Weather in the south

[Yasmee]

Hi All anyone living in the south of England find their arthritis. Pre manageable if the weather is better? I have thought about moving /living abroad in the winter too..

[Happyrosie]

If you search the web for “cloudy with a chance of pain” you’ll see the results of a survey which started about five years ago. You’ll need to click around the website a bit to find what the results were.I took part in this survey for a year.

[DorsetLady]

I posted this a couple of years ago on another forum - refers to study Happyrosie mentions....

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

even in the sunny south, a damp day does make a difference!

[Yasmee in reply to DorsetLady]

It won't let me see it as im nt. Member ! I'm thinking of Gloucester/

[DorsetLady]

this is the link to MU-manchester.ac.uk/discover/n...

Gloucester - not as warm/sunny as Dorset, but more so than Manchester... living in one/had family in others!

[Yasmee in reply to DorsetLady]

Very interesting basically where I live is 88% humidity and Gloucester is a lot less even though it may not be as good as Dorset this is so interesting S I've racked my brains trying to identify the triggers to my painI'm surrounded by the penninez so the air is probably mostly humid..im prepared to move anywhere if it means I have less pain as I cannot live or cope with it and although I'm great in summer I dread the atmospheric change and how it will cripple me instantly

[DorsetLady in reply to Yasmee]

That’s why so many Brits go to sunnier climes for the winter…or did before Covid put a stop to it!

Trouble is, we’re a temperate country surrounded by water! ..not really ideal for arthritis etc..

[Yasmee in reply to DorsetLady]

No I had planned to go Cyprus but nothing is certain with covid now im hoping a move away from the North might help but its a big decision as I will be alone ..its worth it if my pain improves or there is less of it even...

[Pixix]

Yes, but only partially...we live in the New Forest now...lived in north part of Cotswolds before...but had my first inflammatory arthritis attach recently, & it’s been quite bad recently...but it’s so wet & never gets a chance for the ground to dry out! I was medically recommended to overwinter abroad in a sunny climate, but that was because of repeated lung infections! We don’t want to do that, but we do rent a villa in the southern area of Florida for 3 weeks each January (when no Covid around!) and it does help me a lot. But my arthritis has got a lot worse in past two years so I’m unable to say if it would help now, I’m afraid! We were hoping to go next January, but it looks increasingly unlikely!

[Yasmee in reply to Pixix]

How was it when in the cotswolds and how was the healthcare there? I have probably 9 months of pain in the north or more ..if I get some improvement I would be happier..ultimately I know its still uk ...

[Pixix in reply to Yasmee]

Sorry to be slow to reply! I wasn’t suffering when we lived there, but my Dad was, quite badly. They lived in chipping Campden, which is in the very north of Gloucestershire. There’s a lot of Cotswolds a bit further south! But I don’t think it’s south enough to make a difference, I was brought up there & still had plenty of frost & snow! Around the cheltenham area (still have relatives living there) it’s been rough as all the Cheltenham hospital services were cut back, their A&E was closed & everybody for a huge area had to go to Gloucester Hospital. My Mum had a minor stroke & it’s a long way by ambulance from chipping Campden to Gloucester, over the hills, through lovely countryside, through Cheltenham to Gloucester! Now we live in the New Forest I no longer call the Cotswolds ‘south’! We are lucky here as about ten miles from salisbury hospital &, if needed, twenty miles to Southsmpton hospital, where they have many specialist depts...I was referred from salisbury hospital to southampton for in depth studies regarding my lungs, the dept there was bigger with more testing capabilities. But the local consultant still kept in touch with me. I still suffer here, though, the wet/damp affects my arthritis. I’m back at the hospital again next week with it. Good luck with your plans, I don’t know how to advise you. I guess the only thing to do would be to take a holiday in the south fir a while & see if it’s better...but you’d probably have to stay quite a few weeks to determine it! I fear there’s plenty of arthritis sufferers here in the south, that’s the problem! Spain? I wouldn’t like it myself, but it’s a thought for you!

