We are in the midst of a winter snow storm here in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. My husband enjoys outdoor winter activities and is disappointed that I prefer to stay indoors and keep warm and dry. He doesn’t understand why cold weather would be bad for fibromyalgia and I couldn’t explain it, I just know that I can’t tolerate the cold. Any one else have problems in cold weather? I’d appreciate any feedback.
Thanks,
Darcy
Hi Darcy
I go outside everyday for a few minutes. I have arthritis and lupus to but the cold makes me achey all over and the fatigue gets horrible not to mention everything that is going around I seem to catch. Last year I was helping haul firewood and feeding the pigs and such around the property. This year has been the worst I have ever had and our weather is usually worst in January and February. Maybe he could go to a doctors apt with you.
Do you live on a farm? That must be especially challenging for you. I asked my husband to join a support group for family of fibromyalgia sufferers but we weren’t able to find one near us. He tries to be understanding and supportive but sometimes I know he thinks it’s a catch all excuse. I will see about having him come to the doctor with me. Thanks.
I have an electric blanket with dual controls. It’s a lifesaver! What do you use the crockpot for?
Cold is bad for any type of arthritis. I can't stand the winter, I also have SAD..and dread the winter coming. The only time I feel better is in the summer when it is hot outside especially when I'm on the beach. This entire environment calms me down, the sights, smells and sounds of the ocean, gulls etc....I love going into the ocean (I'm obsessed with salt water..I know weird right?)...although I fear and respect the ocean at the same time. When I lay in the hot sun after going into the ocean...I feel all my aches and pains melt away and mentally I am in a much better place. I need to move to Florida!!!! lol
Hi Darcy. I hope your husband begins to understand. Mine finally gets it. He seems to have more and more empathy as time goes on.
It's in the single digits where I am in Oregon and about -15 where one of my daughters is, about 3 hours away. I cannot do the cold anymore at all. thankfully I did a lot of grocery shopping before this front moved in. I don't have to go out and haven't for 3 days. My husband waters the chickens every day and I have no other reason to have to go out. I do have more shopping to do, but it's just going to have to wait.
I completely stiffen up all over. It's hard to explain to a normal person. If I get cold I cannot get warm that same day. I don't feel real warmth until after going to bed for a couple of hours. But the cold causes the pain to move in and I am in a full blown flare for days. I love the warmth of that bed in the morning! So hard to get out of. Yesterday I was sitting in front of the fire with my feet up and big black lab on my lap. I was still chilly. I got up and got busy in the kitchen and warmed up some.
So, yes, I stay away from the cold as much as possible. Best wishes to you,Darcy. You can lovingly ask your husband to read this thread. Maybe that will help.
Yes, to the bone!
The cold gets to me too. We live in Northern Michigan, so we get a lot of snow! Long johns, snow boots, head cover, a fire in the fireplace and that electric blanket..... ohhh... and hot cider are wonderful during these cold achey days. :)
I've found pretty much anything can aggravate my fibro. Heat, cold, light (or lack of), movement (or lack of), clothes, touch. I've read that even bright colors can bother people with fibro.
I think of it as my body over reacting to everything. If someone elses feet are tired, mine feel like bloody stumps, if someone elses back is achey, mine is so stiff and painful I can't walk.
The how and why I've given up on, it just Is.
Hi Darcy, yes the cold makes me so much worse, I went out today to a tree farm , walked around for an hr in the freezing cold and tonight …
FLARE FLARE FLARE
The pain is off the charts !!! I can’t move I hurt so bad 
I hurt in places I never hurt before … It’s insane !
After today I am officially in hybernation !
Say warm
Hugs & blessings
dee B
Oh, my, YES, Darcy and I'll bet that every single person who answers this will agree. You should show your husband this conversation as it might help to enlighten him on how difficult it is to deal with fibro in the winter months.
For one thing, I'm much more tired and sleep much more. I think it's a response to an increase in pain and lack of light. My knees crack terribly and come out of joint. And that is so painful! Plus I get sharp pain right underneath my kneecap that feels like I stuck a firecracker under the knee! My knees stiffen up to the point that I can barely walk, squat or move. And they stay that way until May!!! My fingers ache and swell. Sometimes I can't use my thumbs at all due to the pain way down them, close to where the thumb meets the hand. My elbows and arms ache. My back feels like someone plunged a knife into it and left it there. My feet can feel the cold from the ground right through the shoe and the cold goes through my foot and lodges in a nerve there, so I feel the cold in the nerve long after I'm off the cold ground. My neck and upper back pulse with pain.
I hope that your husband can see just how much fibro affects us in the winter months! It's not just you, it's all of us, along with anyone who suffers from any form of arthritis. And probably people with Lupus and MS too. The winter is NOT KIND to people with a chronic illness and yes, you have a chronic illness. It's always there, even if you seem fine to your husband on some days.
I hope this is helpful!
Oh yes, an electric blanket is a must have!!! I have to fight the dogs for it as we all love it!
I hear you, Linda, and can relate! I lived in Florida for 10 years and hated it because I was too young to be there and life was too slow for me! But now that I'm ill, I want to be there again! I'll be visiting my mother and son there, and am so relieved. Can you possibly take a trip there this winter to break up the cold weather?
Also, there is some sort of light that you can buy and use that helps to reduce the effects of SAD as it mimics daylight. I think they cost anywhere from $100 to $200 but I'm not sure. But I too hate the long, DARK days ahead of us. Thank goodness that Daylight Savings Time starts in early March instead of April, as it once started.
Hugs and a hope for a beach break for you,
Petunia
I think you're exactly right, our bodies over react to everything. A single Diet Coke will make my hands shake and sometimes my entire body! Stepping on a cold brick will cause my foot to fee like I plunged it into ice water. Yes, you're right. For whatever reason, fibro gets our bodies to over react, as if we had a huge dose of stress that we were responding to.
Oh Dee, I'm so sorry about this! A tree farm visit should be fun but it ISN'T when the cold knocks you for a complete loop! And I don't know HOW you managed to stay outside for an hour in this chill.
Get out your electric blanket
Hot apple Cider
Dog
and anything else to warm up and sit by the fire and warm up!
Hibernation is such a great idea! I wish that we humans could do it!
Hugs,
Petunia Bear
Thanks everyone for all the great responses, links and information. My husband has definitely been enlightened! In fact he said everyone must think he's an idiot! lol I did have him read all the responses and he has a better understanding of how much fibro affects us. I am so grateful for everyone on here and that I found this wonderful community. Please stay WARM and dry this winter and may God bless you all.
Hugs,
Darcy
We bought a light for seasonal affective disorder for my mother-in-law. It was under $40 at Bed Bath and Beyond. She has used it for two years now, and loves it.