HMS + Weather

[Lainey]

I tend to be worse in the cold. I am unable to function for most of the winter!

That said, its been fairly hot for the last wee while....well hot for Scotland anyway! And I am not doing so well right now. I am in a lot of pain, more so than normal and its knocked me for six.

I do think the weather does play a part in how bad it can but I am not sure my pain is directly related to the weather unfortunately. Otherwise I'd be on the first plane out to the warmest country I could think of!

Lainey

[lil_miffy]

I seem to be the opposite of everyone else. Im much worse in hot weather. The past few weeks have been hell for me. It seems that the hot weather makes my joints much more lax so they are subluxating and disloating loads more. my left knees and ankles are really bad at the moment. my pain is also much worse (probably as a result of the joints being more unstable).

I also get overheated and can't tolerate the heat at all. even if im in my flat not wearing anything i feel like im in a suana wearning ten jumpers.

I could really do with some tips on how to get my body to cool down.

[Chloe♥]

Just some observations that I've picked up around the place...

Changes in pressure seem to make people more sore
Damp weather is generally considered bad for arthritis. Makes joints stiffer, more painful, less mobile. (Depends on how HMS affects/has affected you, I guess).
Warm weather makes you wobbly.

I think the brilliant (massive inverted commas) thing about HMS is that it causes such a range of symptoms (injuries, muscle strain, joint issues, early-onset osteoarthritis...) that ANY change in weather does SOMETHING to you...

[Shadowlady]

Hey hey Lilmiffy, x

I know quite a few peeps who struggle with their HMS in the heat, so you're not on your own hun. x I get a bit looser, but if my joints come out easily, they go back easily, it's more of an annoyance for me than a massive problem so long as I keep hydrated.

If I get dehydrated, which I do stupidly easily; like a sponge in the sun, I really do over-heat and it's horrible. I can't cool down unless I have a cool shower and that doesn't last long at all. I drink huge amounts in the hot weather, very many pints, and that helps me a lot. As does a rehydration drink I make with half juice, half water and a touch of salt. My body absorbs that more easily than plain water, and it replaces some lost salts and minerals. I also like to fill my plant mister with cold water and spray my legs to save my body the effort of making sweat! Lovely when you sit with a breeze
on you.

Interestingly (or not if you're not into that kind of thing! ), the body's temperature sensors that decide whether to make your body heat or cool itself are in your neck. So if you have a cool neck and hot body, your body will feel the cool and work to warm up your whole body just because your neck is cool. Apparently the temperature of drinks can effect this too, so an ice cold drink can cool your neck, which could then make your body warm itself. Sounds really wrong doesn't it?! So... maybe you could try wearing a scarf and drinking lots of nice hot tea... Or maybe not! I love hot drinks any time, but I've never tried a scarf!

Hope you find something that helps soon love x
S

[Stone]

I'm bad in the heat too, it's not just you. I describe it as wilting as I feel all floppy and useless

Irritatingly my other half feels the cold so we end up with stupid situations like this morning as we were driving to work, her with the heating on full blast and me with all my vents closed and the window down

Stone

[WinonaLemonade]

it's an air pressure thing for me, i get headaches and just feel worse when the air pressure is low. like before a thunderstorm, it is quite common i believe

[ombili]

I also do not do well in the heat. For the past several days I have needed to sleep approximately 13 hours a day! Maybe I will put a scarf on...

Right now I am in a small room with the air con blowing and I still feel hot. Why oh why do I live in Texas?

[Purplesheep]

I've always hated hot weather, mainly because my circulation goes haywire. I feel dizzy and exhausted all the time, and feel like I will faint if I move around a lot, or sometimes just from getting up. I used to have low blood pressure problems as a teenager but now it only happens in the heat. I also get a horrible heat rash on my fingers and wrists overnight, which I now think might be related to the skin sensivitity that comes with HMS. I'm also really sensitive to direct sunlight when it's hot, I can't stand it at all and start feeling nauseous and faint very quickly. No idea why this is or if it's related.

I don't mind wet weather that much, but I also usually get cold very quickly. Any change in weather also makes things worse. My ideal place would be somewhere cloudy and rainy with no extreme temperatures - Scotland, probably

[sueiz]

another thing I thought was "normal" & "just the way I am" that's connected to HMS! I find extremes of temperature make me worse but especially theheat - I've always joked it was because of my Celtic blood, but now I realise it's my connective tissue disorder lol!

On days when it's hot I feel all swollen, listless and floppy somehow, like all my muscles have gone on strike, and seem to get heat exhaustion very quickly - not helpful since i work in a care home for the elderly who all complain if you let a single breath of fresh air in. And now, although the cooler day was a relief to start with, the sudden drop in temperature is making my muscles ache and feel like they're about to cramp, especially my calves and thighs.

in winter, i can sometimes go for days never being warm, even indoors when everyone else sat around in t-shirts! My body temp regulator goes haywire sometimes, and does seem to get worse depending on what my hormones are up to!!

The joys of HMS....

[victoria]

I'm also much worse in the heat. I overheat easily and can get heat exhaustion if I stay in a place that's too hot for too long. This has been a hot summer and a difficult one. I also get limp and wobbly-I call it "limp dishrag" effect.I definitely wilt. It gets worse, though. If I overheat I can become disoriented and confused, and eventually I stop sweating. A new issue this summer is that if it gets too humid and the air quality is bad I have trouble breathing. I also get heat rash and various other unidentified rashes in the heat.
I got heat exhaustion at work on July 4, which was well over 90 F, and haven't really recovered well. I'm fine if conditions are good but seem to be weaker than ever if it's really hot and humid out. This has been a hot summer and a very trying one. The hottest day we've had here so far was 102 F (39 C) !

Cold weather has its dangers too, chiefly freezing hands and sometimes feet- I suspect I have Reynaud's or a Reynaud's like problem. This is only an issue if I stay outside too long, which I try very hard not to do for any reason. I don't have problems with freezing since I've learned what to wear to stay warm. Unfortunately the reverse does not seem to work in the heat.

I don't know about that neck theory though-I get a lot sicker more quickly if I leave my hair down-it is very long and thick. If I put it up I get a lot cooler and can tolerate somewhat higher temperatures.

[madmum]

I find i know when it is going to rain 2 days before as my joints really hurt. Told i have arthritis. My sons specialist thinks i too have hms. My son seems worse in the wet weather. Ironically i also find heat bad,not for the joints but i get even more tired and tend to get migraine. I love storms but get really bad headache before it. As a child i also got upset stomach.

[gila]

shadowlady said "the body's temperature sensors that decide whether to make your body heat or cool itself are in your neck"-
where did you find this info shady??
I've googled but cant find it- help!

xxg

[Pootje]

Hello everyone,
Have more people big problems with their hands with cold weather?
Wat do you do to make it not longer a problem?
You can see you need to use thick handgloves.. But these are very a problem bij driving my wheelchair.
So what do you do?

[sheppeyescapee]

I get really cold hands whilst driving my wheelchair. I have to wear really thick gloves, but not too thick otherwise I can't use my hands

[Stone]

Expensive gloves are usually better. Mountain climbers use silk inner gloves to trap an extra layer of warm air (+ very very thin!) so maybe go with two layers of thinner glove instead of one thick glove?

I have some great ones that I've been wearing almost non-stop when I go outside - think they're designed for snowboarding - but I'm not a wheelchair user so don't have to use my hands as much. Fingerless gloves are good for inside - and you can still type with them on!

Stone