Has anyone had symptoms get worse in high humidity, such as an indoor pool?
Here is an article that I read the other day. Personally, I have experienced increased hand pain on cold, foggy winter days that come on quickly. Otherwise, I did not see a change with something like Chiari headache or other aches and pains. Now, finally my hands are fine after all the work that I have done with them.
I think that humidity may play a role in some types of chronic pain symptoms but I do not think that studies do a good job of separating out various types of pain. Hence we get some people who are affected and some people who are not. I would like to see the similarities between people who do and compare them with the people that do not experience more pain with higher levels of humidity. With this type of situation it is easy to paint those who do have more pain with humidity with the “crazy brush”. It just seems like another factor that those in chronic pain might have to deal with.
Hi, Goldilocks. From my experience, brain stem damage from"The Chiari Squish" is going to compromise ANY of your body’s ability to adjust to sudden climate changes. Your brain stem is in charge of your body’s homeostasis… sweating, shivering, etc. Why, even after my decompression surgery, my core body temp changed! (dropped a degree.) I had a near disastrous confrontation with sudden change in humidity/ dew point change summer 2019. In spite of regular, reoccurring paralysis from my Chiaris, I am a nationally ranked powerwalk champ on my good days. I live and train in the extreme humidity/dew point South. Summer, 2019, I went to Albuquerque, NM for the National Senior Olympics for 3 races. Morning events - and post rain storm events were OK. Enough moisture in the air. But, one late afternoon event I finished the race with blood gushing from my mouth. My brain stem didn’t know how to moisten me internally in a 10% humidity climate - after training in a 95% humidity climate. My lungs and-or bronchial tubes dried, cracked, and bled. Ugh. Freaked out everyone around me. EMTs attended to me quickly. I ended up OK. But, I had NOT expected this to happen. (I should have. Two years earlier, I flew from the South to Utah to do a race - and the same thing happened. I didn’t see blood, but I did get bronchitis from the cracked, unmoistened respiratory system.) So, yes. Sudden climate changed - like moisture in the air - can be something a damaged brain stem can no longer adjust to. Take care!
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