Well, the temperature here in AZ dropped within days. And, now I am experiencing something that feels like semi light throb in the area where my DAVF was/is located.
My wife came up with my current state being related to the weather, since that’s the only thing that changed.
I don’t feel too bad, but I am getting a tad of nausea along with a very mild “throb” - it’s not to the point where I reach for a Tylenol today, but I did yesterday
Can/does temperature change cause this?
Hey Mike
“Can/does temperature change cause this?”
Depending on who you talk to this can be HIGHLY debatable. My temp regulation has been a HUGE issue and even years after surgery, it still plays a role in my symptoms. Some of the medicos are of the opinion ‘It’s nothing we have done, so it must just be YOU…’ Grrrrr
Something I have found is that, for me, barometric pressure plays a role. Too high or too low and I become symptomatic. This has been difficult to define as temperature also plays it’s part, often it’s pointed out that rather than pressure it’s temp related, but my symptoms differ in the heat and cold. I sweat when I get cold and the heat REALLY knocks me around. I find I have to keep my environment cool to manage. But variations in air pressure also plays it’s role outside of temperature.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
Great, LoL
I was thinking of how atmospheric change will effect this. But, ever since this happened I haven’t traveled far - I guess I’ll find out when my next trip comes up.
It’s not bad(is what I keep telling myself), but I can feel this thing differently ever since the temperature here dropped - we dropped from high 90’s to low 60’s(it’s 50 right now)
Tylenol does help, but I’m not huge on taking more unless I need to. But, my BP seems a tad higher also - it was very low & dialed in ever since I got on my blood pressure meds
Well, I’ll see where this goes - I seriously didn’t even think of the temp change being the cause, but it makes sense < usually I don’t give much credit to my wife on this stuff. . . But, this one clicked quite a bit
I’m curious how others feel, too. My dAVF was embolized in September (I also had a cerebellar stroke which got my surgery moved up from October). I was diagnosed in 2018, one surgeon attempted to embo w/particles then and it didn’t work. So here I am now. I’ve been a migraine sufferer for 20 years, and was always sensitive to drastic weather changes. The difference is now it scares me! I’ve had 2 migraines this week (I live in TN and the temp dropped drastically, with rain). It was your post that got me back to this forum, before I didn’t find many posts concerning fistulas. I really have found some comfort in reading other stories. Thank you.
Interesting reading. I didn’t have embolization, but had gamma knife post bleed. I have a “void” where the clot formed in my brain around the AVM, which is good because it clotted. But I do have a visible vacant space…many who know me have made many jokes when I say this, all good natured of course! I am convinced that the changes in barometric pressure causes changes to the way I feel physically, just lethargic. I also believe in the days following a significant pressure change in negatively impacts my sleep. I did a little research but plan on doing a little more Doc Google when I get the chance. John.
I’m with Merl on the atmospheric pressure change being a possible reason. Definitely others who say that the weather affects their migraines, headaches etc. so seems possible to me.
Hey all,
I’m going to come down on the side of change. As in anything that causes any part of you to feel different due to weather. If it goes from hot to cold, or cold to hot, sunny to rainy, rainy to storms, storms to sunny, any of those can affect me. How? Usually, it has to do with equilibrium kind of things. Balance, headaches, increased buzzing noise in my left ear those type of things - oh and increase sensitivity to the change. None of it totally knocks me out of the game but they do make it a good bit less comfortable…
TJ
I completely agree with you TJ. For me I think it’s all a contributing factor to my symptoms and as I’ve said before 'It’s not a case of A+B=C but rather a A+B-CxD/E √F… ’ The heat, the cold, the medications, the light intensity, the air pressure, the diet etc, etc they all have their own affects.
Trying to find that balance in amongst all of those variables can be key, but can be SO tormenting and what may work wonders today may not necessarily work the same way tomorrow, it can be all so individual.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
I’ve been alright here recently
Just a bit of a drag at times - I know it’s nothing considering. But, it’s def something to live with now - it’s definitely manageable, by does get discouraging at times.
