Should I move?

[MNGirl4]

Hello-  I was recently diagnosed with MS.  Secondary Progressive they say. I do present with lesions on the brain, but not yet in neck, spinal cord or spinal fluid, so that is great.  At any rate, I am 39, and have lived in Minnesota my whole life.  It's ok, but I feel like I want to LIVE a little more since the diagnosis.  I have an option to move to Florida, and want to know what others experience in terms of symptoms in that climate.  I will say, that cold seems to tighten my muscles, and I have tolerated short trips there.  Advice?

[Starryeyes2]

That's funny! My sister lives in Hilo where it rains like no other. She has a catchment tank instead of regular running water. Again with the rain...but it is balmy.

I'm laughing re the Montana statement. I was raised there closer to the ND border. I moved w my dad to Greece for a bit. It is definately a different breed of cat in Montana. Mosquitos as big as my Chihuahua.

My mom still lives there but I haven't been home for several yrs. The Aryans live in Idaho too..better just to speed on thru.

Kristi

[Lulu54]

Family keeps me close to Ohio - parents, children and grandchildren are all here.  So we make noises about moving someplace a bit more temperate but probably will not do it.  Sometimes you just have to learn to make do with what you got.  

If I could pick up everyone and go someplace else to live, perhaps it would be Hawaii - daily high of 82 and never any low lows.  Trade winds reach every where on the islands to keep it temperate.  Anyone care to join me?

[jensequitur]

My poor dog would like to play, but it's just too hot!  He's got a pretty thick coat.  So he sleeps all day in the crate, and then he wants to go out and play when it's 1 am.  He's happiest when it's really cold outside, but then it's too cold for humans.

[jensequitur]

Tourists are kept insulated from much of the militia crazinessness in Montana.  It's bad for tourism, and really the militia just want to be left alone.  (Preferably in a country of their own making!)

[kerrtelli]

I live in Connecticut and the humidity is awful in the summer but it only lasts  a few days at a shot.  

Anyone else out there live in ct?

[doublevision1]

Yes it does take all kinds!  Same thing up here, quite different for us here in the Canadian wild west, from the east and west coast cities I used to live in.   Diversity is good. :)

[essdipity]

Hey deebs, Montana would feel foreign to this very much East Coast American. I can see why certain people move there, but I have a different mindset from them.

It's still something of a shock to me when I'm in Bible-belt states. Yet that's one thing that's good about the US, we have all kinds, yet manage to find a comfortable middle most of the time.

ess

[Starryeyes2]

I live in Tacoma which is about 45 min from Seattle. The weather here is very mild. It rarely snows and the hottest it gets is around 80 on the summer. Drawbacks- it rains ALOT! My hubby is Army and we lived in Tucson Az before moving here. The heat was soo bad. I think the heat may have been the trigger for my MS? Most ppl love it there but I was totally stranded in the house. Sweating while putting up my Christmas tree...

Heats the worst for MS and humidity is even worse. I have wanted to move to Dallas to be by my sister but the heat is a deterrent.

Kristi

[kel1lost]

  It's so hard to even go outside here.  My two boys are so young and wanna go outside and play, but I can't stay ou8t there for long.  They get too koopt up inside all the time.  And with the money issue, I can't really afford to take them to do stuff somewhere that's fun for them inside anywhere.  4 more months them it'll be better!  :)  

Kelli

[doublevision1]

Geez Jen, that s~cks about the AC.  $300 to fix!  But I suppose it's worth every penny down in that Texas heat.

I chuckled at your Montana comment.  14 years ago when my husband and I (newlyweds) moved out west from the east coast, we overnighted in Billings, having first taken a detour to S.D. to see Mt. Rushmore.  Anyway, we both felt creeped out almost as soon as we entered the state, though we couldn't put our finger on it.  People were friendly enough.  Maybe it was the lack of a speed limit on the highway, or signs about firearms not being permitted here and there, or memories of some Dateline special about the Militia of Montana/Aryan Nation, it was just a very foreign culture to two leftie Canadians.  LOL  

No offense to anyone who lives there, and apparently Whitefish and Glacier Mountain Park are very nice.  :)

[essdipity]

I live in the mid-Atlantic region, where winters vary but include lots of ice and snow many years. Summers don't vary much. Hot and humid most of the time. For instance, in July our average high is in the high 80s. Nowhere near as hot as the deep south, but hot nonetheless. I have to run the AC 24/7. Last year was unreal. I think it was 90 or more for 50-some days.

