Is it Hot Enough for You?
By Helen Watts
As I sit typing this column it’s the hottest day of the year and I am uncomfortably hot and can’t seem to cool down at all yet everyone else in my household is coping just fine and can’t understand why I’m so hot so I wondered if this is a Fibro thing so turned to the Facebook groups and asked the question.
‘MS’ “I feel it’s too hot for me now. Even though I find it difficult to control my body temperature. It has only been 12 degrees so far. I cannot get cooled down when trying to sleep. The heat makes me feel ill, weak and nauseous”.
‘SG’ “I find slightly more relief in warmer weather”.
‘WL’ “I hate the heat, it’s too hot for me already, I have my fan on all year round, in the winter I turn it off & on throughout the day & night as needed. But when it’s hot, I can’t cool down. I prefer the autumn winter months”.
‘LP’ “ I find some relief when it's warm but also find I can't control my body temp anyway so always feel hot to the point sometimes feeling on fire, even in winter I don't feel cold”.
‘PW’ “I used to feel better in the warmer weather but the recent very warm spell has made me feel sick and in more pain. The cold always brings pain and tension”.
‘AJ’ “Worse in hot weather. I used to love hot sunny weather but not since having Fibro. It’s particularly bad if it’s also humid. Anything above 18 degrees I now find very difficult to cope with whereas I’d be fine at 26 degrees before. I also find I’m sensitive to even a very slight increase in temperature - it will set off a hot flush. This can happen with ridiculous things such as walking up to a kettle that’s just boiled, standing near a saucepan or running a bath. I have some lovely jumpers that I can no longer wear even when visiting Scotland in the depths of winter!”.
‘ELCC’ “I’m better in the hot weather, yes I hate the sweating, but I feel better, literally feel the warmth from the sun and need to be outside, I find being cold so painful, I can be dressed in trousers and jumper and have two blankets over me and be cold and in pain, yet my husband and son walk around in shorts and T-shirt, it drives me crazy”.
‘LR’ “I get heat stroke without even going in the sun. I've always loved sitting in the sun, but the other day when it was. 26° I woke up with beat stroke, when it's hot, if I'm in the sun for 30 mins total I end up being violently ill in the evening. I've been living in flare for 3 straight weeks. I thought winter was bad, but starting to think it's both in different ways. Different symptoms at different times of the year”.
‘AW’ “I feel better when it's warm but my fatigue is worse”.
‘MC’ “My pain isn't quite as severe in warm weather but it causes me to suffer more with swelling especially ankles and feet. Also my hyperhydrosis goes full throttle. It's so embarrassing to leave the house as I'm constantly dripping from sweat”.
‘SW’ “I have fibromyalgia and HMS as well as other health issues. So personally I feel worse if it gets hot. I am so fatigued and generally struggle more, I swell a lot too”.
‘CA’ “The warmer weather helps with the joint stiffness, but I struggle with controlling my body temperature and constant fatigue. I love the sunshine it helps lift my mood but this year I have been sweating profusely, hair is soaking wet all the time.
‘WDW’ “I find all extremes of change affect me so if it’s very cold I will suffer or if it’s very hot I will suffer also if it’s very damp too!!! So my favourite season since getting fibromyalgia is Spring and Autumn”.
‘KAR’ “My pain lessens in the heat but then I over heat because I can’t control temperature. It also worsens my asthma . The sun helps with my vitamin deficiency and my depression”.
‘MN’ “I'm better in the hot weather, however I'm likely to suffer from headaches and migraines more”.
‘SF’. “I love the warm weather. Get all the natural vitamin D while you can. It relieves my arthritis symptoms though if I get one of my headaches. I can't stand the sunlight and it makes me very sad. I love sunbathing, being outside feeling the breeze , reading, drawing and not being locked up in my tiny box”.
‘VH’. “I love the sun, but I come out in blisters that scar on my hands and arms, I also get sweaty and my ankles swell and I find it hard and painful to walk”.
‘JS’. “Hot weather helps with fatigue, but I really can’t stand the heat, and cannot control my body temperature., unable to sleep and my legs! I can't keep them still! The cold weather makes me feel so ill”.
‘ED’. “Heat really affects me but I have auto immune disease as well”,
‘SD’. “The hot weather makes my pain worse, all my joints tend to swell up, it hurts to sit, and hurts to lie down. I also tend to break out in small blisters on my fingers and palms of my hands. and they become so itchy. and for some reason I tend to sweat so much more”.
‘CM’. “I have less pain during hot weather, but that may also be because I tend to be less active. Cold weather certainly increases the incidence of neuropathic pain”.
‘LI’. “I'm also melting in the heat I was always a heat lover, I am still but I do find I overheat all the time now”.
‘KI’ “The heat itself is ok but where I don’t move around so much when it’s hot due to my energy levels seem zapped in heat which in turn makes me stiffen up and hurt all over”.
‘AC’ “I find as long as I really pace myself and take things easy I’m ok and being in lockdown has meant I do not have to be anywhere and can take my time so not finding it too bad”.
From these comments it seems most of us have some issues with this hot weather and overheating. Why not come along to the Facebook groups and join in the chat. I hope everyone finds a comfy spot this summer in the shade with a nice cool drink.