GypsyMama

As I age ( in New-England ) my body HURTS more and more during cold and/or humid stretches of weather.
Feedback on most desirable area for me to move to ?
Thank you.

Dayenu

Somewhere hot and dry. I know a couple that moved to Las Vegas - in winter they are so-so, in the (long) summer they feel fine.

Maybe Arizona - Phoenix area? Or Southern California like Palm Springs?

Just make sure it's DRY and hot.

dbdurand

This is a medical issue, not a travel issue. The Southwest US has warm and dry areas, but there is no scientific assurance that it will help your arthritis. See:

http://arthritis.about.com/cs/arthge...onceptions.htm

Beth1096

Sorry, don't have a suggestion about places to live. But have you ever tried taking Omega-3 (fish oil) pills? I know someone who swears by them and says it really helped her arthritis. I think it's supposed to help lubricate the joints.

Hope you feel better.

HappyTrvlr

Dry climate but not necessarily hot.

Gretchen

Omega oils are great for the heart. There are other things for the joints. See a rheumatologist.

capxxx

I live in New England with the same problem -- I recommend getting a hot tub. It is astonishing how much it helps.

Bellachefa

I know someone who has changed to a gluten free diet which has helped a great deal.

christabir

If your family is in New England I'd stay put. If you don't have family there I might consider moving to to a warmer climate - closer to family? How about Costa Rica if no family.

tb85331

I have RA and live in Scottsdale, AZ. 60 percent of the time, I'm okay and Ibuprofen will help. I still have to watch it when I first wake up in the morning. I have to go really slow or I'll pull a muscle. Now, here's the bad stuff. We have a Monsoon season here. It usually starts late June and Ends in Sept. It can vary during any of those months. But then, there are days that I can barely make it at all. I take pain medication for that. Also, after dark I start to feel better so I do my household chores in the evening after dark. That helps. I'm getting the hard nodules on my fingers and toes now. I just had one removed from my collar bone during rotator cuff surgery. Right now my right hand index and little finger are so stiff and I'm experiencing trigger finger. We want to relocate to a lower cost of living - but we are torn as to what to do.

BigAleinstein

Getting medical advice from starngers on-line is like getting a fish receipe from the witches in Macbeth.

Improviser

Well the OP never even returned to acknowledge responses tb85 so I will respond to you instead.

I will not comment on the medical issues as I agree with BigAl, this isn't the place to get medical advice. Instead I will address your wish to relocate.

Real estate prices are at an all time low in many areas, I don't know about Scottsdale but one area I am familiar with that might be worth a look is Borrego Springs, California.

I know that a park model home on a gated golf community can be had for as little as $10,000. http://www.roadrunnerclub.com/resale.htm

I have not stayed there but have been in and drove around, even looked at one unit one time. I didn't see any major issues. Annual fees of $6k including golf membership.

Another place I have stayed is Rams Hill which is a gated community. A Casita there can be had for $100,000 and up. Or in Club Circle, another gated community, a townhouse from $50,000 and up. A detached home can be found at just about any price you want to name. In other words, plenty of choice in the current economy at any budget level.

You can Google for information on Borrego Springs itself and if you do you should also Google for Anza Borrego Desert State park. It is actually the largest state park in California and one of the largest in the USA although not that well known. This is relevant because the town sits right in the middle of the park.

I could say a lot more about Borrego (I've been visiting off and on over 30 years) but there is no point if it is of no interest. If you have a look and want to ask any questions after that I would be happy to try and respond. Just post here.

boom_boom

While much drier than New England, Las Vegas and Phoenix have a lot more humidity than you might think because of all the irrigation, fountains, pools, etc. DW and I were just in LV this past weekend and compared to the small Mojave desert town where we live, the humidity was terrible. Also., LV and Phoenix are impacted by the summer monsoon flows coming off the Pacific.

gail

Don't just consider heat and humidity - think about topography (do you have to walk uphill to get anywhere), transportation - in some older eastern cities public transportation is not as accessible as it should be, requiring climbing stairs or just a few steps into the train/trolley/bus. If it is a city, consider the walking surfaces - Historic district of Savannah comes to mind, as the cobblestones are especially horrible to walk on.

Le_Ann

So, without a diagnosis but with worsening signs of arthritis, I wondered if I would feel better in a drier climate. We moved to Colorado. About 6 weeks into the move, I noticed improvement everywhere except my knees. They kept getting worse (because we had not considered what the dramatic inclines/declines would have on them). Then I went back to WI to visit in August and spent a wetter than usual summer in Colorado. So when the 6 weeks back from WI did not return me to my former "improvement", I decided to ask my Dr. to test me for RA. One of the test results (antibodies) indicated I probably have RA. I finally went to a Rhuematologist and though I was hoping to do things naturally and with an auto-immune diet, I was talked into starting on Methotrexate when he gave me a large dose of prednisone IM to "test for the RA". If my pain went away, I have RA, the Dr. told me. So about 24 hours after the shot most of my pain went away. I guess my knees are osteo-arthritis and that is why they still hurt. The dry climate of the high desert is much better that the moist climate of WI for me. For the first 2 1/2 years my life long battle with chronic generalized candida seemed totally gone from day 1 in Colorado! When I go to WI to visit, by the end of the week I feel like I aged 10 years. It seems to take about 6 weeks to return to "normal" when I return to Colorado. Last August, when I returned from WI, both my arthritic pain and my chronic candidiasis returned at the same time and so I assumed the joint pain is caused by chronic Candidiasis and that my body is actually fighting the candida and as it does, it also destroys my joints. So I am back on anti-fungal herbs just in case my theory is right. Since my grand baby lives in WI, and being away from them, gets harder every month, now the tears just aren't stopping. I moved here to see if I needed the climate and I guess I proved to myself that I need it. I am thoroughly convinced that if I return to WI, it would make things much worse for me. I am thankful for how much better I feel when things are dry here. In a few more weeks my prednisone wears off and I will have to see what methotrexate will do for the deterioration of my joints. Reading your stories has helped me see the benefits of staying in this or even a drier climate. I asked a Dr. to test for for RA when I was in my early 20's but the Dr. just said, "you don't want to know if you have it." All these years later, he must have been right, despite my pain, I did not ask to be tested again until last fall. Now that I know for sure, I wish I didn't know. When we first moved to Colorado we found a lake with gentle inclines and my hubby and I walked almost daily. It made such a difference. Then we moved to Castle Rock and the steep inclines in either direction make a walk around the block way too painful. I thought I'd "build-up" my muscles and would walk up Castle Rock every day for an entire summer. I was wrong- I trashed my L knee and my R knee doesn't feel much better. If my body holds out, I will retire in about 5 years and definitely know that I need to retire someplace where I can swim and where I can walk with minimal inclines. Appreciate all your input.

jubilada

In Tucson, with very low humidity( the five weeks we were recently there the humidity never went over 20% , and was 8% more than once, my joints felt much better.

I live in New England now. A hot tub helps, but not nearly as much as being in Tucson. You can't stay in a hot tub 24/7.

In summer there even during monsoon season the humidity never approaches what it is in western ma.

Gretchen

This is a six year old thread revived by anecdotal evidence givers.

cfc

I'm surprised, after all this time, no one mentioned San Diego. Of course, we didn't know about a possible wall.....

Wonder where GypsyMama ended up.

HappyTrvlr

San Diego is a great area but not anywhere near as good for those with arthritis as the dry desert climate.