Fibromyalgia and the changing seasons!
“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours”, Mark Twain
Well, here it is! Only ten days until it’s officially spring! One would never know it living as I do in Nova Scotia. One day it is -10C and the next day it can go up as high as +10C. Then it snows again but the next day it rains. Some days there may be sun; often it is dreary and dark. Erratic weather like this is the worst for me and results in flare-ups of fibromyalgia. I can awaken in the middle of the night knowing that a storm is approaching as my body is quivering with pain and light-headed dis-ease.
I came back from Arizona just one month ago after spending six weeks in blessed consistent warm (not hot!) weather. I did not have one attack of fibromyalgia. Back in the cold and wet my muscles freeze and I am back into the ups and downs of pain, fatigue and sleeplessness.
Will things look up? Probably not, as it is unsettling for my body when the seasons change; but slowly, very slowly, spring will eventually emerge in Nova Scotia. Then it will become foggy and unfortunately, very little sun for the summer months. Wind, cold, dampness, fog, rain, extreme heat and humidity, along with changing seasons are the banes of my existence. Of them all, it is the wind which affects me the most. Pain, fatigue and especially brain fog (see my article on Brain Fog in the FOG Magazine, May 4, 2008) accompanies a windy day.
I wonder why I live here? Unfortunately we don’t often have many choices when we reach a certain age. This is the price I pay for living near the oftentimes violent Atlantic ocean! Mother Nature thrusts her daily challenges upon me. So here I am, still in winter cold, causing muscles to contract and subsequent inflammation to occur. This time it is in my left hip, and once again I take one step forward in my exercise regime and two steps backward. Yes, the season is changing, but oh! how I long for those consistent days of winter warmth I found in Arizona!
Alas, there is often hope. I have begun physiotherapy with a therapist who believes I can soon begin independent strengthening exercises for my stiffened body muscles. I have thought (and usually do continue to think) my muscles to be beyond much repair at this time of my life. His belief in my body’s capabilities to calm the nervous system and retrain my body to begin moving more freely is one which may be possible. So far he is assisting me with very gentle movements. Next will be some gentle strengthening approaches with machines which I will undertake myself. It is not easy, but living with constant pain is not easy either. We shall see. Stay tuned. In the words of Nick : “You have to keep moving”.
March 15th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Thanks Barbara. I am glad you are listening!:o) On yet another stormy day, I too question why I have made Nova Scotia my home. There is something about this place that keeps us rooted here in spite of the challenges of its tumultous weather. Last weekend I took my kids to Peggy’s Cove. The wind was blistering cold, but a quick jaunt on the rocks and a nice dinner overlooking the ocean crashing against the shore was enough to remind me why. Arizona sure sounds nice at this time of year though.
We’ll talk more about this the next time I see you, but I thought I’d reply here in case this can help some of your readers as well. I talk a lot about adaptive potential; that is, one’s ability to adapt to the challenges encountered. Stiffness and pain both result from and result in limited adaptability. Any stressor requires that our body adapt. Weather change is a stressor - it demands that our body shift gears and respond. A constant warmth, like sunny Arizona, is generally much more tolerable than the crazy highs and lows of the Atlantic coast. We are constantly faced with an adaptive challenge. The body’s ability to cope largely determines one’s comfort level.
Our nervous systems cycles between sympathetic (stress response) and parasympathetic (relaxation response) as part of our normal rhythm and in response to particular challenges. I sometimes use the analogy of a house with a heating system and a cooling system. The thermostat senses changes and keeps the house at a constant temperature regardless of the external conditions. Compare that to one of Halifax’s old Victorian homes where one moment you’re too warm so you turn down the heat and the next minute you’re freezing cold. It is difficult to regulate temperature in response to external demands.
I think physiological regulation within a relatively narrow range is important for reducing pain and stiffness. Put simply, a body that is warm and supple is less likely to hurt than one that is cold and rigid. Ideally, we learn techniques to maintain a balanced state from the inside-out. In Nova Scotia, we also need to consider the outside in. We certainly cannot control the weather, but we can try not to let the weather control us. Today, for instance, is a great day to stay inside curled up by the fire. Enjoy it! We’ll talk more soon…
March 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Okay, Nick, let us see what we can accomplish together over the upcoming weeks ahead.
In my book I discuss the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and the challenges we FMS suffers encounter on a daily basis as these systems continue to be overstimulated in response to stressors . Hopefully the readers will find those chapters enlightening and the means to calm and regulate their own ultra-sensitive nervous systems! Thanks for your valued comments.
I will keep interested people updated on my own progress working with you throughout the next few months.