A LISKEARD mother living with fibromyalgia says this summer’s heatwave has left her unable to leave the house on some days, as soaring temperatures made her symptoms worse.

Chaos Heaven says the extreme heat caused her body to become more sensitive and swollen, making tasks increasingly difficult.

“This heatwave has been particularly hard due to the extreme nature of it,” she said. “It made my body a lot more sensitive and swollen than the summer normally does, which made it hard to do anything on some days.”

Chaos has lived with fibromyalgia for years, after initially being misdiagnosed with tendonitis.

Her symptoms were unpredictable – with severe pain appearing without warning.

“I would be out walking around in town and, just completely randomly, my hip would have this extremely sharp pain seemingly out of nowhere,” she said.

The condition later spread to other parts of her body and brought unusual symptoms. One sensation felt as though water was running down her legs, despite there being nothing there.

“It was just really bizarre, and I didn't know what was going on,” she said.

This summer, the combination of fibromyalgia and extreme temperatures has made everyday life challenging.

Chaos says the hottest parts have sometimes made it impossible for her to leave home.

“It stopped me from going out at certain times of the day - afternoons, the hottest times - and on some days, I couldn't go out at all, regardless of what I needed,” she said.

Chaos is also caring for her 12-year-old autistic daughter.

Being unable to get out during the worst of the heat meant she had to rely on food deliveries.

“Which meant I had to order more food than I wanted to, due to having a 12-year-old autistic daughter,” she said.

The heat has also disrupted her sleep, despite running a fan at night.

“I believe it's due to the extreme heat and disrupted sleep, as I haven't been getting enough, even with a fan blowing all night,” she said.

On the hottest days, she keeps movement to a minimum and tries to distract herself from the pain.

“A typical day on the hottest days is not a lot of movement and trying to keep distracted from pain, as not moving as much also brings pain nearly as much as moving too much,” she said.

While research into the relationship between temperature and fibromyalgia remains mixed, Chaos says the heat has made life more difficult.

She wants people to understand the hidden challenges of a chronic condition.

“I wish people understood that every day is a constant battle to do things that some people don't think about and are able to just get on with - without excess planning and prepping, like housework, parenting, visiting friends,” she said. “It would mean a lot to so many just to have an offer of help.”