I currently live in Minnesota and am considering moving to Arizona. Has anyone moved to Arizona and did it help your fibromyalgia? Is there a better area of Arizona to live, climate wise? Does anyone regret living in Arizona? I want to make a wise decision. This would be a huge move to an area that’s completely different than Minnesota. I do have family in Arizona.
I am living proof that moving to Arizona massively helped my fibro. We moved from Wisconsin five years ago and haven’t regretted a single moment. WI winters, cold, and then rain rain rain, and topped off by the summer humidity made life a living hell.
We live in a community northeast of Scottsdale. The dry heat has been magic. I went from pain daily to being able to hike, swim, walks and living like a normal human again. Yes… it has helped that much!!
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Hi jrm,
great to hear that!
Has heat always been good for you, even before you went?
I react badly to heat and esp. sun. I can do quite a bit of prevention and alleviation of cold and rain. But in the sun I’m delivered…
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Hi jrm523! Thanks for responding. I’m having trouble finding an affordable apartment in a safe location because I’m on social security disability. I’m on several waiting lists. Have you had any issues with snakes, scorpions, tarantulas or and creepy crawly things? Like Wisconsin, I’m used to not having to watch out for anything venomous. 
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It appears this is a fairly old thread and I don’t know if you’ve moved yet or not but I will answer the scorpion thing…I moved from Ohio to Arizona (Tucson) 6 years ago. I was only diagnosed with fibro in March of this year so can’t tell you a comparison there. However, I will say I don’t ever want to go back to Ohio again 
. The “it’s a dry heat” is a thing. It can be 100 degrees out but with only 16% humidity it doesn’t feel horrible. In Ohio in the high 80’s with high humidity you think you are dying. I will say that the sun is brutal and hats and sunscreen are a must. Also hydration is very very important. We don’t go anywhere without water. It’s easy to get dehydrated here.
In the 6 years we’ve been here we’ve only had 5ish scorpions in the house. It happens. They were here first though. A neighbor who has a pool gets them in her house more than we do. Pool equals water source for them. And yes you need to be careful of venomous creatures. I will say to that, unless you are out in a more natural environment, like the park or you have land, you won’t see many (we have not seen any but it does happen). Is it possible a rattlesnake can come into your yard? Yes. I’ve only seen 1 rattlesnake and it was before we moved here in the national park. It’s just a matter of keeping your eyes open and paying attention to your surroundings.
I don’t regret moving here despite all the creepy crawlies. Arizona is beautiful. If you haven’t tried looking in Tucson and you have the ability to go wherever you want you might look into it. The only downside is that medical care isn’t as good here as it was in Ohio. I think it’s because there just aren’t enough doctors to go around. Especially when the snowbirds are here. It took me about 2 years to find a medical team that was good for me. But I was literally starting from scratch and knew nothing about anything really in the area. Phoenix would probably have better care simply because of the size of the city. Tucson is slower paced and not as congested though. Feels more peaceful to me than when we visit Phoenix.
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Wow, beautiful descriptions!
Freedom will back sometime, she always is! 
I moved to Arizona from south eastern Washington in 2002. The reason I moved here wasn’t because of my fibromyalgia but to be a companion to my Grammie. I love living here. I’m actually in an area that is about an hour and half south of Vegas and we have a milder summer than say the Phoenix area where it gets hot. I don’t do heat well. Before you move here do your research on what ever area you want to move to. There’s areas in Arizona that get snow believe it or not and some areas can get up to 125 degrees or more in the summer. Arizona has lots of diversity and many areas to choose from with lots of choices. It’s an amazing place to live with so much beauty. I do believe you’d love it here and I know that I do feel better. One important thing. If you need doctors you may want to live closer to Phoenix, Tucson, or Flagstaff. If you have any questions I used to work in Tourism here and I can answer any questions or direct you to where you can get them answered.
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