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Fibromyalgia & DDD: Does anyone live in CO & how does the weather affect you?

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 5/12/2017 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
I have Fibromyalgia with numerous deep, painful tender- AND Trigger Points, and also Degenerative Disc Disease which really stiffens my neck/spine. 'Feel the need to move to CO so I can be treated with medical or recreational marijuana which isn't legal for me here in GA; however, just wondering if the cold winters would intensify my pain (At least, however, they are dry.)

Is there anyone out there from CO who suffers from either of my conditions or chronic pain in general? Do you suffer more in the winters and does the fact that you can legally be treated with medical or recreational marijuana make up for it? Also, does the dry climate make the weather feel less cold?

If I'm going to move cross-country I want to do it fairly soon cause I'm almost 62 and 'would want to still be ambulatory while living in such a scenic state!

Would so appreciate your helpful suggestions.
Dede smile
Posted 5/13/2017 2:25 AM (GMT 0)
dede, co, ga? i have similar with disc bulges in neck with arthritis and sublax shoulders. bone issues are akin with my mob. brittle bone disease. sorry, i am in australia!!!! smile oops.
Posted 5/13/2017 12:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Dede, and welcome! I used to live in northern Ohio with all the cold and snow. I was hurting a lot more in the cold plus I was housebound because of snow and ice. It's very important to keep moving with fibro. It helps with your pain and fatigue! Anyway, I moved to Florida and am now doing much better.

What are you doing to help with fibro? What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another but I'll tell you what I do. I take ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, vitamin D3, magnesium malate, and a prescription muscle relaxer called Robaxin that has made a significant difference in my pain. I take very little of it so I have no side effects from it. My prescription says to take two tablets four times a day. I take one tablet twice a day and on days when I'm flaring I will tak one tablet four times a day.

I also walk daily as a gentle form of exercise. When I first started walking I could only go four houses down and had to turn back but I didn't quit. I went out the next day and went a little further and now I walk a mile each day on my walks. There is no way I could walk daily outside in the cold and snow. The warm weather keeps me moving and active. I always come home with more energy and that makes me happy. Yoga and swimming are a couple more good gentle exercises for fibro.

I also do Trigger Point Therapy on myself. Trigger points are knots in the muscle that need to smooth out. They can cause referred pain. For example, I got so I couldn't lift my arm or put it behind my back. It was quite painful. My doctor wanted to give me cortisone shots in my shoulder but I declined. Instead I bought The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook on Amazon and looked up shoulder pain to see where to find the trigger points causing me my problem. They were along my chest wall, my shoulder, and also my neck! When I found a Trigger Point, I would press as hard as I could stand it and then massage the area. I would do that twice and then move on to the next Trigger Point. I'd do this several times a day usually while watching TV and I was getting more movement almost daily. After a few weeks the pain in my arm was gone and it's still gone several years later.

I get a gentle massage once a month and that really helps. I see a massage therapist who has been trained in massaging fibro and myofacial pain syndrome clients. She is the one who told me how to massage the trigger points too.

I pace myself when doing things and really try hard not to overdo because I WILL pay a price if I don't. I'm also a positive thinker and that has helped me almost as much as medication. I live one day at a time and enjoy every minute of it and I don't project myself in the future because we don't know what the future holds. For example, you said you would want to move soon while you are still ambulatory. I'm 70 and plan on being ambulatory the rest of my life. I walk and do things that will help me do that too!

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there.

TheHTreturns...co is the abbreviation of Colorado and ga is the abbreviation for Georgia.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine
Posted 5/23/2017 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Dede, I suffer from fibro, CFS and an arthritic lower back with a bulging disc. I currently reside in Denver. I moved here 5 years ago from the state of Washington. I personally feel better in Colorado than Washington. The constant in coming of rain storms did a number on my body and all of that rain is very depressing. I am a native New Yorker and the winters here are cold, but dry. When it snows, it rarely lasts for more than three days. Denver is high desert and the sun is extremely powerful. People play golf here all year round for if the sun is out, it feels ten to fifteen degrees warmer. In conversing with doctors, a lot of people do not do well in Denver due to the high altitude, it puts a lot of extra pressure on the body at a cellular level. I don't feel this, but then again we are all different.
I do use medical marijuana to ease my symptoms and it is fabulous. It truly gets rid of all of my pain! It is amazing what they have been able to do with marijuana to help those who suffer from chronic pain. It has changed my life.
On the news, they claim there are approximately 5 to 6 thousand people who move here monthly since the legalization of recreational pot. The prices of houses and rent is outrageous and overall the cost of living is high. If you have any further questions, I would be happy to answer them. Wishing you well.
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