Big improvement after period of dry weather?

In the UK we've had a period (a couple of weeks at least) of dry weather and as usual after about a week I have experienced a big improvement in my ME. I have more energy and do not suffer PEM from activities that would normally cause it. I am even able to start some minor diy work that I've had to put off. However when the rain returns sure enough within a day or two I'm ill again.

The only thing I can think of that might cause this is mould as I live in an end terrace and the side wall suffers from damp penetration after rain. This was also true of my last house that I spent most of my life in and where I first fell ill. It's not particularly bad, no black mould just darker patches on the wall paper and there is a smell of damp which I only notice when I return to the house. I can't smell it after a few minutes of being in.
I've bought two dehumidifiers/air purifiers but not noticed any improvement using them.

Does anyone else have an improvement after dry weather?
Any ideas why dry weather would improve my ME?

Thanks

 

I'm not sure we have the same issue (I'm honestly never sure with ME/CFS) but I'm severely affected by weather changes and I can at least tell you my story.

So to begin with: even before ME/CFS weather fronts affected me, however, only in a normal way, meaning that they only very slightly affected my life. When my ME/CFS started, this was ramped up immediately and now it affects me so much that this is what makes even my baseline horrible (and unpredictable, since you cannot do anything about the weather) and can make me absolutely useless for days, it puts me in bed, etc. It is my ME/CFS symptoms that get much worse of course. It's like I'm in almost constant PEM (more or less).

I'm not sure what it is that has this impact, my guess is maybe barometric pressure? Every weather change affects me, although not to the same extent. Rain definitely does, but the worst is snow for some reason. Both cold and warm weather fronts affect me but warm is worse. If there is a huge difference in temperature in one day, that has a pretty debilitating effect on me (this type of big difference in temperature during the day and night happens a lot in Hungary but I think this is less typical for the UK).

I feel OK when there is no change in the weather at all and it is pretty stable and sunny and calm, no extreme rise in temperature etc. That doesn't happen often though.

First I thought it was similar to migraine, as I read that storms can be a trigger for that too. (I have severe headaches but not migraine.) Then I found a neurologist in Hungary who has an interest in the biological effects of weather on people and I started following him, since he writes about the different effects every day and explains what causes what and why. So now I started to believe that maybe it is my blood pressure/circulatory system that is affected. I don't know, with all these reduced blood flow, low blood volume issues going on with ME/CFS, it might actually be that, or at least partly.

But I really don't know, I'm trying to make sense of this myself too, and just shared my experience.

 

Another thing for whoever is interested in this topic:

Whenever the weather is killing me, I see a whole bunch of people in the long covid group complain about the same. Whatever this is, some of the long haulers have it too. I also believe this is probably quite dependent on geography/climate, these effects are probably not of the same strength in every region of the world.

 

My sister has sinus disease and asthma and has huge deterioration w wet weather. I think it’s more to do with barometric pressure systems changing that effect autonomic system which effects sinuses. And then humidity can irritate lungs. We also used dehumidifiers which did not help tho, so I do think the pressure changes can be more the issue especially for dysautonomia responses, like you would have with ME.

 

I haven't noticed any changes in my ME due to weather. I have a Type I allergy to something in the air in winter around evergreen trees when certain conditions are met involving temperature and humidity (and probably other factors). My guess is that something is releasing spores. Your conditions might involve that sort of biofactor, which in turn affects immune activation which in turn affects ME severity. If you really want to know whether it's mold, try living elsewhere for a time. A spore-blocking mask might also work.

 

I call myself a walking barometer for this reason. The thing is, the year Superstorm Sandy hit in the U.S., I noticed with peculiarity how I was not affected by the barometric pressure from that, but a small rainstorm pretty much wiped me out...like...? So, I haven't been able to quite pinpoint exactly what it is...although I feel like I could be a better meteorologist than the ones on tv. It seems to be a very specific combination of factors - perhaps a certain barometric pressure combined with humidity. In the end, however, I don't know.

 

extremely dry air makes a significant difference to me. allergies [constant watery eyes etc.], cognition, energy, a subset of symptoms. i post this only because dry air. i was and am now mold injured and living in a placve that literally never gets cleaned.