Just need to vent - weather impact?

[SjoGirl]

I was doing very well for quite a while then  my sister, who had cancer, declined and passed away. I was with she and my niece often and  was in town when my sister passed (though not in the room when she died).

Since then I've been on a long slow slide backwards. My joint pain is increasing all over, I've developed a trigger finger on my left hand, my hands are swelling something terrible at night, and I just feel crummy in general. The weather has been unreal, days and days of rain and heavy downpours, I had to turn back from driving to a meeting today as roads were flooding. The fronts make me feel awful.

I am at least sleeping and am able to eat. How about all of you?

[Bucky]

SjoGirl - I'm so sorry about your sister. 

I would bet that some of the additional pain you've been experiencing is from the stress of dealing with your sisters illness, death and funeral.  The days of constant rain on top of that makes the bones ache. Changing weather can play havoc on a Sjoggies health.  It seems anymore that there are so many extreme swings in the weather.

Keeping up with your nutrition and sleep is good! 

I hope the rain stops and that you start to feel better.

Bucky

[irish]

I am sorry to hear of your loss. This has been a difficult time for you. It has also been the perfect storm for a flare. You have had a tremendous amount of stress and then add the bad weather. I am not surprised that you are having problems.

Have you been to the doctor for some help. The only thing I can say is to stay in air conditioning if you can and rest plus eat a good diet. I don't know if you are on any anti inflammatory medications so that is something to address with your doctor. This weather is something. It is day after day of heat. The good thing is that in Minnesota the humidity isn't as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago. But....we have not had a nice coolish summer day and I don't think we will.

I am thinking that around here we will head abruptly into fall as that is what spring and summer did. I hope that you can get some relief soon. Thank goodness you are able to get some rest. Good luck and be good to yourself. Grief is hard on our bodies. Irish

[Jenny]

We are having an incredible rainy season here in Central Florida. Not sure if it is a coincidence or not, but my whole body hurts. Back, hip, knees, elbows, shoulder. I feel like crap!

[Skylar]

I'm so sorry for your loss, my sympathies to you and your family. This definitely is a huge stress on your body even without the miserable weather affecting you. Gentle hugs.

I've found severely reducing salt - down to  the recommendations of the American Heart Association or World Health Association levels - and this is a huge reduction for most people eating the standard diet. When I cut back on the salt, I get significantly less swelling. The salt helps me hold onto water which just aggravates any area where I'm having inflammation.

And we've had serious flooding in my neck of the woods too. I live at the top of a hill so flooding is not a problem for us in our property, but there was so much significant damage to roads and other buildings that many roads were closed for days and weeks - three weeks later there are still some being repaired. While we were damaged property wise, we had a hard time finding roads to get to and from our property for work, groceries, errands etc. And the constant temporary shutting down of roads randomly for repairs has left me very grumpy. You never know when you leave your house how long it will take to reach your destination - it could be 20 minutes more. Thankfully the last of the road problems are getting fixed and most are open now. I feel very sorry for the people who lost most of their belongings or businesses in the floods - and luckily no one was killed in this flood. There is definitely a huge change in the weather patterns these last few years - more extreme rain and wind leading to more damage and some deaths.

[araminta]

I'm very sorry for your loss, SjoGirl.   You were probably stressed throughout your sister's illness,and of course that takes its toll on your health.

In the UK we have been having a heatwave!   Weeks and weeks of dry weather, and satellite pictures show the land looking brown, whereas in May it was green.   I am staying indoors as much as possible, finding it difficult to sleep because of the heat.   Looking forward to a good thunderstorm, which we may get in the next couple of days.   

[trejonina]

Hello, I'm sorry for your loss. Have you tried turmeric or arnica for inflamation ?  Also, there are free
meditation instructions in the internet or youtube,I recommend meditation. There are also free live groups such as Science of Spirituality SOS, or google godsdirectcontact.org and click liaison practitioners and find if they're close to you, you don't have to agree with their spiritual theories ( think of them as cultural knowledge if you want to) but they are good for learning to meditate. Good luck .

