. I will be waiting eagerly for the conclusions if someone does study this.
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