warmer climate better?

[anonymous]

My son is 9 and suffers more from asthma symtoms with his CF along with the other tummy problems.
Winter is always the worst.
Has anyone moved to a warmer climate that has mild winters and noticed improvement.
Our Winters in Melbourne average about 10C (50f).
We were thinking of moving to Brisbane which averages 21c (70f) in Winter

Chris
Melbourne, Australia

 

[IG]

They say that moving to warmer climates is better for the health. What they don't say is that it's 50/50. In the US we moved from Michigan [way cold during the winter] to Texas which is about what you say it is in Melbourne. It has it's upsides and downsides. It's warmer in the winter but the pollen/mold is unreal down here. Whereas up in Michigan it's not as bad. So you trade non-pollen and cold winters for warm winters and pollen which can cause just as many problems. Especially to those with allergies. Actually I read on some CF journal or something such as that that the worse month for a CFer is during the spring/summer time because that's when all that dust/pollen/mold and humidity is in full bloom. I'm not sure about arrid environments such as a desert, just southern type climate since I live there. Though when I was in the desert [aka Arizona] for winter vacation before my transplant I noticed that without the humidity it was easier on me.

 

[HollyCatheryn]

It really is a toss-up. I think you have to think of your personal needs. I personally get cold easily, but living in the South (as I do) is hard on me because of the oppressively hot summers and the high humidity much of the year. Humidity can be troublesome because of the mold and flourishing of insect-borne disease. Extreme heat keeps me inside for several months of the year - which is a bummer since I love to be outdoors and garden and my daughter does too. I find the cold easier to deal (I've lived in the Northern US, too) with because there are tends to be less humidity and I can always put on an extra layer of clothing. I also find that the cold helps to kill pollens and insects more effectively through the winter months to make for a healthier rest of the year. But, if your location is heavy on certain allergens or if your son handles cold the way I handle heat, then moving could help. But Candice is right, it tends to be about 50/50 and the need for a certain climate is very individual.

 

[CFHockeyMom]

I think every CFer is different. Sean really suffers during the spring and fall; when the seasons are changing (we're in SE Michigan). The spring and fall tend to be pretty wet around here, lots of rain. This summer his allergies seem to be bothering him more, so summer has been a little rough. However, everyone in our family has been suffering more from allergies this year so in general I think pollen and mold are higher in Michigan this year. Winter has always been a pretty good time for Sean. I don't think it's the cold necessarily but the fact that it's really dry (i.e. very low humidity) in the winter.

We travel to AZ for a couple of weeks throughout the year and Sean seems to do pretty well there. However, with all those folks planting grass and non-indigenous vegetation, their humidity levels and pollen counts are creaping up.

 

[julie]

I agree with hockey mom but here are a few things to consider. Hot dry weather, and hot humid weather are VERY different things and speaking from my husbands experience, he does much better in a place like Las Vegas where it is very dry, than he does in a place like where we live now (in San Diego). Even when we lived in WA (where the winters can be bad, but aren't too bad usually) he had less lung infections than he has here in San Diego. I think that the humid weather down here just "festers" in the lungs and at least for my husband, has created about 14 lung infections in the last 2 years, whereas in WA, he had about 5 lung infections in the last decade. I think it's a bit more than a coincidence.

 

[anonymous]

I wonder if there is a larger population of CFers in the Hot dry states? Do many people up and move their families? My husband and I have pondered this ourselves.
Thanks,
Lynsey- Mom to Avery 2yrs. w/CF and Rhett 7 mos.