Anyone else a walking storm detector?

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Booble

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Even though I live in a location with barely any barometrical changes between highs and lows, I always feel pressure in my head and/or sinuses and generally feel extra yuk starting about 6 - 8 hours before a rain storm.

I was thrilled that it was sunny out yesterday and today and then after lunch time -- boom -- I don't feel right. And sure enough now about 4 hours later the rain clouds look like they are coming back.

Anyone else get zapped when a storm is approaching?
 
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Booble

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The little storm has come with heavy showers and one thunder boom but seems to be passing quickly.
Hopefully my storm radar detector will be happier shortly.
 
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fiesta

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Dear Members, yes I do recognise this phenomenon very clear, I,m a walking barometer sins I have the disease. Additional I also react to temperature changes (mast cells?). This is a sign for inflammation most likely, also patients with other inflammatory diseases do experience this (R.A).

There is also a relation between the degree of the barometric (coming) changes, and the worsening of the symptoms. When the weather will become heavy stormy, I have to lay down (on bed) the day prior to happening.

greetings
Europe
 
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B

Booble

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fiesta said:
Dear Members, yes I do recognise this phenomenon very clear, I,m a walking barometer sins I have the disease. Additional I also react to temperature changes (mast cells?). This is a sign for inflammation most likely, also patients with other inflammatory diseases do experience this (R.A).

There is also a relation between the degree of the barometric (coming) changes, and the worsening of the symptoms. When the weather will become heavy stormy, I have to lay down (on bed) the day prior to happening.

greetings
Europe
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Thanks for sharing your story.
It's good to know others experience it as well. It's surprising how bad I can feel just from a storm approaching . If I don't know a storm is coming it's very confusing of why I suddenly feel doubly triply crappy.
 
Pyrrhus

Pyrrhus

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Booble said:
generally feel extra yuk starting about 6 - 8 hours before a rain storm
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fiesta said:
There is also a relation between the degree of the barometric (coming) changes, and the worsening of the symptoms.
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Yes, this is a common phenomenon in ME and chronic pain patients. The sudden drop in atmospheric/barometric pressure that precedes a rain storm worsens pain signals.

What appears to happen is that the sudden drop in atmospheric pressure reduces the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood, and the temporary reduction in blood oxygen somehow amplifies pain signals.

The body can certainly adapt to changes in atmospheric pressure to ensure a constant supply of oxygen in the blood, but it takes a little time for the body to adapt.

It's possible that a sudden increase in humidity can have a similar effect, as it also reduces the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood...
 
B

Booble

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Pyrrhus said:
Yes, this is a common phenomenon in ME and chronic pain patients. The sudden drop in atmospheric/barometric pressure that precedes a rain storm worsens pain signals.

What appears to happen is that the sudden drop in atmospheric pressure reduces the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood, and the temporary reduction in blood oxygen somehow amplifies pain signals.

The body can certainly adapt to changes in atmospheric pressure to ensure a constant supply of oxygen in the blood, but it takes a little time for the body to adapt.

It's possible that a sudden increase in humidity can have a similar effect, as it also reduces the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood...
Click to expand...


I live in the most humid place on earth soooooo....

It's helpful to hear this actually.
It feels similar to jetlag. Would that make sense considering lower oxygen?
I have to sit in the very first row of the plane where there is extra oxygen (good trick a pilot taught me).
 
Pyrrhus

Pyrrhus

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Booble said:
It feels similar to jetlag. Would that make sense considering lower oxygen?
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Yes, there is likely a similar effect when flying in an airplane.
(And for me, for an additional three days after any airplane flight!)

I was at first confused about this phenomenon until my brother-in-law, who is a pilot, explained that they never pressurize airplanes to 100% of sea level atmospheric pressure.

Most of the time, the air pressure in an airplane is only 75% of the atmospheric pressure at sea level, which means the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood drops suddenly when the airplane rises.

I once did the math and figured out that I could bring a portable oxygen concentrator on the airplane, and if I used it at something like 80% oxygen at 3 liters per minute, it would normalize the partial pressure of oxygen in my blood while flying in an airplane. (I forget the exact calculations, however, I'm just working from memory.)
 
Rebeccare

Rebeccare

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I often notice changes in barometric pressure, too. I feel it in my head (but not like the guy below)

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B

Booble

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Yes, I've often wished that there were flights you could go on where they pressurized to sea level pressure.
Over the years it has gotten harder and harder to bounce back from flights. I'm with you on the 3-day thing!

Did you ever come up with any other methods to improve pressure of oxygen in the blood?
 
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lenora

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@Booble....Hello. Do you live in Texas? It certainly sounds like it. We have frequent weather changes and the allergy situation is downright miserable.

Mind you, I think a lot of us are the "feelers of the world." And almost anyone with an inflammatory illness, or even recent surgery, will complain. At least we know what's coming, don't we? Yours, Lenora.
 
Hip

Hip

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Booble said:
Anyone else a walking storm detector?
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Before developing ME/CFS, when I was healthy, I was quite weather-sensitive, and had a lower mood on overcast rainy days, compared to blue sky sunny days. Part of this I think is the light level: sunny skies put most people in a better mood.

But interestingly, when I would wake up in the morning, even with my eyes still closed and the curtains still drawn, I would immediately be able to feel whether it was sunny or overcast/rainy outside, just by observing my mood while still under the bedsheets. So this cannot be anything to do with the light, as I was aware of the weather under the bedsheets even without opening my eyes.

Changes in atmospheric pressure might explain this, as this is known to affect health. And of course changes in humidity.

But perhaps one other possible explanation for how I was able to discern the weather with my eyes closed is the atmospheric electric field:

Normally in the atmospheric there is an electric gradient of around 50 to 200 volts per meter going upwards. But I believe this electric field will change during storms: this article says the electric field can reach over 10,000 volts per meter during a storm.

I am not sure though if humans can sense or respond to this electric field. However, spiders certainly make good use of it, as spiders use the electric field to fly across entire oceans!


I actually seem to have lost most of my weather sensitivity since getting ME/CFS.
 
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Booble

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lenora said:
@Booble....Hello. Do you live in Texas? It certainly sounds like it. We have frequent weather changes and the allergy situation is downright miserable.

Mind you, I think a lot of us are the "feelers of the world." And almost anyone with an inflammatory illness, or even recent surgery, will complain. At least we know what's coming, don't we? Yours, Lenora.
Click to expand...

Nope, not Texas. Even more humid than that!
Hint: One of the wettest spot on the Earth is located here. :)
 
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