Moving due to CF

folione · Dec 4, 2007

I think asking a Doctor to predict the future of a given individual's CF progression is is going to get you at best a partial answer - weather might be a factor, but there are lots of factors. So if you move and the CF is just as bad or worse, how will you feel about your decision and about your doctor's advice? I think you should spend a fair amount of time examining the mental health consequences of making a decision to move based on what sounds like so far just a small amount of evidence....

This is not to say that you shouldn't move if you can - more to say that you should not think moving will cure CF. If environment was all there was to it, health insurance companies would pay for all of us to move instead of paying our hospital bills. You should probably have more reasons than the role of weather on CF.

folione · Dec 4, 2007

I think asking a Doctor to predict the future of a given individual's CF progression is is going to get you at best a partial answer - weather might be a factor, but there are lots of factors. So if you move and the CF is just as bad or worse, how will you feel about your decision and about your doctor's advice? I think you should spend a fair amount of time examining the mental health consequences of making a decision to move based on what sounds like so far just a small amount of evidence....

This is not to say that you shouldn't move if you can - more to say that you should not think moving will cure CF. If environment was all there was to it, health insurance companies would pay for all of us to move instead of paying our hospital bills. You should probably have more reasons than the role of weather on CF.

folione · Dec 4, 2007

I think asking a Doctor to predict the future of a given individual's CF progression is is going to get you at best a partial answer - weather might be a factor, but there are lots of factors. So if you move and the CF is just as bad or worse, how will you feel about your decision and about your doctor's advice? I think you should spend a fair amount of time examining the mental health consequences of making a decision to move based on what sounds like so far just a small amount of evidence....

This is not to say that you shouldn't move if you can - more to say that you should not think moving will cure CF. If environment was all there was to it, health insurance companies would pay for all of us to move instead of paying our hospital bills. You should probably have more reasons than the role of weather on CF.

folione · Dec 4, 2007

I think asking a Doctor to predict the future of a given individual's CF progression is is going to get you at best a partial answer - weather might be a factor, but there are lots of factors. So if you move and the CF is just as bad or worse, how will you feel about your decision and about your doctor's advice? I think you should spend a fair amount of time examining the mental health consequences of making a decision to move based on what sounds like so far just a small amount of evidence....

This is not to say that you shouldn't move if you can - more to say that you should not think moving will cure CF. If environment was all there was to it, health insurance companies would pay for all of us to move instead of paying our hospital bills. You should probably have more reasons than the role of weather on CF.

folione · Dec 4, 2007

I think asking a Doctor to predict the future of a given individual's CF progression is is going to get you at best a partial answer - weather might be a factor, but there are lots of factors. So if you move and the CF is just as bad or worse, how will you feel about your decision and about your doctor's advice? I think you should spend a fair amount of time examining the mental health consequences of making a decision to move based on what sounds like so far just a small amount of evidence....

This is not to say that you shouldn't move if you can - more to say that you should not think moving will cure CF. If environment was all there was to it, health insurance companies would pay for all of us to move instead of paying our hospital bills. You should probably have more reasons than the role of weather on CF.

maelstrom · Dec 4, 2007

My husband's FEV1 dropped 30% over the course of 6 months or so after he moved to South Carolina. He later moved back north it improved 20%. Of course this is anecdotal and every individual is different, so this experience doesn't necessarily mean anything.. but I did suspect that the intense heat and humidity had a detrimental affect on his lung function.

I don't think any of us can predict a location that will be best... but if temperature changes seem to be causing problems, maybe somewhere like California would be good? Stable temps, low humidity, plus a number of good universities/med facilities in the San Francisco/San Diego areas (don't know anything specifically about CF centers there though).

That said, I agree with folione on strongly considering the mental affects of a move. Living where we do now, we are pretty far from either of our families and our friends, and I find that I really miss having a support network. It might be better for you to stick close by family and friends, especially since weather affects are pretty unknown, and you won't know for sure what a good location is until after you've been living there for several months. Good luck!

maelstrom · Dec 4, 2007

My husband's FEV1 dropped 30% over the course of 6 months or so after he moved to South Carolina. He later moved back north it improved 20%. Of course this is anecdotal and every individual is different, so this experience doesn't necessarily mean anything.. but I did suspect that the intense heat and humidity had a detrimental affect on his lung function.

I don't think any of us can predict a location that will be best... but if temperature changes seem to be causing problems, maybe somewhere like California would be good? Stable temps, low humidity, plus a number of good universities/med facilities in the San Francisco/San Diego areas (don't know anything specifically about CF centers there though).