I like that - one day it’s working & I’m real good, next day - I feel like I’m dragging my head behind my body - I’ve even decided to pull my booze all together 
at least to see if I improve - I just don’t need anything at all now that brings me down in any way - I’m down enough.
Las time I drank here about a week ago, I felt even crappier < that just isn’t helpful anymore
Darn stress got me & I had a few smokes here & there - but, I know those are on the way out also. . . It’s a lot of lifestyle changes, that’s for sure.
I’m still working out - but, that also at times seems to agitate whatever you wanna call this in my head - but, it goes away rapidly & I am far from pushing myself like I once did.
This year - I swear, is a test of will to say the least. . . But, I still consider myself fine - I’m just trying to find best ways of dealing with all this - I can’t sit all day, not while I’m alive & able
It will be interesting on how my head feels when we head into sub zero temps this winter
Mike,
You’re gonna be fine. It just takes a looong time. I think you’re doing the right things by being sensible. As the UK wartime poster said “Keep Calm And Carry On”. You will get to a better place if you look after yourself. Honest.
Richard
Oh, man - when I stop & just think about it. I still feel blessed beyond belief. It is something to work with now - but, some days r just tougher than others.
I’m not used to dragging ass - I was go go 24x7 - now, well - I try to do the best I can on the days I can.
Shoot - if gets even better, man - that’s a total win.
As far stress - that’s just what I’m used to - but, now it’s a bit tougher to deal with
If I have to be realistic, right now I’m running on about 85-90% of my usual 101 - not bad, considering - for sure
Shortly after my op – maybe a month later – I played badminton with my son. He’s quite good but badminton is the one thing I can do where I might win a game against someone. Not someone good but someone. It’s quite a darting, stop-start game. I came away from that game (and I expect I’ll have made my son dash all over the court but he’ll have challenged me, too) not feeling too good. Can’t remember whether that was straight away or the following day that I decided I’d overdone it.
I took my mum on a day trip by car to London (100 miles there and 100 back; me driving) a few months later and it was really tough to do. Can’t remember what it was about it that made it tough but gosh it was tough. It’s a long day to go to London.
In the September post op in April, I started back in the gym. Nothing too heavy but decent amount of exercise. It was a few weeks after that that I declined slightly, had increased dizziness and one day when it felt quite bad. I went back to the doc at that point.
I then spent a year toing and froing with the doc until being encouraged i was all clear. Not immediately after that all clear did everything start to be ok but within six months, I think I was very much back to normal.
I still only do very light exercise. I need to get myself out and get into some more exercise but I’m failing at that still. However, all feels good head-wise.
So… just be patient.
I sometimes liken surgery to knitting. If Nature or God stitches us together in the first instance with the finest invisible stitches, surgeons are able to knit only with big, thick knitting needles. There’s no way that the outcome is as good as it would be if Nature had got all the stitches right in the first place. But the knitting that we get the surgeons to do is a compromise between having the risk of a future bleed and having a bunch of slightly obvious stitches showing through.
Given the alternatives, it’s a perfectly good place to be. And actually, when your mum always told you to put a hat on or wear a coat and in the past it was easy to ignore that sort of advice, as a re-knitted man we have to start to be sensible about the things we ignore and tell ourselves that it doesn’t matter if I do.
It matters.
All we need to do is be sensible.
You’re going to be fine. It is very early days still.
With you all the way,
Richard
Very well said,
Shoot, I’m amazed I have slowed down as much as I have & still haven’t lost my marbles
Thank u for the post
My pleasure. We are in this stuff together!
Mentally I had that ‘Get up and go’ attitude, but physically, the body was screaming ‘STOP’. I had no choice, I had to slow down. The more I pushed the more the body pushed back. Those ‘marbles’ (Well, the 2 I have left 
) were at war with each other and I had to find a balance, an acceptance of it all. I NEVER wanted to accept ‘THIS’, who would? and I fought like almighty against it.
