hi all. This heat is just so debilitating! I’m like a limp lettuce! Headaches like I’ve not had before all my body aches. Im drinking enough as I keep checking my pee (excuse the word lol) and going often so no probs there. Are we all the same on here? I’m wondering whether to inject my MTX on Saturday as I’ll just feel even worse on Sunday with that too.
The pc is of a pigeon sitting in our bird bath, sat there for 20 minutes…maybe that’s the secret except he’s in full sun ☀️
I muat admit my RA is dreadful at the moment due to the heat. I don't know where to put myself today. xxx
It’s dreadful isn’t it Sylvi! I want to sit in a cool bath…but we had it taken out because I can’t get out of them anymore 🤦♀️ Xxx
About 5 years ago I couldn't get in or out of the bath, I had a flare of RA, I was in hospital for ten days, then I had a Homecare plan meaning a career used to come and give me a shower, or a wash down, which I say was very good. You could have spoken to your GP and you would have been provided with a shelf to put in your bath to get in and out. I have still kept the self, when I find it difficult to get in the bath I use it it is very helpful, as I have problems with my knees. Hope you found this helpful. Also had a railing put on the stairs so it's easy to get up and down, the company name is Medi something, was provided by the hospital.
My RA started in the summer, at that time I was in my early 30's, but Doctors didn't do anything for 6 months. I had my son at that time he a a toddler, so you can imagine how difficult it was, but that time passed, and so will this. Don't worry be happy in whatever situation you are, be Positive, if you think negative all these thoughts will come, as I have been through it. Hope this helps you.
I’ve got a long floaty cotton dress and sandals on amd a wide brim hat and probably look like Little Bo Peep 😝 .. but I’m cool and comfy so I don’t care! It’s my garden and it’s a very nice “Nobody’s Child” dress actually! 💗 Hope you stay cool and not too affected by Mtx fatigue on top of the heatwave. Our resident vandal pigeons submerge their heads in the bird bath to drink!
I found a brand new wide brim hat in the charity shop the other day. Best £2.99 I've spent! Ok I dont look chic but I've got past caring 😁
I bet it looks fab. I don’t see too many people but I wouldn’t care even if I did! I sometimes wear a straw Stetson I bought at a festival in 2018.
I've worn it into town and although it's always busy, I don't care😁
Well done. I don’t either!
You only need to look at the very comfy trainers I wear with everything to know I too have got past the stage of caring what anyone thinks. It’s funny when your bones and muscles are aching because of the cold you wish for some nice warm weather and now it’s arrived for me at least it’s not much better for my body than the cold.
It’s taken years to find trainers that suit my wide foot so if anyone wants to look or laugh then so be it but I’m hardly mixing with people anyhow. Clumpy trainers are fashionable .. but it doesn’t bother me one bit either! 💗
I definitely agree with you.
Me too. Limp lettuce suns me up nicely .I'm drained. Just keep dozing off, my knees are hurting. Everything's an effort. I love the photo. I have lots of sparrows visit my garden and it's a delight to watch them bathing.
Take care x
I love watching the Sparrows, blackbirds and Starlings in our bird baths. ❤️
Our house is part of a small terrace and sparrows nest in the eaves. I love them - they're such characters, and we have a couple of bold ones which come in the kitchen for food if the back door's open.
We've got at least a couple of sparrow nests in the eaves and they come back every year; I love it when the cock sparrow starts shouting from his perch at the top of the drainpipe. One of the advantages of old houses although we are having swift boxes and bat boxes put up on the bungalow - really hope that they are used 🤞
Yes we have a couple of cock sparrows doing that. It makes me laugh when they dance around the females- who are more interested in the food, and ignore them😁
I have a bird nesting in an ornate air vent (late victorian). I love to hear it every spring..
Sparrow in the kitchen - not a good photo but you get the idea
Aww wow how lovely!