That said, I agree with folione on strongly considering the mental affects of a move. Living where we do now, we are pretty far from either of our families and our friends, and I find that I really miss having a support network. It might be better for you to stick close by family and friends, especially since weather affects are pretty unknown, and you won't know for sure what a good location is until after you've been living there for several months. Good luck!

maelstrom · Dec 4, 2007

My husband's FEV1 dropped 30% over the course of 6 months or so after he moved to South Carolina. He later moved back north it improved 20%. Of course this is anecdotal and every individual is different, so this experience doesn't necessarily mean anything.. but I did suspect that the intense heat and humidity had a detrimental affect on his lung function.

I don't think any of us can predict a location that will be best... but if temperature changes seem to be causing problems, maybe somewhere like California would be good? Stable temps, low humidity, plus a number of good universities/med facilities in the San Francisco/San Diego areas (don't know anything specifically about CF centers there though).

That said, I agree with folione on strongly considering the mental affects of a move. Living where we do now, we are pretty far from either of our families and our friends, and I find that I really miss having a support network. It might be better for you to stick close by family and friends, especially since weather affects are pretty unknown, and you won't know for sure what a good location is until after you've been living there for several months. Good luck!

maelstrom · Dec 4, 2007

My husband's FEV1 dropped 30% over the course of 6 months or so after he moved to South Carolina. He later moved back north it improved 20%. Of course this is anecdotal and every individual is different, so this experience doesn't necessarily mean anything.. but I did suspect that the intense heat and humidity had a detrimental affect on his lung function.

I don't think any of us can predict a location that will be best... but if temperature changes seem to be causing problems, maybe somewhere like California would be good? Stable temps, low humidity, plus a number of good universities/med facilities in the San Francisco/San Diego areas (don't know anything specifically about CF centers there though).

That said, I agree with folione on strongly considering the mental affects of a move. Living where we do now, we are pretty far from either of our families and our friends, and I find that I really miss having a support network. It might be better for you to stick close by family and friends, especially since weather affects are pretty unknown, and you won't know for sure what a good location is until after you've been living there for several months. Good luck!

maelstrom · Dec 4, 2007

My husband's FEV1 dropped 30% over the course of 6 months or so after he moved to South Carolina. He later moved back north it improved 20%. Of course this is anecdotal and every individual is different, so this experience doesn't necessarily mean anything.. but I did suspect that the intense heat and humidity had a detrimental affect on his lung function.

I don't think any of us can predict a location that will be best... but if temperature changes seem to be causing problems, maybe somewhere like California would be good? Stable temps, low humidity, plus a number of good universities/med facilities in the San Francisco/San Diego areas (don't know anything specifically about CF centers there though).

That said, I agree with folione on strongly considering the mental affects of a move. Living where we do now, we are pretty far from either of our families and our friends, and I find that I really miss having a support network. It might be better for you to stick close by family and friends, especially since weather affects are pretty unknown, and you won't know for sure what a good location is until after you've been living there for several months. Good luck!

ReneeP · Dec 4, 2007

Moving to improve your health is very tricky... I've done it a couple of times. We lived in Minnesota but couldn't stand the winters. The girls were healthy and never really got sick, but we thought if we went where it was warmer, they'd do even better. Our thinking was that they wouldn't be cooped up with germs all winter like they were in MN...

We moved to South Texas (McAllen)... warm all year round... but humid as heck. Within a year my then 6 year old had 5 sinus surgeries (no previous sinus problems)... so we decided forget this... we picked one of the driest places on earth (West Texas - Midland) and went there.

That was December of last year... we were there for literally 1 weekend when my 12 year old got sick... and I mean sick. We drove back to San Antonio where she was admitted for 2 weeks (her first hospitalization in 9 years)... her PFT's were down 80% below her normal #'s. She eventually recovered (mostly anyway... not completely). But since then she has been admitted 4 times (we are in the hospital right now). I do not believe that her getting sick had anything to do with this move, but I will always have to wonder "what it"...

My point is that there will be problems wherever you go... If you want to move, by all means move. If you want to live somewhere else where you think you will be happier, that's great! But I would hesitate to move based only on your daughters health problems... if something happens and she gets worse you will blame yourself for that... And espeically if you have family where you are currently living and you move away from them... That may make it harder for you....

Best of luck to you whatever you decide...

ReneeP · Dec 4, 2007

Moving to improve your health is very tricky... I've done it a couple of times. We lived in Minnesota but couldn't stand the winters. The girls were healthy and never really got sick, but we thought if we went where it was warmer, they'd do even better. Our thinking was that they wouldn't be cooped up with germs all winter like they were in MN...

We moved to South Texas (McAllen)... warm all year round... but humid as heck. Within a year my then 6 year old had 5 sinus surgeries (no previous sinus problems)... so we decided forget this... we picked one of the driest places on earth (West Texas - Midland) and went there.

