Barometric Pressures of Fall

It’s a beautiful day here in New Orleans. 75 degrees, full sun and a nice breeze coming off the lake. Fall is quickly approaching, and it’s a nice change from our 97 degree, 100% humidity summer weather. (Not to mention the cold front is keeping the hurricanes away!) Our dogs have an extra spring in their step and my Facebook feed is blowing up with people enjoying the gorgeous weather at outdoor festivals or at parks with their families.

Much like the French Quarter, I have a love/hate relationship with autumn. Like spring, fall is a season of transition. The warm months become the cold months, and with that comes changes in barometric pressure…my nemesis. Barometric pressure is the weight of the air pressing against the surface of the earth. In fall, and also when it rains or a cold front is moving through, the overall barometric pressure increases. Most people don’t notice when this happens, but if you have joint or bone issues, your body becomes a perfectly accurate barometer.

Do you have arthritis, or any kind of metal hardware in your bones or joints? Have you noticed that you hurt more when the weather changes? Well, blame barometric pressure! Unfortunately, for me, a shift in barometric pressure usually means a significant increase in broken bones, for little to no reason. During spring and fall, the likelihood of me breaking a rib just by turning the wrong way or sneezing or coughing is greatly increased. My body tells me well before the weather changes that it’s getting ready to shift. I can accurately predict a major rainstorm a day or two ahead of time just by my level of achey-ness.

Two weeks ago I broke a lower rib in my sleep (twice actually), although I had known for a about a week that it was coming. I was just hoping that it would wait until AFTER my vacation, which it almost did – missed it by one day. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a feeling I get when something is about to fracture in direct correlation to the weather cycles. My body literally changes shape when the weather shifts (and sometimes just randomly throughout the year), and to do that sometimes requires it to fracture. I usually have a good bit of pain up until the fracture, then once the fracture happens, I start to get some relief. At the beginning of this week, I broke another rib on the same side by sneezing. I predict an early fall. It’s coming. Quickly. All I can say is:

Weather change = Yuck. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do love the cooler weather just like everyone else. I love being able to open the windows or take my computer outside to work. I love the extra energy the fall weather gives my dogs. This type of weather makes me want to go to the zoo, play at the park, and go to an outdoor concert (of course). The air just seems fresher, you know? I realize that last part is all in my head, but humor me here.

At least when I have pain from the weather changing, I can enjoy a cool breeze instead of the typical smoldering New Orleans heat. There’s an upside to everything!