You definitely are NOT alone! I live in Ohio...it's been the coldest winter in a decade and next week we are getting blasted with another arctic blast and temps will get to -10 Monday through Wednesday. Even a decade ago, I don't remember it being this bad. Today it was -2 on my ride in to work. Yesterday the highest it got was 7. I am in so much pain, I just cannot stand it. My knees hurt so bad that each step makes me want to cry. Other joints I don't have a problem with normally are acting up. My whole body hurts. I am not sleeping well, not eating well (have lost 10 pounds since this winter began), and am just an all around miserable b-word.

I take super hot Epsom salt baths every night (more often on the weekends) and it really does help but the effects don't last but a couple hours...it is usually enough, with melatonin, to help me get a few solid hours of sleep though. I also use space heaters, heating pads, and a heated blanket to keep me warm while I am at home. I also take my meds regularly. If I'm so much as a half hour late, I get this tremendous pain that literally makes me cry. I also haven't quit smoking because I just can't. I hurt too bad to even think about fighting that right now.

I don't know how long we can stand this cold weather. This isn't just cold...this is bone-chilling bitter freezing cold.

Hopefully it starts warming up for us and we start feeling better. In the mean time, I suppose we hang in as best we can. :(

~Michelle

my right knee is pretty painful from this cold...I am in STL MO and it has been darn cold...nice thing for me is I already installed a starter on my car that I press button five to ten minutes before going out to the car....it is totally illegal in our city to leave a car idle for more than five minutes without being attended...but to hell with them they need to catch me...not ever been caught...LOL :0)

Redhead- I'm only 40 minutes from the Ohio border so am guessing we're getting a lot of the same weather. My DH is a meteorologist and says that it's going to be WORSE early next week. Sorry to hear about your pain- I also take baths (3 a day) to keep my foot warm. If not for RSD I'd be loving this b/c I love being cold so I can snuggle up in warm clothes and blankets. But with RSD it's awful!

Bill- my car has the same thing only it is built in to the key ring and came that way. It shuts off after 5 minutes but that's enough to get it toasty warm. Luckily I don't have to leave the house today. Even the schools were closed. I wonder what they'll do next week.

I'm in MI too, also getting railroaded by this new round of bad weather. They've actually closed the Mackinac Bridge because the weather's so awful.

For me, the pressure drop is really what amps up the pain. This sort of pain can be somewhat relieved from compression-wear (I actually don't have any fancy compression gear, but wear ski socks and snug long-underwear) as well as from the nice, warm pressure of a bath. Unfortunately, bath isn't an option for me anymore because it's impossible to get back up.

Shivering is one of the most painful things for me because of inflammation in my ribcage, so I try to avoid getting shaking cold by wearing lots of layers and turning the thermostat up a degree on the coldest days.

my knee is really effected by this cold...it hurts like hell today and I have heating pad on it and took vicodin earlier....not sure what else to do but go to sleep....

Ugh, poor us! I wish I could just pray high pressure, warm weather to blow through all our areas! I just can't believe all these rounds of arctic air...we aren't in Alaska or Antarctica...what the heck???

I love the remote start on my car! I am on the 3rd floor of the building at work and it's super awesome that I can get the car to start up here by going 5 steps to the window, HA! It'll stay on for 15 minutes and, from what I understand, it is not illegal in this area unless the key is in the ignition. Even if it was, I wouldn't care...I have leather seats...they get darn cold and I'm nearly a miserable hurting popsice from the walk to the car from the building! Thank goodness it also has heated seats.

Anyhow, I'm in pain and tired but really looking forward to visiting my friend and co-worker and her new baby after work. He's nearly 3 months old and I haven't gotten over there since before Christmas! Since I will not be having anymore children, I am thankful I have friends having babies so I can get my "baby fix!" Staring into those sweet innocent little faces helps get my mind off the pain.

Hope we are all able to get some relief this weekend. In my area snow is supposed to start dumping this evening and continue all through the weekend...only for the temps to drop well below zero by Monday morning...yipee!

Thinking of everyone and sending warm (((HUGS))) all your ways!

~Michelle

Yes- the heated seats are such a blessing! I had to rush my son to the doctor Wednesday and i started the car 3 times before we went out. My son likes the DVD screens but I LOVE the heated seats! I wonder what they think of them in CA and FL, LOL!

Speaking of Alaska, my friend in Fairbanks told me today they had the day off school b/c it's too WARM there for this time of year and the roads got super icy. It's over 40 in Fairbanks, Alaska but below zero in MI! The whole world is going wonky!

