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Reasons for autumn relapse?

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
Each year I start going downhill in Sept/Oct, and by November I'm usually back in bed. Doctors treating ME have remarked on the 'November factor' too.

I really haven't much of a clue why this happens to me, possible reasons are:

1. Increased exposure to viruses etc. But my children have left home so its not that they're bringing infections home when school starts. And I hardly leave the house.

2. Moulds from trees etc. But low dose immunotherapy with these hasn't helped.

3. Lower temperature and temperature fluctuations. I do have to keep the temp in the house very stable - suddenly feeling cold can make me a lot worse, so there might be something in this.

4. Less daylight. I'm looking into this by using a SAD light box. Just started a couple of days ago. Anyone else used one of these?

5. Spending more time indoors means being exposed to more 'toxins' from carpets, upholstery, gas fires etc. Could be something in this, but I've never liked explanations using the term toxins - seems very vague. And I don't have MCS or any other sensitivities as far as I'm aware. But we do have a gas fire. Could low level CO be a factor? But no-one else in the house has ever had any ME-like illness.

Do others experience this downturn? Any ideas why?

Jenny
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
Hi Jenny, its taken me a long time to realise that i also go downhill in Autumn. My best time this year was June -August, i managed a short holiday not far from home and some light gardening a few times a week. Now im back to being mainly confined to the house and only able to leave the house a couple of times a week for short trips.
I dont know why it is but i suspects some kind of Mold problem. I would love to spend a year in the south of France or Spain to see if it makes any difference. I live inbetween a wood and a field and its always damp and decaying here. I dont have any other theories and i dont know much about molds so it would be interesting to hear others opinions on this one.
All the best, Justy.
 

undcvr

Senior Member
Messages
822
Location
NYC
I go down btw Sept to early Nov too and my best months are btw Jun to Aug. As a matter of fact I still haven't recovered from something I caught in late Sept. Not just people with ME/CFS but normal healthy people too. It's just the shock in the change of weather I guess, with everyday being so different from the next temperature wise.
 

LaurelW

Senior Member
Messages
643
Location
Utah
December has always been my worst month since I got ME. I finally figured out it was lack of light. I started taking 2,000 I.U. a day of D3, and haven't had that problem ever since.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Fall allergies make me feel worse in every way. I don't just get allergic symptoms but everything seems to go down.

Sushi
 

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
Thanks for helpful replies. I agree Justy that damp and decay could be an issue. Acupuncturists always say I'm too 'damp'. Perhaps that's different though!

Laurel - glad you find that vit D helps. Makes sense, but I've taken 3000 iu vit d for nearly a year but nothing's changed.

Sushi - how do you know you have fall allergies if you don't get allergy symptoms?

Jenny
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
How old is your home? Any new(ish) carpeting or anything that might off gas? I would not write off (bio)toxins, especially if you do not do anything to detox.

GG
 
Messages
43
It has to have to do with where you live, as well. I'm sure Wales and London are very different in the fall than California or Utah. If it is environmental, then location has to be considered. I haven't had this long enough to see any sort of pattern yet, but I am definitely going to be watching for it!
 

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
How old is your home? Any new(ish) carpeting or anything that might off gas? I would not write off (bio)toxins, especially if you do not do anything to detox.

GG

Home 105 years old. No new carpeting or furniture. Nothing's changed for years. But London is quite damp, particularly in the autumn.

Jenny
 

meandthecat

Senior Member
Messages
206
Location
West country UK
Hi Jenny
I go down in the autumn as well, I became sick in late September and just assumed it was an annual re-visiting of the initial infection. I have experienced this before with other things. ed
 

fla

Senior Member
Messages
234
Location
Montreal, Canada
Just the effort of my body adjusting to a drop in room temperature of one or two degrees will make me much sicker. Turning on the heat and tweaking the thermostat for a few days to find the temperature that my body can tolerate best restores me to my baseline. It took several days before noticing that the sudden worsening of symptoms was due to an imperceptible drop in room temperature this fall.
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
Here in my area of Texas, I feel worse in the summer. I stay cool with air conditioning indoors, but when hubby and I go out, WOW is it hot in summer.

The other seasons are great so I feel much better. It is POTS for me, heat is the worst trigger. Our winters are not that cold and we have central heat if we need it.

I sure hope you can figure out what might help and you feel better soon! I am sure that weather and so many things play a part.
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,196
Location
Canada
I'm sort of the opposite because of heat/sun intolerance, but I like fall and spring best. I have an idea that those with more immune symptoms do better in warm weather and those with more neurological symptoms do better when it isn't hot. A damp or moldy home is terrible for me though. If you live in London I can imagine the ambient pollution getting trapped more and making worse air quality. I think I felt 'off' the whole time I was in London a few years ago because of air pollution.

A litebook can be great if SADs is a factor. A healthy friend of mine who was not feeling good in winter just got one and is doing much better. It gets more complicated of course with ME but I think the litebook is worth trying, maybe once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

I hope you can get through this and not have to feel so bad in winter!
 

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
Thanks for all the kind comments. I'll report back on my experience with the lightbox. Been doing it for nearly a week now.

Jenny
 

November Girl

Senior Member
Messages
328
Location
Texas
I always feel worse in the fall, and in my case it's the cold fronts that trigger it. After reading fla's post above, I'll try upping the temp a bit.

I'm so tired of always feeling rotten on my birthday, I'm tempted to start celebrating my half-birthday instead. May doesn't usually knock me for a loop.
 

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
I've been doing the light box for over a month now. If anything, feel a bit worse.

Jenny
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
I'm in London and do much better in the cold weather here (and in other locations). It's the hot humid months that I cannot cope with. Every November I pick up and physically can do much more.

ME as described by Ramsay and an acute viral onset.

My guess is that the cold weather does something to my blood supply system as my physical ability to walk is better. I'm purring with pleasure in the cold and I particularly enjoy the cold nights. In the warm weather I try to immerse my self in cold water as much as I can.

This cold weather effect isn't a cure as the increased physical functioning sadly leads to increased PEM and either due to that or the increased flus and cold I get lots of acute upper respitory tract and viral infections. Happens in other locations as well.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Fairly usual for me - but winter does bring on more lethargy (lack of sun, ability to stroll about , need to keep warm, watching any cold reaction) - feel like a dormouse but extra rest helps. And that's better than it was 2 years ago.
 

searcher

Senior Member
Messages
567
Location
SF Bay Area
My house is also 100+ years old. I had a ME/CFS doctor tell me that a lot of people do worse in old houses-- I think it's the indoor dust and moulds that increase in the winter, especially since it's harder to keep the windows open all the time. This may be a worse problem in places like London and the San Francisco area, since it's always humid and rainy this time of year.
I don't think it's vitamin D since so many of us supplement, but a litebook does sound like a great idea.