That was December of last year... we were there for literally 1 weekend when my 12 year old got sick... and I mean sick. We drove back to San Antonio where she was admitted for 2 weeks (her first hospitalization in 9 years)... her PFT's were down 80% below her normal #'s. She eventually recovered (mostly anyway... not completely). But since then she has been admitted 4 times (we are in the hospital right now). I do not believe that her getting sick had anything to do with this move, but I will always have to wonder "what it"...

My point is that there will be problems wherever you go... If you want to move, by all means move. If you want to live somewhere else where you think you will be happier, that's great! But I would hesitate to move based only on your daughters health problems... if something happens and she gets worse you will blame yourself for that... And espeically if you have family where you are currently living and you move away from them... That may make it harder for you....

Best of luck to you whatever you decide...

ReneeP · Dec 4, 2007

Moving to improve your health is very tricky... I've done it a couple of times. We lived in Minnesota but couldn't stand the winters. The girls were healthy and never really got sick, but we thought if we went where it was warmer, they'd do even better. Our thinking was that they wouldn't be cooped up with germs all winter like they were in MN...

We moved to South Texas (McAllen)... warm all year round... but humid as heck. Within a year my then 6 year old had 5 sinus surgeries (no previous sinus problems)... so we decided forget this... we picked one of the driest places on earth (West Texas - Midland) and went there.

That was December of last year... we were there for literally 1 weekend when my 12 year old got sick... and I mean sick. We drove back to San Antonio where she was admitted for 2 weeks (her first hospitalization in 9 years)... her PFT's were down 80% below her normal #'s. She eventually recovered (mostly anyway... not completely). But since then she has been admitted 4 times (we are in the hospital right now). I do not believe that her getting sick had anything to do with this move, but I will always have to wonder "what it"...

My point is that there will be problems wherever you go... If you want to move, by all means move. If you want to live somewhere else where you think you will be happier, that's great! But I would hesitate to move based only on your daughters health problems... if something happens and she gets worse you will blame yourself for that... And espeically if you have family where you are currently living and you move away from them... That may make it harder for you....

Best of luck to you whatever you decide...

ReneeP · Dec 4, 2007

Moving to improve your health is very tricky... I've done it a couple of times. We lived in Minnesota but couldn't stand the winters. The girls were healthy and never really got sick, but we thought if we went where it was warmer, they'd do even better. Our thinking was that they wouldn't be cooped up with germs all winter like they were in MN...

We moved to South Texas (McAllen)... warm all year round... but humid as heck. Within a year my then 6 year old had 5 sinus surgeries (no previous sinus problems)... so we decided forget this... we picked one of the driest places on earth (West Texas - Midland) and went there.

That was December of last year... we were there for literally 1 weekend when my 12 year old got sick... and I mean sick. We drove back to San Antonio where she was admitted for 2 weeks (her first hospitalization in 9 years)... her PFT's were down 80% below her normal #'s. She eventually recovered (mostly anyway... not completely). But since then she has been admitted 4 times (we are in the hospital right now). I do not believe that her getting sick had anything to do with this move, but I will always have to wonder "what it"...

My point is that there will be problems wherever you go... If you want to move, by all means move. If you want to live somewhere else where you think you will be happier, that's great! But I would hesitate to move based only on your daughters health problems... if something happens and she gets worse you will blame yourself for that... And espeically if you have family where you are currently living and you move away from them... That may make it harder for you....

Best of luck to you whatever you decide...

ReneeP · Dec 4, 2007

Moving to improve your health is very tricky... I've done it a couple of times. We lived in Minnesota but couldn't stand the winters. The girls were healthy and never really got sick, but we thought if we went where it was warmer, they'd do even better. Our thinking was that they wouldn't be cooped up with germs all winter like they were in MN...

We moved to South Texas (McAllen)... warm all year round... but humid as heck. Within a year my then 6 year old had 5 sinus surgeries (no previous sinus problems)... so we decided forget this... we picked one of the driest places on earth (West Texas - Midland) and went there.

That was December of last year... we were there for literally 1 weekend when my 12 year old got sick... and I mean sick. We drove back to San Antonio where she was admitted for 2 weeks (her first hospitalization in 9 years)... her PFT's were down 80% below her normal #'s. She eventually recovered (mostly anyway... not completely). But since then she has been admitted 4 times (we are in the hospital right now). I do not believe that her getting sick had anything to do with this move, but I will always have to wonder "what it"...

My point is that there will be problems wherever you go... If you want to move, by all means move. If you want to live somewhere else where you think you will be happier, that's great! But I would hesitate to move based only on your daughters health problems... if something happens and she gets worse you will blame yourself for that... And espeically if you have family where you are currently living and you move away from them... That may make it harder for you....

Best of luck to you whatever you decide...

sue35 · Dec 4, 2007