Chronically Under Pressure
Chronically Under Pressure
Why the weather makes me sick
I am a human storm tracker and it’s miserable. The weather is yet another thing that greatly affects my pain that I have no control over. I live in a city where tornadoes and storms are frequent. I work really hard not to get excited on good pain days because it could rain and that would cause me more pain. Below I’ve put the technical part of why this happens.
A drop in the barometric pressure (the pressure against the earths atmosphere) means that pressure against you body drops as well. This causes the joints and any injuries to begin to swell. This swelling causes increased inflammation and we, as humans, require hormones to deal with this. There is a small gland in our bodies that produces both adrenaline and cortisone. These two hormones help deal with energy, mood, pain management, and the fight or flight response. As the barometer falls, it causes a deletion of cortisone in the body. When cortisone levels drop, energy, mood, and pain management become a problem. The barometric pressure can have a profound effect on pain, mood, and energy levels.
In short, bad weather makes my pain worse. The cold and extreme heat also affect my pain in the same way. Spring, summer, fall and winter. They all suck.
If someone could create a medication or treatment that could fix this problem, myself and others would be eternally grateful. I kinda wish people would stop asking me about this, but I know it sounds weird and confusing. I do want people to know and understand and I hope this helps explain the weird connection between fibro (fibromyalgia) and the weather. If only I could get paid to predict the weather; that would be great.
