March Is the Worst Month (and the Best Month)

I’m sitting here after a long day of work along with Keegan, my husband with AS, talking about how the weather wrecks his body every spring. For Keegan, while the cold can also take a toll, he’s most susceptible to weather-related flares during the spring.

We live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with weather similar to our hometown in Ohio. We experience the four seasons, which really feels like 12 seasons because the transition between each is a rollercoaster. (Just last week we went from 27 degrees outside as the high to 65 two days later.)

These rollercoaster temperatures mean huge changes in barometric pressure, wreaking havoc on Keegan’s body

I asked him tonight: what’s worse, spring or fall? I knew that the huge changes in temperatures in a week are the worst for him. His answer: it’s two months out of the year. March and October bring the most pain. And March is way worse than October. As someone who’s seen him go through many seasonal changes, I know when he’s in pain or struggling with brain fog more. I come downstairs after work and find him on the couch with his eyes closed. Or maybe he’s walking because he’s tight in his back.

Keegan tells me time and time again that the worst weather for him is extreme temperature changes. Something where we go from a really low temperature to a fairly warm temperature within days. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania isn't a great place to avoid these. Even when we lived in Philly, spring and fall brought on very drastic temperature changes from one day to the next. But, we're finding it even tougher in Pittsburgh. We've joked if we should move somewhere warmer, but we both enjoy the winter too much.

The good thing? We know it’s coming and we can prepare for it

Just tonight, Keegan let me know he went through his last month’s medical marijuana faster than normal. This is typical around mid-March when the combination of warming weather and seasonal storms bring the most pain. It also means making sure we have a few babysitters on hand to get extra support when I’m working and he’s struggling. It’s a strange experience to know that so much pain comes to Keegan regularly. It’s unlike anything else in the world, but I’m glad I know how to best take care of him.

These changes also bring times of the year we look forward to

This time of the year is ironically one of our favorites. No longer do we bundle up the kids and ourselves to get outside. We can slip on shoes, and pop outside for a walk around the neighborhood. We keep our windows open all the time to bring the sounds and breeze in throughout the day. As the light stretches longer each day into the night, we begin planning what summer may bring. (Do we go on that trip we’ve been hoping to go on? What will we do for Kaya’s birthday?) Despite all this pain and brain fog, it’s a strange time for us. Physically, it brings many challenges, but it also elicits anticipation that only comes once a year.