Gambling on Life: Changing Seasons, Changing Pain

This post, like others that will follow it, is a continuation of my Gambling On Life series.

Summer and I don’t always get along. It’s hot. It’s humid. Mosquitos bite the ever-living SHIT out of me, and snot pours out of my nose as if I was that nasty, leaky water pump out in your grandparent’s backyard.

Despite that, Fall comes with its own set of challenges.

We’re finally starting to see Fall weather here, and while I love being able to wear long pants, my favorite boots and hoodies, I also have to deal with extra pain.

As the weather changes - barometric pressure especially - so does my pain levels. This is extremely common for a lot of folks; Those of us who have lived the country life grew up hearing our elders say “It’s going to rain; I can feel it in my bones”. That’s not too far from the truth; I’ve been able to tell the weather is shifting since before I was even a teenager.

Fall’s cooler temperatures also mean pain caused by literally being cold.

My joints don’t enjoy the cold.. At all. Hell, even a fan blowing on my knees causes them a great deal of pain depending on how long the fan is on. At night Jess has to sleep with a fan on, and even with my big warm comforter I can still feel the cool air hitting my knees, so I have to wear long underwear every night to ensure I get any sleep at all (which, as of late, has been much less common).

So, when the temperature drops to below 60, I have to work to ensure I keep everything that frequently succumbs to cold-related pain insulated.

I have a pair of compression gloves that I absolutely love for fall; they leave my fingertips exposed, while also creating pressure and warmth on my joints. They do limit my dexterity for things like typing, so I don’t wear them 24/7, but frequently if I’m in pain and can step away from one of my 50-million projects, I’ll put them on and feel much, much better.

So, in short.. Fuck just about all weather changes, I’m going to complain no matter what season it is.

Fall is at least the better out of the 4, though.