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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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Have you had to relocate due to your disability?

Messages
20
Not sure if this question falls in this category, but have you had to move due to your condition? Either to get closer to family for home care, due to costs, or to move closer to a clinic that treats you?

We've been planning on moving out of the Seattle area for some time due to the nearly prohibitive cost of living here. With my husband's emerging condition, we are seriously considering moving closer to whichever clinic we have luck with in the next few months. Or to a cheaper part of the country with a major airport nearby. Right now, we are looking at some options in the south or Oregon/Arizona if we stay on the west coast. I don't think it's entirely negative on our end, as we were wanting a new "life adventure" of sorts anyway.

I'm curious about your experiences.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
I've moved a few times over the past 30+ years of this disease.

I'm not sure if it is the same in the USA but in the UK cheaper areas tend to have less employment. We did one major move and then when my other-half was made redundant he couldn't get any work and we had to move yet again.

Would love to get nearer to any clinic but nothing to really choose from around here. I did move to be closer to medical treatment 20 years ago when it was available but the high housing costs now would make that very hard.

If we could find somewhere with employment, cheaper housing and medical care we would move there.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
I think it would be very hard to get well without regular access to excellent functional medicine doctors. Even though I see a top ME/CFS specialist out of state, it's my functional medicine doctor, who I see every 3 weeks, who optimizes my function on a day to day basis, and prescribe a nutrients, botanicals, hormones, and drugs that help me cope and do much better than I would be otherwise.

Some parts of the US seem to lack access to this type of mecicine, which is difficult.
 
Messages
20
Some people are sensitive to mold (to the point where it seems to be a root cause of their ME). It has substantially helped some people to move to a cleaner location.

I was actually planning on posting about this to one of the groups but got interrupted last night before I could do so. It's definitely one of our our "it wouldn't hurt to try" strategies, even though we don't feel mold sensitivity is the case with with my husband. That said, I don't think this getting dark at 4 pm for 3 months and constant rain has been very helpful for him emotionally in all this.
 

Nightingale

Chronically Cool
Messages
61
Hi @ratmom

I had to relocate too. I live in Australia. I was living in Melbourne and the weather really upset my condition. We had no air conditioning and it could be really super hot one day, then incredibly cold the next. I ended up moving to the Wollongong area, and the weather is much more agreeable - it doesn't fluctuate so much. There's also a really active CFS support group here, so it's been a positive move. :)

PS: I have rats too and they're wonderful. Hope everything works out for you!
 

Lolo

Senior Member
Messages
306
Location
AUS
I am considering moving. Someone I know may be interested in buying my house. It is too much for me to look after. I have slowly renovated but I am so over it. And I get stressed very easy and things always go wrong for me. Every tradesman I have had here I have had to get back to fix the job or finish the job and still not happy. Last month I went to court about my damaged floor from the painter.

I live alone and don't have much support. I am middle aged so will have to move at some point so figure it might be a good time. Also there is a big housing development going to happen 1/2 kilometree away which will be very noisy - building on rock. But it is so green and quiet here.