I know when they come in because I can hear their claws. Earlier there were 3 lined up on the doorframe , waiting. They chirp if I don't see them ! They are lovely and really brighten my day😁
I've always hated hot weather so can't blame RA but limp lettuce🥬 is a great description! I'm wearing a short, skimpy dress (only me and hubby around!) and I'm moving around the house and garden to find the coolest (least roasting!) spot at any one time. Just realised that the tiles are cool so sitting with my bare feet on them - really pleased that we've decided to have tiled floors throughout the bungalow and looking forward to being in there next summer with our insulation, blinds and ceiling fans 😅
I'm lovely and cool ! we invested 2 years ago about £250 in a small portable air conditioner and its sited in the conservatory with all the blinds down and all windows closed except where it's vented out. The though draught is lovely but we do live in Kent nd it is roasting outside so much that probably without air con the best place to be would be an indoor shopping centre. On Tuesday I was so cold in a restaurant in there I started shivering and had to go into the main mall to get warm. We open our loft hatch at night and are considering getting a company in to fit air con as it's seems like it's going to be a regular thing but then again I remember the it's getting colder campaign a few years ago. Who knows and all the wheat is in a whole month early and the marsh is like a tinder box just waiting for a spark to go up. And that is the saddest thing when the rain comes it'll run off. The ground is cracked and we can see ancient ploughing marks so its a very strange time. The lawn is like concrete and the the dahlias have failed but its bumper crop of very short lived roses. No breeze at all outside and too dry to put washing out in this heat its in the tumble dryer. !
Yes I got a small air conditioner a few weeks ago. It’s great in the living room but the rest of the bungalow is a no go for me after lunchtime. I Just can’t take it. We opened our loft hatch but it just seemed to get hotter everywhere. Hubby insists on opening every door and window (to let ‘fresh air’ in) until lunchtime so the aircon doesn’t go on until then. I stay in the bedroom as it’s the coolest part of the house until then. He doesn’t quite get this RA stuff yet. I’ve never in my 63 years seen the grass so brown everywhere!
I've managed to educate mine that doors, windows, blinds and curtains need to stay shut unless it's cooler outside than in so they get opened on the cooler side of the house during the evening and are left open on both sides overnight (not downstairs!) to get a through draft. There's actually a nice cool breeze outside now so the garden is lovely atm.
Six of my neighbours had ACs fitted this week….they now all look suitably cool.
I am usually quite comfortable when we have these mini heatwaves….but if things don’t cool off over the weekend my name will be added to the list.
I know this will sound peculiar…but It’s not the high numbers of the temperature…this time…..but even without sun, it just seems that the heat is so intense…..& it’s so airless.
I think that it's also the fact that it's lasting longer this time although so far I am coping better as it's not so impossibly hot overnight.
I’m sitting in my bedroom with a fan either side of the bed sucking my second Ice lolly!
I know all about the science that a hot cup of tea cools you better…..but when else can an old lady have an ice lolly….& not have to fend of the men in white coats?
Yes ice cream, lollies and drinks with lots of ice have all been enjoyed today! 😉
But in India they eat curry to cool down so would a Rogan Josh be better for us ? lol x
You are right they say eat spicy to make you sweat to cool your body. 🥵
Yes…apart from the indigestion L
Maybe but a) I hate spicy food and b) I prefer not to sweat unless unavoidable - I get enough of that with my hot flushes 😓😂
I think in Kent its the humidity its so just well wet but bone dry ground. My front lawn has shrunk and we've used nearly all the stored water so as I hate seeing the baskets shrivel up so they are back in buckets in the shade. Not one fuchsia has bloomed and despite all the mulch its just so sad. I'd say invest in the zircon it's great. xx
My Fuchsias refused to bloom too….In fact I pulled them all up yesterday…they wouldn’t resurrect now.I have had a terrible year for bedding plants….but I have one large tub full of last year’s Violas…… they bloomed all through the winter and are still lovely now!
