Does sunshine help ease joint pain and eye issues?

[goodlife]

Ladies, I feel so much improved since arriving in the average temp of 72 degrees....is this normal for BD sufferers? The joint pain is dramatically reduced and I am not having painful eyes for rhe first time since september...(Miss chatting but feel so much better)xx

[behcetshurtsbeyondwords]

Where are you at? Want to spread some sunshine and warmth my way, please!? Its a deep freeze here in Canada and our poor furnace can barely kick on because of the ice build-up on the roof-- ah the joys of winter here!

I am glad to hear that you have been feeling better-- hopefully its because your disease activity is settling down a bit right now-- but it could also have to do with feeling better emotionally. Sunshine helps our bodies get lots of vit.d which helps improve our overall well-being, and also we tend to feel much more content and positive when the sun is shining and the air is warm. Are you on vacation right now? A release of your body's own natural endorphines probably are playing a key role in your improved sense of being.

I seem to have the opposite effect though with the sun and heat-- both make me feel happier and more positive, but I also suffer from severe heat intolerance and photosensitivity. Heat is a major trigger for my symptoms-- my body starts swelling everywhere and I can literally feel my insides and vessels blowing up in me. I have to use luke warm or cool water to wash and bathe in, and I can't even open the oven to put something in or take something out. I even have to eat my food once its cooled right down. The sun also causes a similar reaction for me, except it really affects my skin and eyes badly-- I get a flushed "butterfly" (lupus-like) rashing across my face, my skin burns in severe stabbing pain and will get covered in lesions and start to ulcerate and bleed. My eyes will start to swell and start burning and become very sensitive. If I spend too much time in the heat and/or sun I will start to feel very sick and unwell and both actually increase my pain levels-- which is kind of odd because both should make me feel better. Long before my Behcet's diagnosis, I was told I have chronic cholinergic urticaria (heat allergy) and solar urticaria (sun allergy). They also suspected Lupus for a long time and I was diagnosed several times (and then undiagnosed) with it because of my body's reaction to the sun and the fact that I always get the butterfly rash. However, I now just assume that this is part of the Behcet's for me, seeing as it can cause many different issues and mimic many other autoimmune diseases.

Makes me wonder if anybody else suffers from similar reactions to heat and/or the sun? I have the same problem with many artificial lights also-- especially very bright lighting that produces lots of heat.

I hope that things continue to improve for you and that you continue feeling better for a good while

[Hidden]

From other threads it seems we all have different reactions to various types of weather. I think the suggestions above about why you feel good make sense. Whatever the reason, hooray and long may it last. And as always, thanks for posting positive news.

BHBW (can you make that shorter? ) In answer to your question - yes.

[goodlife]

Hi guys I'm back from the Canary Islands and I started to seize up on the plane trip back....arrhhhh blimey what a difference the weather made to me I felt almost as good as new. I am booking my next trip as soon as possible.