feeling the same in good weather or bad.......

[tessintrouble]

I have been interested to read that quite a few people have felt better when having holidays in warm countries. Is it because of the sunshine, or the fact you are just "away" for a few days that you may feel better? The reason I ask is because I was living abroad (hot sunny country) when I was diagnosed and have had many terrible (sometimes hospitalising) flare ups despite the warm sunny weather. I came back to the Uk last year and have just been through a very cold wet winter (my 1st in years) and can honestly say I have not felt any different than I did "in the sun". Is there anyone else out there that doesn't feel particularly better / worse regardless of the weather?

[_andy_]

weather plays no part in RA ... you may just feel better in yourself , whilst on holiday , making that the reason you feel better .. some other forms of arthritis can be effected by weather ,, this is where the confusion starts ,, but weather doesnt effect RA ...

[Hidden]

Think it maybe all in the mind??, but a week away from work in warm sun but not too hot helped me xxx. damp and humid dont seem to suit me just sunny and pleasant..

SO were can I LIVE so its 20-24 degrees all year round with no humid conditions and most importantly no mosquitoes!! x

[Hidden]

Think it maybe all in the mind??, but a week away from work in warm sun but not too hot helped me xxx. damp and humid dont seem to suit me just sunny and pleasant..

SO were can I LIVE so its 20-24 degrees all year round with no humid conditions and most importantly no mosquitoes!! x

[trace65]

The weather doesn't affect my initial pain but I think being cold makes me tense up and makes the pain harder to cope with. Tracy xx

[fastball]

The last time we had a decent summer i was worse. I felt as if all my toes and ankle would explode they were so swollen. So i dont know i always told the GP that i felt worse all over. I will tell you when we have a decent summer HAHAHA

PS acually put a photo on clever me LOL.

Chris

[shirlthegirl in reply to fastball]

A lovely picture Chris, it is so nice to put a face to a message xx

[Sailaway]

I really don't notice a difference between hot/cold, dry/damp or high/low pressure. People I know with osteoarthritis definitely notice a difference, so I wonder if people with RA notice more of a difference depending on how much erosion the joints have suffered, or if there's any osteoarthritis in the joints alongside RA?

[allanah]

I can understand that there is a psychological element to feeling better on holiday! I definitely feel MUCH better with het but my dad who also had RA was better in the cold. My Uncle emigrated to America as he was so much better in the heat. Unfortunately they are expecting a tornado tonite so ( middle of our night) so I hope they r ok in the shelter after Oklahoma.

[Barrister]

I used to think that the pain in my feet was worse in winter but soon realised that it made no difference whatever the season or weather and now that I have spent since the end of January in Saudi Arabia, I know for sure that isn't true. I agree that the sunshine just makes me feel better psychologically so maybe that's why I feel that I can cope with pain better in the summer months (such as they are in the UK)! Am home for a couple of weeks now - we will see how I feel at the end of that! Allanah,I hope that your Uncle and his family have come through the tornado alright. Clemmie

[allanah in reply to Barrister]

Cheers clemmie xx

[Hidden]

Makes no odds to me at all. Sunshine is always cheering and vitamin D is good but real heat makes me swell and like Alison the mosquitoes are a big issue! Up here the winter has been long, spring only just about here now but the sun has been out a lot and the garden is a mass of colour despite the cold. I'm with the garden - weather is overrated! X

[allanah]

Thanks will let u know xx

[Man_Oeuvre]

I haven't been through hot weather with RA yet, but was outside during the sunny periods in March/April and my skin seemed to go red/brown more quickly. Is this an effect of Methotrexate?

John

[Barrister]

TildaT, mosquitoes are a problem for us too but we use plug in repellents and nets indoors and I have found an excellent spray called Incognito which really works and it is natural too. It may work for you. Clemmie.

[tessintrouble]

thanks everyone! Yes Man-Oeuvre - mtx can effect you in the sun. I am on mtx injections now and the rheumy nurse especially advised sunblock and also sun glasses as the eyes can be effected also. x

[Man_Oeuvre in reply to tessintrouble]

ThanksTess. Rheumatoid Factor 30 sunscreen, then.

[Caza]

We have an apartment in Tenerife & I do feel better there, I put that down to being on holiday,as in better food fish,salad,fruits etc. I swim twice a day there,relax inbetween. I have had flares there aswell though & the heat can make the swelling on my joints worse. But also find the extream cold makes up hands & feet a lot more painful. I remember Tilda saying how she wraps her fingers around a hot mug because it brings relief, so do I x

[Dogrose]

The weather doesn't affect me in that it doesn't make my symptoms worse. I do get restless legs and they get worse when the pressure is dropping when a big Atlantic low system is coming in. Also I find the freezing air in winter is actually soothing if my hands are very inflamed. xxx

[jeanabelle]

I agree with barrister, I think it is all psychological. Heat and sunshine just naturally 'feel' better but makes no difference to our physical condition. Someone else mentioned about tending to tense up during cold weather, that may irritate the condition.

My brother lives on the east coast of America and we were just talking about that at the weekend. He asked me if I had less pain when it is sunny and dry here in Ireland? All I could say was that it was 'nicer' to have pain when the sun was shining than to have pain when the rain is splitting the stones!!

Hope all are doing well no matter what the weather is. XX

[LesleyH]

I now live in Dubai and I know everyone says the weather makes no difference but to me it does, I returned to the UK for two weeks in March and within five days my joints started to swell and I felt awful, within one week of returning to Dubai I was fine again. It might be all in the mind but my mind says I feel better when it's warm