My fuchsias started out really well a couple of months ago but now they look very sad
It's too hot today to even sit in the shade outside, even my fig tree is wilting. So I'm gonna give up as its forecast rain tomorrow and I'm exhausted as my granddaughter aged two has stayed overnight. She was up last night till ten as excited then up at 5 am as the sun came up and is now fast asleep on the sofa. So I have an hour to tidy up before she creates chaos again. She's read me Spot and done the Elmer puzzle of 50 pieces by herself and had numerous stories from grandad and he's now dropping asleep too. Both will wake up hungry no doubt and my son and DIL who are supposed to be here for 4 will be delayed until tea is ready to be dished up. And yet its been fun but it'll take me a few days to get over. lol x
Glad you've had a fun day , even though it will take a while to recover🤗
How lovely. Very tiring I know as I have a 3 year old granddaughter. Do you sleep when she stays? She sleeps all night and I have a monitor but I don’t sleep, just doze 🤦♀️
Not a wink and now totally knackered. She sleeps like a log and only had a brief blip when asked if mummy and daddy were going to a restaurant after their paddle and could she keep the Matey Bubbles to go home ? She really is gifted and I'm using Matey in future I'd forgotten how it doesn't leave a ring like some bubble baths. But she did like our bath a bit too much as it's big and she could splash about and duly did! She referred to the spare room as her bedroom as well. Oh well when we took her to Allington Lock to meet our son and DIL she was full of it. And had her photo taken with the group of boarders who'd paddled 20 miles over 2 days. Sooner them than me. We are today recovering and it's quiet and no questions either. It is true as my friend said lovely when they arrive but better when they go home. lol lol xx Thursday we are going to take her to see Peppa Pig the show at the Halls I used to work in the Civic , Offices next door and we got cheap tickets and sometimes free ones if the theatre was not full and our son saw so many, many shows there so it'll bring back a lot of memories although I'd forgotten how much show tickets are. Thursdays are our babysitting holiday duty days as our DIL teaches yoga and SUP yoga.
It’s deffo a grandma thing then…they sleep we don’t lol. Yes it’s lovely having them but still lovely when they go home 🤣🤣🤣 mine refuses to go but I say I’m going back to bed now so if you want to do that stay. She wants to go then. Saying days aren’t for sleeping! 🤣🤣🤣 I reply ‘I’m old I sleep in the day’ 😊
lol you are so right. xx
I’m fortunate as my house is under trees so is relatively cool. I’ll be moaning next week it’s cold as I’m going to the arctic circle and it’s currently around 10 degrees. Never happy 😂😂
One of my best holidays ever above the Arctic Circle -23 c (we went in February)
Loved every minute and hope you do too.
I’ve always wanted to be in the 24 hours daylight. It’s not quite now as that was last month, but close enough
Wow you got room in your suitcase? Xx
I’ve just bought a bigger one so if you can curl up, I probably have 😂
🤣🤣🤣 curl up… I can hardly walk today let alone curl up 🤦♀️🤣🤣 thank you for the offer 😊🥰 we have to keep laughing don’t we.
We do! I'm doing a bit of the clinging on the walls/back of the sofa/door handle dance today. Honestly I feel like I'm 90 sometimes
I'm aching all over, but the air pressure is high again
Is that what this terrible feeling of aching all over is down too ? im going to google it , not been in this position before so didnt have a clue, thanks i am glad its not just me ! I was getting worried.
No not just you. I was worried too. Now I’ve seen everyone else on here is practically the same…hey ho bring on the cooler weather lol x
Met office gives the pressure levels daily and it always seems to coincide!
I had never even thought of looking ! Thanks .
Me too. I always say my feet and ankles are a better humidity barometer than the Met office is 😂
Interesting point
I thought I was the only one. No energy, aching, RA flaring and a headache that comes and goes. Ahhhh. Take care everyone. x
Summer and the heat is my nemesis, always has been, just more extreme since having RA.
Hi no headaches, but feel ive been run over by a tractor !! Fist time for me with my RA in the heat !
That’s a good analogy too, run over by a tractor! So we are limp lettuces that have been run over by tractors! Take care x
If you don't mind I like tractors and combine harvesters. Such a treat sitting on the trailer and in the combine cab. I could not get in one now but love the smell of ripe wheat and barley. The dust is awful but it was part of the fun.
My RA is really bad at the moment. Joints that I thought were ok are swollen and painful, and my legs feel heavy. I’m drinking plenty too, fortunately my house is old and fairly cool, and I will continue to stay cool indoors.
Yes my legs have felt very heavy and my knees have been very swollen
My knees are painful but I need knee replacements - my right knee is bone on bone.
I was told I'm too young for a replacement - I'm 65!!!😁
I was told in 2018 by a very unfriendly knee surgeon at the orthopaedic hospital that I would need a replacement in 2020, but he also said, in no uncertain terms, that I wouldn’t be able to have one because I’m steroid dependent for my lungs. He said that I would have to get off the steroids completely, and when I told him I wouldn’t be able to breathe. He discharged me as his patient! About5 weeks ago I saw a different knee man and my rheumatologist he said I definitely needed my knee doing, and that he’d do it under epidural and I could stay on my current steroid dose. I’m 66 now! I need a cataract doing and then I’m going to ring his secretary.I don’t know why you’re too young at 65. A friend of mine has had both knees done this year and she’s 62!