Although I might like another climate much more (Maine in the summer, NC or SC for winters), this is my home. I'm not going to leave all the surroundings and people I hold dear. So I just deal.

If I had no roots, I might try Florida, though it's blazing hot most of the year. And I do love the change of seasons here. So in the end this is a very subjective decision. There is no one right answer. Just research carefully before making a decision, and remember you can always go home.

ess

[jensequitur]

I really hate being stuck in my house.  I'm just a little south of you, Kelli, down here in Fort Worth.  This summer has been the worst one yet, and it's not going to get any better.

I don't want to move because of my disease, but it's difficult here in Texas for people with disabilities - they're always cutting funding for social services, and it's hard to get approval for disability.  If I have to go on disability I expect I'll lose my house.  

Our AC went out on Sunday, and we had to get a guy to come out and fix it.  Cost us $300.  Then last night the AC just kept running and running, and this morning it was 65° in the house.  Don't know what that was about.  Texas summers are hard on ACs.  We've already gotten the attic insulated - now it's time to look at other ways to save money.

[kel1lost]

And I also don't feel like moving just b/c of my MS.  You guys are sooo right!  I do agree with that as well as the quality of life reason.  Mine is good right now, so I really don't have any reason to move.

[jensequitur]

Yep, northern California, Oregon, Washington State, Montana (even though it's full of crazies)...  North Dakota tends to be VERY cold.  Minnesota - well, it's been both really hot and really cold.  Idaho is very flat, for some reason, but that makes for good taters.

[grannyhotwheels]

I live in Oklahoma and I feel like a prisoner in my own home... The heat and humidity has been so bad that just standing by an open door drags me down... So I'm stuck under my roof with the air conditioner blasting and bored out of my mind...lol...

You have to admit that Florida is beautiful but I would never move because of my MS... I would however move to be close to family and good friends...

I'll be praying,
Carol

[doublevision1]

IF I lived in the U.S. my top pics for weather would be Seattle, Portland, San Francisco.  I like milder temps, rain and fog.  Seriously.  Of course I am no stranger to cold, living in the sub-arctic, so Maine or Boston would work for me too.  Definitely nowhere south, I hate the hot temps, even more since having MS, and I avoid the sun on my skin at all costs.  To each her own. :)

Having said that, I would put a greater priority on having a good support network of friends nearby, as well as cost of living and job opportunity.

[kel1lost]

I am wondering the same thing.  I live in Texas.  Have lived here all my life.  It's so dang hot in the summers, Like 102 almost everyday.  I'm wondering where it's not so hot in the summer time.  You guys tralk about it all the time on here, I should go back an read those.  :)

Kelli

[jujuminx]

Hummm, well, I live in Texas and I woudn't if I didn't have to. The hot, humid weather does make it challenging during the long summer months.  I agree with Bob, I wouldn't move b/c of my MS but I wouldn't never chose to live in a hot state due to my MS.

Julie

[figuerpa]

I am with jen on this one, I wouldn't move to somewhere hotter with more humidity. I live in Ohio so I hit bother extremes, this past winter hit me hard, I had a bad time with spactisity but I would much rather deal with the effects of the cold over the effects of the humidity and heat that is kicking our butts right now. It just totally drains me to a point of not doing anything, keeps me locked up in the house or work. Can't get out to enjoy anything.

Of course this is a personal decision you will have to make on your own, but do consider the effects it will/may have on your MS.

Good luck,
Paula

[COBOB]

Florida, Phoenix and most places in the South have air conditioning.  I don't think I would move "because" of MS.  If I was moving for work, quality of life, or quality of care...that might be a bit different.  I live in Colorado.  It get hot and cold but usually not too extreme either way. Living on the high plains, humidity is rarely a problem.  

I'd keep in mind, that you can always dress up to the cold, but you can only do so much to get away from the heat.  

Bob

[jensequitur]

Oh, man... I would definitely not move to Florida.  I live in Texas, and the recent heat wave has trapped me indoors.  I can't spend any time outside because it wipes me out.  I know somebody who takes an ice pack with him in a cooler, just so he can walk from the office to his car without being debilitated.

Humidity and heat are even worse than just heat.  There's something oppressive about humidity that drains your energy.