shooting a hole in barometric pressure (?)
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It’s well known that if you break a bone, you’ll be able to predict the weather in the future because the affected area will hurt in advance of rain. This seems to be even worse with arthritis and fibromyalgia.
The most frequent response I get is that this is due to a change in barometric pressure.
* Which way does the pressure go?
* What is the mechanism by which your body knows to start bothering you?
* If pressure goes one way, how does one compensate or generate back-pressure?
My wife suffers from fibromyalgia, as does my mother. It kills me to watch my wife have `fibro flares’ due to weather, day of the week, stress, or old injuries.
If you have a headache, you can take some pain reliever and it usually goes away. Not so with fibromyalgia. To illustrate this, fibro can be diagnosed by a doctor poking a person in eighteen spots. If the patient (generally female) says OUCH in at least twelve of those spots, they have fibro.
The pain comes and goes. It returns in different spots. It migrates south during the winter. It’s not like you can make it go away by massaging or otherwise treating a certain spot. It makes no difference; the pain won’t go away.
So with my black and white approach to solving problems, I figure there has to be some way to alleviate the pain from the flares. If they are caused by barometric pressure, I need to know how to combat barometric pressure (suggestions to relocate or purchase Michael Jackson’s chamber not welcome).
I’m sure that with the potential of the vast Lockergnome audience, we should be able to come up with the answer. And cure cancer, while we’re at it.
5 Comments
Gabe
August 31st, 2008
at 10:57pm
People’s “bones ache” (as my mother used to say) when the pressure drops. I’m fairly certain that it is not the pressure drop that is directly responsible. It could be that drop in pressure frequently means wet or wetter weather and I think this is the problem. For example, I’ve notice that when it gets more humid, animal skins and leathers straps I use in nature programs actually shorten. A 40 inch strap can shorten by several inches
It could be that our ligaments , which attach to bones, are affected the same way — shorten just enough to tighten and put more pressure on the skeleton,
Personal experience with a torn ligament in my back confirmed this for me. I applied heating pad or stood under hot water shower (directed on the sore area of my back) first thing upon awakening on those days. It made a huge difference,
J
November 13th, 2008
at 11:04pm
Our bodies are made up of many chambers, varying in size from the smallest cell, which is a chamber, to the biggest bone, which is also a chamber. If you took a water baloon, and using it to represent a cell, pushed it to the bottom of a bathtub, filled with water, you would see that the pressure exerted on the baloon increases, as you near the bottom of the bath tub. That is what happen to our bodies, as the barometric pressure changes. It does not have to rise or fall, it mearly has to change, in order to cause pain and discomfort. When the chamber pressure equalizes, then the pain will subside. A defect, such as arthritis, or fibromyalgia, worsen the effect, for obvious reasons. The nerve ending in that area, are already in a tortured state. So, that’s about it, now you know why the fury little animal run for cover. Because it hurts like hell. I found that a super moist, heated area, like an indoor hot tub, will help to ease the pain, because the climate control, helps to adjust pressures, and the moist heat creates an environment of it’s own. If you are the super alert, proactive type, then you may be able to pre-medicate, by keeping an eye on the weather forcast. There aren’t many weather stations who predict barometric pressure, but given the fact that it typically changes, when a large system approaches, you may be able to get the hang of it. Also note, that other weather variables, can also cause pain, such as humidity, and dew point. Start with pressure, and go from there.
leftystrat
November 14th, 2008
at 6:47am
Top: that is the single best piece of information I have ever read on fibro relief. I’ll forward it immediately. Thanks muchly.
SkyeByrd
March 24th, 2009
at 10:24pm
You bet the Barometric pressure changes affect pain in FM!
I usuallt know 4-8 hours before the weather predectors catch up with what is going on. I am almost ready to move or anything to have better control of “good/bad” weather.
The pressure in MN this winter seems to be bouncing around like a rubber ball! Yucky pain and fatigue!
SkyeByrd
leftystrat
March 25th, 2009
at 8:18am
Skye: I (almost) feel your pain. It’s pretty outrageous in PA too. The wife is really feeling it.
Ever been to the Southwest?