[lorigacc]

SjoGirl-
   So sorry for your loss.  I agree with Irish, that this kind of grief and stress takes a major toll on a person.  Be good to yourself and give yourself time to heal, physically and emotionally.  We have had weeks of rain, and lots more coming. I am headed to Central Florida this week, so heading to more rain    and I know that it is affecting my health.  Guess we just have to take it one day at a time, and focus on good things we do have.

Take care
Lori

[SjoGirl]

Thanks all, your kind words and advice are all very helpful..

The weather is a huge factor, but I learned during the few recent days of sunshine that it does not eliminate, only reduces symptoms.

I saw my orthopedist today because I developed a trigger finger. Turns out I have a node at the base of my finger, which is actually located in the palm of the hand. I was given a cortisone shot and told that by two weeks from now I'll know if it will make a difference. If not it could mean surgery debride (sp?) yet another cyst. He also said most of my knuckles have fluid around them.

As for reducing salt ironically I cannot. I have to carefully weigh and balance salt and water intake and my sodium skews low. In fact looking over about 8 years of test results, which I did after my PCP said my sodium was dangerously low, I found that it's always been low, always.  I have embarked on trying to drink enough to stay hydrated and to eat salt, but not too much.

Yes, my sister's death was very stressful, the actual process, which was long and arduous at the end, and losing her -- she was my best friend and last living sibling.

I am doing my best to rest and relax, take walks, and enjoy life. I am dabbling in meditating, but I'm not very good with being quiet. I did just drive for about 14 hours last week and was silent most of the time, no radio or podcasts, it was heaven to just watch the scenery go by.

Thanks again, you are all angels in disguise.

[Sweetcheex76]

So sorry for the loss. I wonder if the horrible stress you're going through is taking a toll on your body? Stress and depression tends to make symptoms come on so hard. The weather could also be effecting you, too. I seem to be in the minority here as every symptom I have does so much better with rain. I live in Los Angeles and the dry weather is horrible for me. Just got back from a trip to visit my mom in Chicago and cried because I didn't want to leave. The rain and humidity made me a new person. I hardly used eye drops or mouth spray, my lungs didn't feel like dried up leaves, hardly coughed, brain fog was at a minimum and the joints weren't achy. Take care of yourself.

[irish]

Be aware that this weekend is to be very bad with weather affecting breathing. We are having the fires in US and Canada and them the particulates, heat and humidity plus the dust that has moved in from Europes desert dust storms. Good weekend to hang around home.

This type of weather usually affects my body aches and flu like symptoms. It also can make me irritable so I try to keep my mouth shut. Amazing what weather can do to our health. There are times when I am bothered by the weather even when I am inside all day. The barometer has a lot to do with it also. Hang in there folks. Irish

[SjoGirl]

Thanks again everyone. The heat and humidity have a very negative impact on me.

I was out yesterday at an event and ached all over this morning due to being in the overly warm, wet air. I could barely walk when I got up today. I also end up having difficulty climbing stairs. Most times I can get up one or two flights, forget three or four, but sometimes even one is a struggle.

The near inability to walk and issue with stairs is an on again off again symptom that I've told docs about for years, no one seems to be able to determine the precise cause. I keep wondering if I have M.S. but my neurologist doesn't seem to think so because, of course when I see him I'm fine.

I have decided that I may have my husband start filming me when I have one of these episodes so docs can see what is transpiring.

[irish]

You may need to have a good neuro assessment and may need a second opinion. There are so many autoimmune neuro diseases that you may need to have assessment for. The neuro stuff is so good at not showing up when anyone important is around....such as doctors or nurses. Our hubbies often see these odd things we have and they aren't always able to find the words to explain things. Videos would be great. God luck. Irish

PS. Those long rides alone in the country are very healing. They are the things that give me the most joy...Watching the seasons change, crops, sun shinning on the colorful landscapes, farmsites with hill, colorful land and trees and houses and outbuldings are such a thrill to see.

[SjoGirl]

Irish, Thanks. I was thinking about asking to be referred to a neurologist where I go to see my rheumatologist, but their practice was decimated by retirements and departures. I am going to ask about the state of the group when I see my rheumy next week. I just feel certain that they are missing something, I mean geez, I can't walk for heaven's sake, you would think this would be a red flag!