[Yasmee in reply to Pixix]

Hi pixeee thank you for your information every bit will help me decide I ended up in Banbury near Oxford also I Google least humid areas as high areas are supposed to make arthritis worse im not expecting a miracle just pain i can cope with. Im surrounded by pennies atm so air is always day. Very useful information on Cheltenham hospital A& E . Also lking at somerset. But will definitely continue to check reputation of local hospitals and humidity levels...All information great fully received...xx

[Pixix in reply to Yasmee]

We lived in a village called Avon Dassett, 10 miles north of Banbury for 15 years, & I worked full time inBanbury (60 hours a week covering all of europe & seeing a lot of Birmingham airport at times!) so happy to answer any questions re hospitals, areas etc...feel free to message me...but don’t always expect an immediate answer, please!! Seem to have hit a busy patch in life, despite still virtually shielding! S x

[Yasmee in reply to Pixix]

What was the healthcare like ? In my area several hospitals have joined under one trust it is very poor both Gp care and hospitals. Im wondering if oxford Bristol and somerset are better . I now know that Cheltenham are closing their A&E so not good. I have other health issues which are likely to lead to further complications in the future. Its imperative im in an area that I have some kind of chance... Are affluent areas in the South more likely to have more funding and better quality of Healthcare workers etc....

[Pixix in reply to Yasmee]

I’m sorry, but I have no idea about funding at all. Also, my healthcare days in Banbury are now between 8 and 20 years old when we lived there! The village we lived in, only ten mins from Banbury, was actually just in Warwickshire, so I went to Warwick hospital for a lot of my care. I had a couple of surgical procedures at Warwick, I was an inmate about 7 times, and I saw several consultants there...rheumatologist, but that was just once to confirm fibromyalgia diagnosis about 15 years ago, kidney specialist, he was great, but probably retired now! I had private medical care through my company so had my hysterectomy carried out in two separate surgeries in a private hospital about two mins from the main Banbury hospital. I was an in patient at Banbury NHS one day in intensive care, & several week long stays in their gynae ward. The care was fine. I was also sent to the John Radcliffe in Oxford a couple of times & had a surgical procedure carried out in the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. BUT I have NO idea what the facilities are now like! I was lucky to have a GP practice which had surgeries in Warwickshire & Oxfordshire &, at that time, that allowed access to Warwick, Banbury & all the Oxford hospitals. BUT I have no idea if that is still the case! All my treatment & care were fine, but how do you know if this is still the case so many years later? My brilliant GP there has now retired I think you need to pick a couple of areas you’d like to live in & find people who live there now, to be honest!! But then it’s only the ‘now’ situation & not the future. Doctors change jobs & goats change policies all the time! I am concerned that you are choosing an area to live in by ‘healthcare opportunities’ without knowing the current situation, that your arthritis may not be better down south (my arthritis is very bad this week, in feet & hands), & that all I write above may have changed considerably, especially during this pandemic!! Also, I have no knowledge of rheumy consultants in either Banbury or Cheltenham areas, I’m afraid. I only saw one once at Warwick, & then once here in the forest, two months ago. In conclusion, whilst this shows you what was in places some years ago, all may have changed! The fact that I had to wait four months to see somebody specialising in arthritis of the hand is probably partly due to Covid waiting times, but also shows the amount of arthritis patients is high in this area! Good luck with your continued search & I hope you find people who currently live in the areas, but remember that things change in healthcare so fast some times! S x

[Yasmee in reply to Pixix]

Good advice .. im probably in the worst area for healthcare and have experienced it first hand with lots of reports on negligence and death sadly. I hv spoke to people who hv reported better Healthcare in the south but you are right things change and covid has affected that.. I will continue to research and scenic areas do appeal to me .long road ahead...

[Pixix in reply to Yasmee]

Sorry you’ve ended up living in an area that’s bad for healthcare, that’s so sad when you need it. Keep up your research, but also ask people currently living in the areas you pick about their gp care & what their surgery offers! My referrals from my gp have been excellent, & we have a dispensary within the same building & they have people specialising in diabetes & asthma, for example. Sorry to ramble on, but that’s what I’d look for first, then check out the hospitals! S x

[Yasmee in reply to Pixix]

Yes thats exactly what I am doing so far some good reports on some hospitals trying to balance it all and also in touch with versus arthritis. Information allows me to make hopefully the right choice..Nhs where I am is disgusting gave to beg for a referral to a specialist constantly sent away and neglected...thank u for your advice xx

[Happy5]

Pre covid we were able to stay in E. Malaysia for winter months.Temp never lower than 24degrees my muscles and tendons love it feels like being in a sauna.

Course heat is tiring though.

I live in Hampshire when it's warm here again similar pain free joints, however the recent

hot weather wiped me out.

It would seem heat and humidity has to be at an optimum temperature.

[Yasmee in reply to Happy5]

Thats interesting thank you so much this is helping me make an informed choice yes too warm and it wipes me put too im googling low humidity areas as im surrounded by hills.