It was ‘She who MUST be obeyed’ (the wife) who put a stop to it, she could see what I was doing to myself (and her). I was on a physical, emotional and mental see-saw and this was all having an impact on her too. Mike, you state “… is a test of will to say the least…” for me it was a test of ‘won’t’. I had the drive to do, just not the ability. I could push on through but knew I’d pay for it later and she could see the consequences which I tried to ignore, arrogantly.
And as much as I HATE to admit it, Richard is correct.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
I might not be right. I’ve just remembered that Mike had a bleed (which does all sorts of damage) so some of the weird feelings in the head might be to do with that, rather than the operation. So some of the feelings might persist longer than I am hoping
… but I still reckon it is by far the best thing to go steady, with the aim of getting a lot better, than to give up hope now or to muck it up by overdoing it.
Best wishes, always.
Oh yeah, that’s the thing - most of my “odd” brain/head feelings are from where the bleed occurred - the bleed occurred closer to the top left of my head - where I had my head split open about 15+ years ago.
I look back at that event & really thank the situation. I was at work & we were moving this giant armoire, a good 40 pound bronze statue fell off the top & landed on my head - brought me straight to the ground. I poured out blood like I never seen before - my work rushed me to one of those little clinics that stapled the cut - never did a CT or followed up
At this point, I am so glad - I had 15 years of AVM knowledge free living to do
Things sure do turn out in a strange order sometimes. How did I slide out without a CT back then with such a injury? No idea - but, I’m glad I did
But, yeah - it’s a daily battle of trying to throttle myself back
Yea it is. Now, when you master it all… …can you please tell me how 
I have a tendency to start out OK, slowly, slowly, then increase and increase but the increase was too much. So I slow it down again but I always seem to be over doing it, even when I’m trying not to and I think that’s the frustrating bit. My ‘normal’ limits have evaporated and things like temperature and air pressure which never use to have an affect now plays a HUGE part. I’ve had to learn to adjust where I can.
As Richard states ‘…by far the best thing to go steady, with the aim of getting a lot better…’ and I agree, but go slow and steady. Learn your own signals, what works and what doesn’t. Its all a learning process.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
Ha,
Don’t even get me started again
I mean, come on - I’m used to working for a few hours straight in AZ sun, then going to the gym & pushing insane amounts of weight for hours < sometimes twice a day - then working deep into the night - depending on what we had going on - it’d either be towing, turning wrenches or driving across country
By this time last year, I covered the US about 3x coast to coast - flying out on a dime, picking up tow trucks & running em back
That all went to crap when COVID hit - ok, then my brain exploded
Buuuuuut - considering, I still feel ok - what I do really appreciate about this is that I see things/people so differently. That somehow has a substantial value - it feels like it was all in front of me, but just didn’t make sense. . . When I came to, it all just clicked - at a lifetime expense of course
The timing of all of this is still what gets me - if this was off by a year, I’d be financially ruined - we were getting ready to heavily expand - then COVID hit, that put stuff on pause - brain exploded, now it’s time to change some plans
Richard,
Have you been peeking over my shoulder? My daughter moved to Ohio - 5 hour drive - no one else wanted to drive the rental truck, so I did the whole way. i made it but my head felt it. She hired unloaders (actually her employer did) so I didn’t have to move much when we got there. On the way home, my wife and I were in the same vehicle - she drove about twice as much as normal because my head caught up with the work and was not focusing well. What do I mean by focusing? Spatial relations - I had a harder time staying in the right lane, stopping in time (as oppposed tto 5 ft before the stop sign). Didn’t hurt much more than normal until we got home. The next day I felt like someone rode over my head with a lawnmower. It was annasty - totally wiped out, in pain, throbbing, you name it.
I’m becoming more and more convinced that my brain is occasionally nice to me. Sometimes, it will act up and I will have a hard time focusing and a lot of pain right away. Sometimes it waits until the activity is over and then fires up the paind confusion…
TJ