I do not have heated seats but I have cloth seats so not a big problem with them being cold....but that remote starter is a doll....I had one on my last car too that got wrecked by student in 2010....this one I put it on as soon as I could afford to....love it...

yes I saw that the alaska temps were warmer than here this week...our weekend is going up again and we will be in 40s on Saturday I think...and again sunday...plan to get very very dirty car washed tomorrow before the line starts getting long...be there at opening 9am....car is covered with the crap from salty streets and snow....white uggh if you ask me....

you prob will have a lot of snow if it is coming all weekend....that is too my demise as nobody seems to want driving lessons in snow when really many need them....but if it is deep I don't take students...even I get stuck when it is deep....my next car will be Subaru because they have the bestest allwheel drive made....

Yes.
May I say ..HELL YES.

I'm miserable in the heat because of Lupas..
But...OMG...this cold feels like an assault.

Yep..I'm with you guys.

Hugs

Well, we're in for it again next week! At least in my area of MI, we're getting COLDER temps than we had last week! My son's school was closed b/c of cold Friday, so if going by THAT model, he'll be off Monday through Wednesday! (I never GET that b/c I grew up in WI and cold was NEVER a reason to close our school- we never had 1 snow day in all my years!)

That said, I had my DH turn on the space heater attached to the wall in the basement- 1st time since our son was born in 2009 that we've turned it on! It helps, as does wearing hoodies and snugglies and keeping socks on at all times. We're used to cold as we keep our AC and heater at 60 degrees year round. But THIS cold? I can't even go get the mail!

Hope everyone is prepared for more cold if you're in the Midwest! Good Luck!
Jen

I am in PA and we are going into round 2 of this stuff as well. So cold it killed my car battery, grrr! Started aching all over this morning and sure enough at 11 pm it is snowing. I am the human barometer! Guess the best we can do is try our best to keep warm and eat our pain meds :/

It's been a terrible winter. I'm in northeast Ohio...right on Lake Erie. We got pounded with snow, beginning late Friday night. It didn't stop much all weekend. Today the temps are going to plummet from the current 12 degrees to about -10 to -15 (without factoring in wind chill) tomorrow morning. The mid-day wind chill temps today will be -10 to -15 and by this evening, read -25! Tomorrow, they expect a low of -12 with wind chills at -20 to -30!

And, no matter HOW awful I feel, I have to come to work. Because our customer, who only comes once a year, is coming in tomorrow through Thursday. Awesome. So, not only do I have to make it in, I have to dress up. Our office is casual and I wear jeans and tennis shoes every day because they are more comfortable. But, when the cold is going to be the worst ever, I will have to wear freakin dress clothes and dress shoes that hurt my knees so bad (and I even have Dr. Scholl's dress shoes!).

Sorry to whine...I'm just so damn tired of this cold and snow. I cannot wait until my kids are out of school...I am moving west...Arizona or Nevada. I just have to suck it up for another decade or so...ugh.

Hope everyone is hanging in as best as can be...

Warm (((HUGS)))

~Michelle

I would be much better if our school district wasn't so wimpy. I GET closing schools when the roads are bad. ALL our kids get to school via bus & no one wants THAT. But when it's just cold? The parents drive the kids to the bus stop 2 driveways away so they don't have to spend a minute in the cold. It's not like we're in the South and they don't know how to deal with weird weather. It's the Midwest! We went to school in these temps- are our kids somehow not as tough?

I know I sound a bit harsh but my son has only had 6 days of school since it started again after Christmas. He was off Friday, yesterday, today and I'm told by my DH who is a meteorologist, that if they were off today, they're off tomorrow b/c it's the same temps.

My 4-5 hours with my 4 year old at PreK is my REST time. I handle my RSD by resting my body when I can, despite the cold. I would NEVER endanger him. Yesterday when school was out, another mom & I took our kids to Chuck E Cheese. We weren't the only ones! If kids can get THERE, why can't they get to the nearest school? We're Michigan's #1 School District. I love and appreciate all my son gets from this school. I just don't get this wimpy attitude.

Last year they did this too, so we weren't shocked. But these kids have to make up all these days (only 3 were set aside) in June. I honestly feel TERRIBLE b/c I had to call in a sitter for tonight b/c my DH has bowling league. But after weeks in this cold, my foot is on fire. Flare isn't even a proper word. So I'm paying someone to watch MY child in MY home b/c for one of the few times since he was born, I am unable to watch him due to pain.

Sorry for the rant- I'm just super agitated. I GET bad roads, I do. I don't understand looking at a 4th day off school in less than a week when the roads are fine, no kid lives further than 5 minutes away (small suburban city) and the school is warm. I know other parents here feel the same way but we can't do a thing.

Okay- I'm paying for a sitter so I should calm down and rest, LOL. But I know I'm just going to be up waiting for the announcement about school being closed yet again.

sorry schools are closing due to cold....it is the new normal to take caution....they never had that cautious attitude when we were going to school....sucks...but I was teacher and my salary did not change when we were on closed school snow or cold days...but I would not like working into summer months because the number of days off changed how many days of school they had and did not meet the minimum of the states guidelines....

it is cold here but no snow thankfully....