Last week there was a day that was insanely hot in our part of the office building.
It was 76 degrees. Which inside, for me, is insane. It means my feet swell up, my pain intensifies, my face gets flushed, I cannot cool down even with all my fans going, I fight crushing fatigue, I have to guzzle water, and I can barely function.
I tried really hard to fight it, but ultimately ended up spending the last hour and a half of the work day in another coworker's office who is out right now because it was about 10-15 degrees cooler feeling over by her! {Okay so in reality it was probably more like 6 degrees, but still!} I'm really thankful that I knew that the new shoes I was wearing were still in the breaking-in category. I figured I'd be in some amount of pain about halfway through the day, so I was prepared and brought my tennis shoes. I'm sure glad I did! The way my feet were swelling and intensifying in pain levels, I couldn't have gotten anything done that afternoon without having my tennis shoes on.
And yes, it's almost the same if it's extremely cold, but my symptoms are less intense and more easily adjusted to {like stiffness and cramping--it's easier to bundle up, stand up and stretch, or move around a lot to get warm and flexible}.
I've only been a huge fan of the extreme temperature swings in the Midwest when I was a kid. I still absolutely love living here and wouldn't trade it for the world. Now I'm a huge fan of the 50-60 degree weather, but I'd much rather it be 0 than 100. It's all just gotten way worse since the Fibro.
So when I came home that night, I was intrigued to Google "Fibromyalgia and Temperature Sensitivity". Give it a whirl, a lot of stuff comes up. {Which really, I guess, is the nifty truth about Google these days. I love that site. It gives me goosebumps.}
I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with this. We're each different with the exact way we react to the temperature swings, but I am really thankful to not be alone.
4 comments:
I have the same problem with the heat. On cold days, my muscles ache terribly – it is a no win situation. I am in the Midwest (Ohio) so I know what you mean about the temperature swings but you get used to it, unfortunately, my RA and Fibro don’t. You are not alone on the temperature sensitivity. In fact, even though I only received my fibro diagnosis two years ago, the horrible winters I would have were the first indicators that something was wrong and this goes back to my teen years. Hope today is better.
I know the pain of fibromyalgia. I'm glad I live in Louisiana where the weather does not get too cold. I can feel when it gets below 60. But mostly we have mild winters. Just came across your blog. I invite you to visit mine and follow if it interest you.
I have the problem with heat also. I call my bedroom Antarctica because that's how cold I like it. But, lets face it, I don't like the heat, the wind, the extreme cold, the humidity........
I do NOT do well with cold!! I went to AZ at the beginning of Oct. and the weather there was perfect for me. It was hot but a nice hot~not humid. Sorry you had a tough day and I'm glad you were smart to take your tennis shoes. I can't stand to be uncomfortable and have to be stuck in the situation.
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