Love all the comments nice to know I’m not alone 😘
Yes, I think we are probably all the same. I dread going to bed it is so uncomfortable. I usually go at 10.00pm but decided last night that I wouldn't bother. I made it to midnight when actually it seemed to be a little cooler and went to bed and didn't wake up until 7.00pm so that worked for me. As for during the day, I read somewhere that you should open all your windows early in the morning to let the warm air out and as the sun starts to rise, shut your windows to stop the heat from outside coming in and keep all curtains closed. We do this now and it definitely helps. Give it a try.
Yes at 6 this morning, very early for me, I stirred, git up opens all the windows and doors. There was a nice cool breeze. Manages to get the rooms down to 22 then everything shut, curtains closed and that’s me fine for the day. Oh and just had a cooked breakfast while I can be bothered to cook and eat. Take care. X
I'm lucky my bungalow hasn't been above 25 degrees inside, I can cope with that, but my poor garden is looking so frazzled, lots of things just getting burned in the heat.
I am solar powered. I have been sorting my house out (massive pile for charity) and just done an epic gardening session (front still in the shade til 12). I am resting loads too to recover, but I get so much done! Love the heat. Close curtains, open all windows first thing anyway all year round, and close when hot (hand test). Dry heat here.
The heat is really effecting my RA too I can’t manage to keep cool inside or outside in the shade 🥵 I found a luke warm shower helps and my hair being wet 😊 I hope you find some comfort from the heat x
I feel exactly like a limp aching lettuce but I'm past caring - I sit under the umbrella in my garden and read lots of books while the housework goes to pot. People always say to me "Oh I thought arthritis was always better in the warmth" little do they know or understand this disease!!
That's so true, up until now I thought exactly the same into I experienced it! This came to me out of the blue ! Always been a sun worshipper, not anymore, it's been awful these last few days , ankles like balloons !
It's comforting ( she says unkindly ) to know that so many of us are feeling the same in the heat .I have a much loved , floor length , cotton dress , a relic from my hippy days . I wear this without a bra ( shock , horror ) so I have a sort of column of cooling air under the dress .
I have family coming today , so have been cooking quite a lot over the past couple of days and have experienced the unusual phenomenon of water running down my face. I have to lean back from the bowl so that sweat doesn't drop in. I've often wondered at the unhygienic practices of chefs , on cookery programmes, with sweat pouring down their faces and how they manage .
Quite a few afternoons have been spent upstairs , on the bed , in a cool cotton nighty , fan blaring. Hubby keeps turning the fan to face the open window , apparently correct , to cool the air . As far as I'm concerned I get much hotter without the fan blasting me but it has to be said the temperature on the thermometer goes rapidly down . 😰
No shock horror from me re going braless ,I hate bras, I’ve tried all the types you can buy, I’ve been measured for them often but they all hurt my sternum. So braless I am unless visitors are coming or I’m going out. It’s heaven. (And it doesn’t seem to be doing my boobs any harm even though they are ‘ample’ lol)
Ha ha ! Mine can no longer be described as , "pert" !!!! Truth to tell they never have been . 😁😉
🤣🤣🤣
Well I’m the same as everyone else with my RA, but unfortunately had to come off HRT because of breast cancer and I’m going through the menopause again. It was horrendous the first time hence the HRT. I’ve got a lovely cedar gazebo but the temperature outside in my garden was 40oC yesterday and looking like it’s going that way today, even what breeze there is is hot! Im going to the coast next week temp estimated 18-21oC heaven but I think I’ll be wearing a cardigan as it will feel so cold😂😂
Yep...me too. Didn't know what to do with myself yesterday - nothing touched the pain and swelling. I'm also sick of people saying to me, 'ooo, this hot weather must be suiting you better'...er, no! It isn't! Hang on in there - it's going to cool down again soon. Phew! xxx
I do agree with you, I have also been sweating a lot, but wasn't allowed to go out anywhere when the temperature was very high. But thank God it didn't last long, but have been sleeping in the day, Then did my house work, my kitchen has a big window, and if I do my cooking in the morning I was fine, I have seen if I cook in the afternoon I really sweat, so it's not only you we are all in in together. It's been great weather I have lost some weight in this weather.
Hope you have a brilliant day.
May God bless us all in this beautiful weather. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Last rainfall here was 12 April! Desperate need for rain - less than the Gobi 🏜 desert.
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