Moving to a new climate...?

[ArmyWife13]

So we're moving (see my screen name? Military explains it all) and this move will be to a place with 4 seasons, which I am ok with. I grew up with 4 seasons and survived. However, the move after that, which will be next summer (2013), might be to somewhere with a completely different climate, i.e. we might get moved to Florida - land of heat and humidity. Right now we live in the PNW, so basically we get very little heat, humidity or summer for that matter. Ha. We've been here for close to 7 years, with just a little time away for schooling in the middle.
I am a little nervous about this and the husband is more than ready to request elsewhere and pull some strings, but I'd love some feedback from anyone who either lives in that sort of climate or has made a move like that? Just worried I won't be able to breathe as well with the oppressive humidity <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">
Thanks for any input <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[mmmtat]

I'm a military wife as well. I am from four climates (Michigan). We moved to Spokane (so the dry part of the state), and that was my favorite in terms of how I felt with breathing. We moved to Florida, and I did alright, but now we are in Arizona. My allergies are terrible, I have developed asthma, and my PFTs fluctuate wildly. I was always in the 90s or 100s. Now in Arizona, I never know if I'll be 90, or 70.

It's very frustrating. I like the team here, but I just don't feel as good. Not to mention they have many days where the news recommends "People with respiratory issues should not go outside today"....well that's really plausible with my husband deployed, yes, I'll just sit inside.

Sorry for the slight rant. Back to you, I found the humidity to be fine, and of course the ocean water was fabulous. But I think it's really personal how you react to different climates. It's kind of a make the best of it situation. And I've asked doctors in Michigan, Florida and Arizona if climate helps/hurts people, and they all have the same answer. There's no data suggesting people do better in dry vs humid, it really depends on the person.

Goodluck!

 

[ArmyWife13]

I have heard that Arizona is rough on breathing...so I am sorry that you are there now. And I totally get the 'stay inside' weather reports and how impossible that is when the hubby is gone! Ugh. Florida would be for two or three years, so I guess you are right - just have to make the best of it while we are there, or anywhere. Thanks and hang in there <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[SIcklyhatED]

I'm in Arizona so I can kind of relate. The only issues are the dust storms, in which case I don't go outside much, and I live out of town to we're away from the massive amounts of pollen from those freaking palo verde trees. I'm used to the dry so a change to humidity is kind of nice, especially the ocean! Suck up that salty air while you can!

 

[ONELIFETOLIVE]

I am an Army Bratt and we lived all over the world. - CA, Japan, Turkey, CO, WA. - probably why I was not diagnosed until I was 54, 10 years ago. Thank God the Army Dr.'s were so liberal with Penicillin.
Currently living in th PNW, I find that I cough a lot more on the damp days VS dry. I am usually healthy when I visit my brother in Laguna Beach. Sea air and moderate temperatures.
Spent some time in Florida, and I could never live there. I have sinus issues and the changes in pressure when the storms come in gave me headaches all the time! I was miserable.
The healthiest I ever was when we spent several seasons skiing in the Alps! Above the tree line - no alergens. CLEAN fresh air every day and exercise in a cold climate.
The older I get the more the heat bothers me. We used to go to Arizona in the spring to get some sun, but If it gets over 73 I head to the shade or airconditioning. All the airconditioning bothers me too, going from way to hot to way too cold, so I guess I will stay here.
I always thought the mountains in CO or UT would be good.

 

[dbtoo]

I moved from AZ to FL 18 months ago. When I finally got here, I was doing pretty bad. My doc's put me on O2 after I got established with a pulmonologist. But, after a year, things really seemed to turn around. I felt really good. The high humidty and heat days makes it tough to do things outside some days, but most of the time, I'm good with running errands and what not. I've had lots of allergy related stuff with pollen, but nothing that's really affected my CF.

 

[kelliemarie]

I know this was from a long time ago, but I am so glad to finally see someone with CF married to the military!!! As for the climate issues, I am from Colorado originally and moved to Florida, the humidity definitely makes it feel more difficult to breathe. Also I feel a whole lot more junky and some mornings feel like I am chocking up mucus. We since have moved to Virginia which is horrible in terms of allergies, air pollution, and humidity. I have been on prednisone 4 times in the past 6 months or so because of all the symptoms I am having. I know everyone is different, but for me the Drier the better and I miss my clean cold mountain air. Also humidity= mold and fungus and if you have problems with aspergillous I wouldn't recommend it, I grew it out once in Colorado and never again until we moved back to humidity, now I have grown it out every culture.

 

[Kristen]

I grew up in Maine and went to college in upstate New York. My FEV1 was always around 120%, until I moved to Texas for graduate school. It immediately dropped to 100%, I developed sinus issues for the first time, and I cultured PA for the first time. After graduate school, I moved to Boston and my FEV1 went back up to 120%, so it was obvious to me that there was something about Austin that affected my health.

However, I made the decision to move back to Austin anyway, and I've been back for 10 years. After I moved back, my LF dropped to 110%. (Not sure why it wasn't as big of a drop as the first time.) After suddenly developing an allergy to medical tape last year, I decided to try allergy shots. I've been doing them for six months, and my LF was 119% at my last clinic visit!

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else finds the allergies bad where they live!

 

[Tisha]

Interesting to hear you guys mention allergies, I have never thought of that...

I grew up in Mallorca, Spain (island, humid, rarely below 10ºC or above 35ºC). I was fairly sick until age 15.
Then we moved to Madrid (really four seasons, dry, cold winters with some minus degrees and hot hot summers above 40ºC). I was doing much better and needed fewer IVs, my FVC went up to 102% once.
Age 23 I went to college in Utah (very dry!! really cold winters and hot summer) and my health was much better, except with the inversion fenomenon in the winter.
Age 27 I moved back to Mallorca and have been downhill since. I tried blaming on the climate and moved back to Madrid this year (age 31) but that didn't really make any difference.

My lung therapist considers Madrid to be really bad because of pollution and dryness. She says clean air is much to be desired, and in humid climate you cough up better (in dry climate you might feel you have less junk but you actually are simply not coughing it up).
Truth for me is that above 28ºC (82F) I feel really sick so I'm thinking of moving to a colder climate (I'm fine with cold winters).
Regarding humidity it's hard for me to tell after what my therapist said... But I prefer dry!

 

[scarecrow]

I am an over-the-road trucker and until the last couple years I went everywhere in the US. Now I stay mostly in the Midwest, but I can tell you the areas that bother ME. You might be completely different but might give you something to think about.

Until FEV1 got below 35 or so altitude didn't bother me but it is deffinitely something to think about. I lived in Reno for a long time when I was younger and altitude there never bothered me. Lately anything above about 4000 feet seems to make a lot of difference in my shortness of breath.

Humidity down South is missarable from my personal opinion but has never bothered my breathing. On the other hand fog has ALWAYS bothered me since I was a little boy.

Arizona heat is fine but I did end up w/ 2 types of fungus in my lungs from being down there and that has caused more health problems than everything else combined.

It seems like as I get older and my lung function goes down cold weather, especially Really cold like below 10 or so F., really makes it hard to breathe.

Hope some of this helps. Basically, life is what you make it and I really do enjoy the differences in the climate and the differences in people around the country. But there are some places that I try to stay away from if I can and health concerns are sometimes part of that.