Pain and barometric pressure. Help!
I have read alot lately about barometric pressure changes and the affects on pain levels.
A little about me: 52 year old male. Diagnosed with femoral and peripheral neuropathy. (Not sure if there's a difference) I am also currently listed on the liver transplant list Froedtart Medical Facility in Milwaukee, WI. I live in Green Bay. I am on gabopetine and Belbuca and acedomenothine for pain as well as xifactin and other liver drugs and vitamins.
My question: if I could move somewhere geographically. Where would the best possible place to go? The pain is so intense and frankly unbearable here. Please help.
Thank you
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I'm really sorry to hear what you're going through, it sucks. I have osteoarthritis in my knees, hips, lower spine, neck, hands, and my right elbow, and the barometric pressure definitely affects how I feel. I also have idiopathic poly neuropathy in my feet, and it doesn't like it when the weather changes here in the PNW either.
I'm not sure if there is a place in the US where the barometer is mostly steady, and rarely changes other than maybe someplace like Arizona? But who wants to live in and look at that landscape and that heat? Not me.
I used to laugh at the old folks when they said that they could tell when the weather was going to change, because they could "feel it in their bones and muscles". Well, I'm the old folk now and that statement is so true. Bad weather really ramps up my neuropathic pain.
@twallat10 That's a great question, and one that might require a lot of research on your part. Three main things affect my quality of life - breathing issues are affected by humidity, dust, pollen, altitude and sometimes cold. Bone and joint pain are affected by barometric pressure and cold. And my chronic pain is affected by barometric pressure, humidity and whether the sun is shining.
So we have done a lot of exploring, to see where the best place to live would be, and figured out the best spot would probably be Arizona. Tried it - great place to visit but I can't live there because the desert is only green right after rainfall and the summer heat seems interminable. Tried the coast, but the barometer changes often, sometimes several times in a day. Everywhere else, the barometric pressure changes are frequent or winters are cold. So we have settled on winters in far South Texas and summers in the Midwest as our happy medium. There are still some changeable days, but far less than where snow storms and weather fronts prevail.
Barometric pressure is, in general, higher the closer you are to sea level, and gets lower as elevation increases. Humans are said to be most comfortable a 30 degrees and where storms don't create changes in barometric pressure. At El Muerto in Chile the pressure is so low that I couldn't even write a note. Lifting my fingers created such fatigue and nausea.
I recommend California, but not on the coast at sea level or any in any of the valleys. There are lots of nice mountain areas. We don't have hurricanes which plays with barometric pressure changes
RFA ablates with vibration the medial branch nerve. The nerve that carries pain signals. It can be very effective and can last 3 to 6 months. RFA for pain relief is usually performed with a steroid because relief
potentially lasts longer with steroid. The steroid can cause an inflammatory swell that may increase the pain temporarily. It is worth trying. Hope it helps.
https://barometricpressure.app/leaderboards/lowest-barometric-pressure
Thank you for the compassionate reply. I shall continue my search.
Pain is a major issue in quality of life, however, please consider the bigger picture such as family, friends, medical facilities, cost of living, weather, etc. I have a lot of PN pain, there are other issues with moving away that might hurt more.
Have you considered Jacksonville Fl where the Mayo Clinic is located or Tampa Bay area with some of the best medical care facilities in the country and warmer weather.
I live in the Tampa Bay area near Clearwater, Fl, storms will bring changes in barometric pressures no matter where you live. The plus for Tampa Bay is the medical care.
Mother nature presents challenges everywhere in the world. Floods, blizzards, hurricanes, tornado, wildfires, earthquakes, etc., the list is long. The first think people think about Florida weather is hurricanes and we get our share, going to a shelter or a two-hour drive inland gets you away from the risk. It's hide from wind, run from water vs shoveling snow, at least hurricanes and blizzards are predictable.
I lived in the Catskill Mountains of New York State for the first 47 years of my life before moving to Florida. I know cold weather and even Florida cold hurts these old bones.
Wow, we live on the south coast of Spain...moderate all year round weather really....however living by the sea brings many aching bones due to dampness mainly.
I have read heat is the worst thing for neuropathy. I have been looking at Colorado Springs/ Denver. I have monitored the temperature and barometric pressure for the last two years.A lot of doctors say Arizona. I can’t stand the heat.
Barometric pressure change is the worst for me! I have loads of arthritis for 30 years however recently, I began allopurinol for gout arthritis which I’ve had for 20 years, but no one ever recommended the medicine. The medicine made about 85% of my inflammatory arthritis pain better. Turns out it wasn’t the osteoarthritis, but it was the Gowdy arthritis that was overlooked Have your uric acid levels checked by a simple blood test and if they are high, try either tart cherry capsules by ZAZZEE which you can get on Amazon for 20 bucks which is what I started on which made me realize that my inflammatory pain was Gowdy arthritis. Then I asked to be put on the medicine and that made everything even better.. I had really really bad inflammatory reactions from the change in barometric pressure and was told it was my osteoarthritis and was given all these medications that eventually stopped working a very simple thing fixed most of it. Now I only have about 15% really bad arthritis during barometric pressure changes and I can tolerate it better because it’s not all the time. Now that I am older I definitely slow down when the weather is cold. I just feel like I’m all bones with no cushion so I keep the house extra warm and I really over bundle when I go outside. I have relatives who all had arthritis on both sides so there’s no chance I’m going to escape this so I just accept this and have things lined up that I can do that. I love when my body doesn’t cooperate so much. I should probably find a warm weather place like Florida to be in the winter. I live 8 miles from the ocean and 25 years ago. I had to move from 4 miles from the ocean inland to eight and I probably after 25 years need to relocate again more inland. I was shocked one day when I went to the desert in Yuma, Arizona and I had zero pain. I came home to my Oceanside home and put it up for sale and moved a little east that was good for 25 years. I’ve always asked the doctors about barometric pressure and dewpoint, but they don’t seem to know too much. I’m glad this subject was brought up here!
I've been taking allopurinol to control the uric acid level in my blood for a few years now after having gout 3 times. The pain from that is some of the worst I've ever had to deal with, I wouldn't wish it on anybody.