as you all know, i just moved from the west coast to east coast. out west, i never dealt with humidity. here, however, it is killing me. today, a rainy day, is especially hard for me. i honestly feel like i cannot breathe.
does anyone else experience this? what could be happening that i am experiencing so much chest tightness and shortness of breath? could this be pulmonary hypertension, though my numbers are mild? could it be related to this really intense abdominal pain?
from what i understand, the ANS controls smooth muscles right? and smooth muscles are what make up the lungs, right? so is it possible that dysautonomia can cause bronchospasm, which is inflammation of the smooth muscles of the lung?

does anyone else experience this? what helps? my mucous membranes and lips are very very pale, which leads me to believe i am not getting enough oxygen, which is sure how it feels. i haven't really had this symptom before, perhaps b/c i never lived in the humidity, but these past few days it has been awful.

Yes Gracie, humidity makes everything much worse. It's one reason I want to move back west from the east coast - summer is extremely difficult and makes everything much harder. In fact we have spent the month in Maine so I could get to cooler/drier weather...we head home on Saturday and I don't want to go!!! So unfortunately it's just a big old welcome to the east coast.

HI, I am new to this group. I suffer from the symptoms of dysautonomia. This spring I was completely broadsided by the humidity here in Nebraska. It has been a very bad year for rain and low land flooding. I hve suffered migraine like headches all summer long with no relief. I have not been able to work since the end of April. I have a couple of appointments comming up with specialists. Any suggestions of what I should ask? I do sympathise with you Gracie, I am a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT and I have been out on the sidelines all summer, that really stinks. I dont mind taking reports and pictures, but I also like putting on my bunker gear and getting dirty and joining in during the training and emergencies. Plus I really do need to get back to work before I end up losing my job.

Yes, many of my symptoms get kicked into high gear with humidity – shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, flushing – you name it. Unless its blazing hot out, I like to leave the windows open and get a breeze so I can tell immediately when the humidity rises b/c I really have trouble breathing. I try to stay ultra-hydrated to feel as well as I can. Try to condition myself by doing more and more outdoor activities during hot/humid times – sometimes this works but sometimes my body just says ‘enough is enough’ – then only staying indoors with the a/c blasting helps.

Yes, humidity absolutely slays me...along with heat. I'm very
fair skinned & sunlight / heat & humidity are just the worst. My
heart pounds, my pulse races & I have a feeling of, don't laugh
- impending doom! And I'm not a complainer; have always felt I
had a high pain threshold... take no meds except for wellbutrin
(which was supposed to help me not feel so fatigued, but just
raised my bp a bit too much). I take vitamin B-12 like crazy &
it does help. But the humidity here in my state (Missouri) is awful.
I just stay outa the heat as much as possible. Hang in there!
Sarah (S Chavez)

thanks guys.
i have never had these symptoms when i lived in california (wonderfully dry dry dry!), but have since had a whole new can of worms open since moving back to maryland.
i honestly cannot breathe. my lungs just won't do it. they stop about half way and then force me to exhale. this is horrible. i am so sorry to all of you who have been dealing with this, because i really feel for you.
i am wondering WHY this is related to dysautonomia? why is our breathing, or our ability to breathe, affected by this? is it the muscles? the constriction/contraction of blood vessels? i suspect myself for pulmonary hypertension, but very mildly, i shouldn't be experiencing such severity in shortness of breath due to that.
i also notice that the humidity and resulting shortness of breath causes my IST to be out of control, happening like every half hour, and the surges of adrenaline, when i am feeling relaxed at that, to be more intense than ever.

these last few days have just been really difficult for me. i am supposed to start taking classes next week and i am trying to look for a part time job, but i don't feel like i can do either. i went from being able to function to completely incapacitated right now.

so anyways, i am looking for some feedback. this has been a DRASTIC change in my symptoms and i am wondering how i go about testing for any issues. i literally went from breathing fine in california all the way through texas (on my drive back east), and the second i crossed into arkansas (so humid), i was throwing up from dizziness from lack of oxygen. it's only gotten worse. WHY??? what should i be tested for? can i do anything about this, other than move back west, to be able to function?

You all are going to hate me big time.

I love humid weather. I feel like I can't breathe out here in the California heat. Way too dry. I grew up on the east coast (maryland) and moved to the west coast (california).

I figure, the body is made up of how much water? Can't be too terrible to be swimming in air. In fact I'm more prone to respiratory problems in dry weather (ie more sinus infections, nose bleeds, and more prone to asthma/ wheezing). And holy crap I cannot handle the most minor altitude in the Los Angeles area. At least back by the chesapeake bay, Maryland I'm at sea level for all the places I need to drive to.

