Does this wet, cold and damp weather effect RA? - NRAS
Does this wet, cold and damp weather effect RA?
Newly diagnosed but I've not yet noticed any difference in my RA when its hot or cold. Admittedly mine is not yet controlled so it's playing up pretty much all the time.
Paula x
Hi Paula, I too am recently diagnosed still got pain but have noticed that joints are better when the weather is warmer. Roll on the summer. My RA doctor told me lots of patients say the same. Good luck.
hi yes when i was waiting to get a diagnosis my hands and wrists were a lot worse in the winter and wet weather,especially during the night,but its not so bad now i,m on embrel injections,hope this answers your problem.....
I always wear gloves that cover my wrists. I have found this help a lot with the pain. Hope this helps.
The damp wet weather has played havoc with me, in the last 6 months since i have been diganosed it has been crap. I wish you luck and hope it settles down for you a bit. take care. x
My Mum always said her's was worse when it was windy whereas mine seems worse when there is a change in the weather from a dry spell to rain but not so much with hot or cold. xxx
I have not noticed any difference in the weather with my RA but psychologically feel better when it is warm and sunny!
Hello Fhassan.
Some 4 years ago just diagnosed, about to go on honeymoon to Vienna and mentioned to my GP. She immediately suggested changing venue to warmer climes. We did just that and went to same hotel chain but in Alicante. Sadly I had a severe flare (which I now know what it was) but the GP was right, for me warmer is better. Damp conditions are the worst so roll on the summer weather !!!!!!!!!!
Asa's mumxx
Thanks people for sharing your experiences.
I have noticed sometimes the heat can increase swelling, but the pain is not too bad, equally the swelling is reduced, but the pain fluctuates in the winter!
Maybe it is pschological, but roll on the summer!!!
Farhat
For me, definately! Whether it is damp in winter or humid in summer, my RA is worse. High wind also. I have a friend whose mother can tell when it is going to rain just by the feeling in her joints.
Jo
I like the warmer weather of Spring & Fall, but the heat of summer & our high humidity seems to affect me, flare wise. Maybe it's the longer days of sunlight & I try to pack more into my days than in the winter.
Cold wet rainy days really affect me, my joints just burn & ache all day.
We had thunderstorms all night and I'm quite stiff today. I totally match my name today: Tinwoman.
Christine
My right hand has been puffed up for a while and I've been feeling stiffer and achier than normal. At my Rheumy appt this week the doc sent me off for a general steroid jab and the nurses giving them said they'd been doing loads recently. They reckoned it was the weather.
I have found,Cold, Damp, Or rain,afects my Poly-A/R.One learns,things like.do not use a screw-driver,OR cannot use a screw-driver,because of the wrist or fingure joints.So,I use A electric drill,where there is "WILL" there is always A WAY. Rockeron.
This is something that comes up fairly regularly on the NRAS helpline, and I have also posted a response about this on this forum before. Hope the following will be of interest:
Whilst warmer climates do not affect the progression of RA, many people have reported that they feel better in warmer climates. However, research studies to date have not found conclusive evidence that this is the case. People in a variety of climates have developed RA, and there is nothing to suggest that the onset of the disease would be caused by living in a colder climate, but it is possible that the colder climate could have an effect on symptoms.
Please see below some information from the Arthritis Research UK (ARUK) website and a link to an article on About.com examining the connections between arthritis and climate:
"Moving to a warmer climate
Many people with arthritis feel that changes in the weather affect the level of pain they feel. Most people prefer hot, dry climates, but some people feel better in the cold and damp. The weather will probably make a difference to how you feel – warmth and sunshine tend to lift your spirits. However, arthritis and musculoskeletal pain occur in all climates, and although the weather may affect the symptoms of your arthritis or the way you feel, it won’t cause the condition or affect the way it develops."
Taken from: arthritisresearchuk.org...
About.com article: Weather and Arthritis:
arthritis.about.com/od/weat...
I hope that this will be of interest to you.
Kind regards
Victoria
(NRAS Helpline & Information Coordinator)
Hello - I was diagnosed with RA 36 years ago. For me I find searing hot sunshine drains my energy very quickly so I opt for the shade. If there is a flare up in the heat I find it much more exhausting to deal with than if it occurs in the winter. I suspect it is a very individual thing in the same way a particular drug will work for one person and not another. That said the sun certainly lifts the spirits after so much grey!
I have had RA for 14 years and until last year it was largely controlled since starting on MTX 10 years or so ago. I had a few flare ups, lasting a few weeks at most and could go 2 or more years with nothing significant. But last Sept the mother of all flare ups started. I have been through the cold, wet and warm spells that our weather is giving us - and most definately I am worse in the cold and much worse in the wet and cold. My flare up is largely confined to my right knee and hip and less so in hands/fingers/toes/ankles. But when it is cold and wet - I ache all over and my hands swell up.
COLD WEATHER - BLAH!!!
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