How moving to Australia cured Swiss woman’s chronic pain

A woman living in almost -19 degree conditions says the move to Australia has changed her life – despite costing her her marriage.

A woman who blames the bitterly cold weather she experienced while living in Geneva, Switzerland, said moving Down Under saved her life.

Lydie Cerantola-Eid hates the cold and believes that the low temperatures she experienced caused multiple ailments, from her debilitating health problems to the break-up of her marriage.

Since moving to Adelaide in South Australia, the mum says her life and health have improved immensely.

“I have absolutely no regrets with the move,” the 52-year-old said.

“The climate has changed my life.”

In Switzerland. she had been plagued by chronic pain and fatigue

With temperatures in her home town dropping to lows of -18.9°C in January, Ms Cerantola-Eid said she endured “every treatment available” for a range of illness including bronchitis as a child, before enduring irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and frequent migraines as an adult.

“The most difficult thing was that my symptoms were all just generalised pain. I couldn’t work out what to do about it,” she explained.

“Often, I couldn’t even carry a handbag on my shoulder, because I would be in agony. Every little thing was amplified.

Lydia (centre) met Chris and fell in love after moving to Australia.

“I started to realise that the cold was making things worse, as every time I went on holiday, where the climate was warmer, I’d feel so much better.

“And when it was hot in the summer in Switzerland, my pain would reduce immensely.”

After doing some research, Ms Cerantola-Eid said as a fibromyalgia sufferer she wanted to move to a warmer country to see if a change in weather might assist her symptoms. But the decision, however, came at the cost of her marriage.

Lydie said she decided to move to Australia – despite this meaning the end of her marriage

Lydie found she was far happier and healthier in warmer climes

“My health desperately needed to be in a hot climate,” she explained of the move in 2007.

“And once we arrived in Adelaide, free from the cold, I couldn’t dream of returning to Switzerland.

“My marriage hadn’t been in a great place, but the cold climate finally ended it.”

Now running her own holistic business, Ms Cerantola-Eid said while she has ups and downs with her health

“I still have good days and bad days, of course, but I dread to think what my health would be like if I was still stuck in Switzerland,” she said.