I experience shortness of breath no matter what kind of heat. I can't say I notice a big difference in the verocity of my shortness of breath from one coast to the other. It sucks no matter where I'm at. (although my shortness of breath is worse when driving up in the hills and mountains of california, like I said cannot handle altitude)

If it makes you feel any better the weather will be changing there very soon, and it will be dry and cold.

I wouldn't be surprised if the intensity of the symptoms that you are feeling perhaps may die down with some time. Your body, like all of ours, is highly sensitive and needs time to adjust. Not saying you'll feel great, but there's a good chance the symptoms may possibly lessen with time.

nitekitty, can we switch back?
i grew up in MD too, and just moved back here from California.
i want back in CA already, as the dryness and heat were what i loved. i am not doing well in the wet weather, and i especially do not do well in the cold. can't wait for a dry winter, but boy i am not looking forward to the cold!
let's switch k???

lol


This would be my perfect world:
If I could spend the majority of my summer in maryland, and the majority of my winter in Florida, I'd be set. Winter in maryland is absolute hell for me. Not only do I end up with bronchitis year after year, but my body doesn't understand it being cold as balls outside and then I'm bundled up. Walking around makes me overheated, yet it's freezing outside. I get in trouble. I can't rip off my coat because it's freezing outside, but I can't keep the coat on because I'm overheating even with mild exercise. Start feeling like crap. When I was about 10, It finally became a thing in which I couldn't go sledding like all the other kids. My body couldn't handle it.

just want to add to this thread. today it is raining, so it doesn't feel humid. i feel FINE. breathing fine, heart rate fine.
it is hard to imagine how atrocious i felt yesterday in the humidity. i am not exaggerating when i say that i could not breathe!!! lips were turning blue. my heart rate was going from bradycardic (which i have never ever had even close to since monitoring my POTS) to tachycardic like every 1/2 hour. my head was rushing and my ears roaring with blood, but blood pressure was normal - around 95-110/60. and this went on the entire day. i had no periods of relief.
i am just trying to understand what could be going on.
if someone is able, can you please explain why the humidity would affect me like this in terms of dysautonomia? does our ANS control breathing? is it affected by humidity? and why? is it because there is less oxygen in the air? is my blood volume possibly too low? or does this sound like a lung specific issue? is it my heart? could this be a vasoconstriction/dilation problem? is this affected by something like humidity?
i have such an intense reaction and want to know what i need to be considering in trying to figure out what to pursue for further medical treatment.
as many of you know, i am a little worried about my PA pressure determined by an echo in February. It puts me into a category of mild pulmonary hypertension, so i am really scared that i am becoming this symptomatic because of that. however, i wouldn't expect to feel THIS badly with just mild PH.
i am waiting for my insurance to switch to my new state, so i may not be able to see a doctor for a few more weeks. i am starting classes and looking for a part time job, but i fear that this humidity thing is going to make me completely unable to function.
so i am just trying to understand for my own sake. as you all know, i want to know everything, which is impossible, but i'll keep trying. thanks

Gracie - I can't answer your specific questions about why but I do know that many of us experience a major increase of symptoms in the humidity and also with the barometric changes. If it is humid and rainy here, I am basically useless and have many of the symptoms you describe (although my lips don't turn blue). Heat and humidity put a larger strain on our hearts, I do know that, especially if we're not fit. I can't take really hot showers anymore or get in a hot tub because the humidity gets my heartrate up too high. How do you handle showers? They often fill the room up with humidity.....
I hope you're keeping a journal or daily record of your symptoms and questions so that when you finally get to see a Dr. again you can discuss everything.

Gracie--
first off, depending on where you are in maryland, there can be some pretty darn bad harmful air/ smog. You got DC to the south and Baltimore to the north. Watch the weather station and the news to find out when there will be an orange or red day. I don't go outside when it's a red day in maryland.

Secondly, when you're body is under physical stress by humdity and bad air, you're releasing all sorts of hormones and trying to detox.

Thirdly, I wouldn't worry about the Pulmonary Hypertension. I mean what can you do about it? I work down to the biochemistry of the body to treat myself but that's a personal choice. ......And Yes, the ANS controls breathing. Think of it this way: Anything in the body that is automatic, meaning you don't have to think about it for it to happen, ie, breathing, bile ducts releasing bile, stomach digesting food, temperature regulation, etc, etc is part of the ANS. I think of the breathing hard and quickly, gasping for air, with tachycardia is a symptom though, not the cause. That the route of the problem is biochemistry. You're dealing with nitric oxide opening the arteries up to the heart to let the blood flow in and what prevents that from happening, and why the mitochondria isn't getting enough oxygen, and what weakens the immune system, and so on and so on. That's a very detailed road to go down though. There's no simple answers.

Fourthly, I'm reaching through the screen and taking you by the shoulders and saying, "IT'S GOING TO GET COLD AND DRY SOON. VERY SOON."

When it's so cold you can feel it in your bones, then you'll be like Humidity Who?