RELOCATION QUESTIONS

[kmsdh]

I CURRENTLY LIVE IN OKLAHOMA AND NEVER WANT TO SPEND ANOTHER SUMMER HERE AGAIN (HOT). WAS LOOKING FOR A GREAT CLIMATE OTHERS WITH MS ARE IN AND ENJOY. MY SECOND QUESTION IS MS CARE. I HAVE FOUND THAT A CUTTING EDGE MS CLINIC IS GREAT BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE IS GREATER. I WOULD RATHER HAVE A GOOD DOC WHO LISTENS AND UNDERSTANDS AND A STAFF WHO IS ABLE TO FILL SCRIPTS WITH NO HASSLES. I HAVE PROGRESSIVE MS SO SIMPLIFYING LIFE IS SO IMPORTANT. HAVING TO PULL TEETH TO GET THINGS DONE AT YOUR MS CLINIC IS NO FUN. SO BASICALLY I WANTED TO KNOW OF GREAT CITIES AND CLIMATES PEOPLE WITH MS ARE ENJOYING. AND #2 MS CLINICS YOU LOVE NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR REPLIES.

[SNOOPY]

Hello kmsdh and welcome to MSWorld

I think there are many of us who would love to find the perfect State with the perfect climate. Unfortunately, there isn't a perfect State with perfect climate.

Every State will have a down side (too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, too humid, too dry, ect).

Hope you find what you are looking for

[asiel1]

I am with you on the heat here. I live in Dallas it sux. Good luck to ya.

[CatMom0001]

Hi kmdsh!

I have to agree with Snoopy, any state will have something that isn't perfect.

I moved from Southern California to the Treasure Coast of Florida. I went from hot and dry to hot and humid. I moved to be closer to family, not because of my MS. I have air conditioning now, which I didn't have in Calif. I love it here in Florida, regardless of the heat and humidity.

Find someplace that makes you happy, then equip your home for comfort.

Good luck! I hope you find your perfect place!

[techie]

Try Western Oregon

And be sure to get air conditioning
techie

[marybenes]

I, too, live in Oklahoma and this summer has been brutal no matter what state you live in. Every state has its weather down falls. One thing to consider is the cost of the move but if you can handle that, go for it. Luckily, this hot weather is on the way out. I've never been happier to see summer end than I am this year.

[Spydre]

I love living where I'm living (near St. Louis), but the summers here are horrid. Hot and humid all the way - we spend a good deal of the summer in "heat advisory/warning" conditions, which means over 95 degrees and high humidity, and I think this summer was the worst in a long time - we had something like 14 days over 100 (which is low compared to some areas, but high for here) and too many days to count with the heat index over 100. The cold doesn't bother me too much because I don't go out much, and I don't drive at all. So my dh helps me to the car if it's icy (over the years he's gotten much better at getting the porch and a path to the car cleared off, before my diagnosis, some years he wouldn't bother, but we had a lot of snow this year, so he had to) - well, either dh or one of my kids helps me to the car, and if its snowy where I have to get out of the car, I get helped out, too.

Although the schools are kind of squirrely on when they call off school....I grew up around here, and was in school when our superintendent was a principal (my principal) and on days when we would have been in school when I was in school, schools have been called off, and on days we would have been off, school was in. With the big storms we had this past winter, we all kind of figured once the roads were cleared, they would go back to school....but they didn't. And one day, when by all rights they SHOULD have closed school - major snowfall, many accidents, BUSSES getting in accidents....they dropped the ball on making the decision in time, and by the time they made the decision, half the students were at the schools anyway.

Before my MS, I always told hubby I would never move farther north than we are now. Now, I really don't care - I would almost prefer it not to have to deal with the summers we get here.

[BigA]

I think that you're not going to find a better climate, number of MSers and quality of care than Oregon and Washington. If someone wants to eamil me, I can go into more detail, suffice it to say that it rarely goes above 80 in the summer and rarely below 32 in winter. It doesn't get more mild than that. They have good public transportation excellent governemet services and a lot of MS support.

Here are a few clinics

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/servic...ition=Multiple Sclerosis

https://www.virginiamason.org/service.cfm?id=708

http://swedish.org/Services/Neurosci...iple-Sclerosis

[Alyms79]

I lived in Oklahoma for years!

And last year I moved to Illinois,and OMG is it great.. The summer was unusualably hot this year everywhere. but the summers dont last as long. We maybe had 4 weeks of extreme heat,but it quickly cooled down to a reasonable temp!

[onlyairfare]

I'm with BigA - the Pacific Northwest, and specifically western Washington (I suspect coastal Oregon is much the same, but I haven't been there), are great climates for MSers - doesn't get too hot in the summer, not too cold and snowy in the winter.

I had back luck with neurologists there myself - 3 in Seattle at Virginia Mason and Swedish, 2 in Bellingham - but I think it was just bad luck, as many speak well of their neuros in that area.

I'm living in northern Arizona now, and because we are at 7,000 feet altitude, it doesn't get very hot in the summer, and though it does snow a lot in the winter, it melts quickly, doesn't seem as cold as it was when we lived in Denver. We're 150 miles north of Phoenix, where there are reportedly good neuros at the MS Centers at Mayo Clinics and at Barrow Neurological Institute.

We also lived in the mountains of western North Carolina around 3,000 feet altitude for a while - more heat/humidity, but not nearly as bad as nearer to the coast.

I really like my neuro in NC, so I think I will just go back there for my MS checks; he has said I can call him any time I need something by phone in between visits. I've concluded I won't be finding a great neuro in a great location for me. One or the other, not both.

[salamandertom]

I live in New England, but the summers here can be pretty humid and winters are definately miserable. Spring and fall are AMAZING here though. They make me forget about the other two every time. I didn't like the MS care I got at my last center - but there are plenty of great places in New England to choose from.

[kmsdh]

RELOCATION

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE RESPONSES. AM REALLY RESEARCHING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AS I THINK TEMPS WOULD BE IDEAL.

[Spydre]

And last year I moved to Illinois,and OMG is it great.. The summer was unusualably hot this year everywhere. but the summers dont last as long. We maybe had 4 weeks of extreme heat,but it quickly cooled down to a reasonable temp!

This was an odd year for Illinois. It took quite a while - until July - to get really hot. Normally it starts much earlier than that. I was able to leave my a/c off until after Memorial Day, which is almost unheard of!

[mtnwillow]

I'm thinking not of relocating but just going somewhere for the summer. DH teaches and has summers off. I've already started pushing him to get out of the deep south next summer.

[Seasha]

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE RESPONSES. AM REALLY RESEARCHING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AS I THINK TEMPS WOULD BE IDEAL.

Hi kmsdh and welcome to MSWorld! Glad you are researching the PNW. There are lots of "MS Transplants" living here! Statistics sometimes show there are more ppl living with MS here because of (lack of sun/vit D) or who knows?, but really IMO, it's because lots move here for ideal weather conditions. I am rarely uncomfortable here, weather wise, and this is crucial for my well-being as I am an outdoors person. Lots of quality care with excellent MS clinics/MS specialists are extra bonuses.

To be honest, there are some times when I wish it didn't rain so much and we had more sun in the cool seasons, but it is very refreshing and green! After OK, I think you'd love something cool and refreshing!! p.s. I live in western washington

Good luck on you decisions