I'm not a global warming freak, and I remember the summers of 77 and 80, which were hot as hell in the northeast.
Note to self never move in summer.
Take care of yourself. All the best for your move.
I got heat exhaustion one time, 6 years ago…7?
I was digging a trench in about 90 degree temp but the sun was shining on the red clay I was standing in and baking me. I got hot. And thought “oh ohh, this is bad I feel weird”. So went inside sat in the shade and drank probably a quart of water. Started feeling normal.
Then I made my stupid mistake.
By this time it was like 1pm and I was supposed to make dinner for me and the Mrs (I’m retired) and decided I needed a few items at the near store 1 mile away. So I jumped in the car….The car that had the windows rolled up and had a black interior, baking in the sun. By the time I got to aisle 2 I was feeling weird again and drove home…in the still hot car.
Got inside and I was REALLY feeling tired. Made a cool bath and laid in it, I kept feeling MORE and MORE tired. I actually got to the point I was afraid I would not be able to get out of the tub and drown so I dragged myself out of the tub, stumbled into the bedroom, turned on the AC and fan (we only have AC in the bedroom) and fell asleep nude. By the time my wife got home at 4-5 I was somewhat recovered but was fairly weak for probably another day.
PS
As a side note I called my daughter and basically asked for help. Our conversation went like this..sort of :
Me: “hi hun..I’m feeling really tired”
Her: “oh hi dad. Well that’s too bad maybe you should take a nap”
Me: “well I think I’m sort of overheated and not sure what to do”
Her: “hey dad someone is calling I’ll catch you later…click”.
Lol—she really is a good daughter but she explained she had never thought of ME as needing help, you know in trouble and vulnerable.
Take it from a Southwest Texan - you need to be concerned about electrolyte replacemente as well as water. Had a neighbor who allowed himself to become deydrated and spent weeks in the hospital and is still using a walker. It’s a common problem in summer, and big city hospitals used to air conditioning and city living don’t immediately diagnose these problems.
Had a guy die in basic and saw big heat problems in the Army.
Pacing yourself and monitoring yourself is all important, and doing so for others, drink regularly, not in deep guzzling bursts.
You really do need electrolytes and if you get badly dehydrated you’ll get the impulse to keep guzzling water without getting enough no matter what, which can really mess up your body’s system and washout even more electrolytes and stress your kidneys.
Heat exhaustion is one of those things you can’t push through.
This is basically the electrolyte recipe I use, it doesn’t spoil and I keep it in the car for myself and anyone I think needs some as part of desert first aid.
To a quart of water, add:
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1/2 teaspoon of salt (or 1/4 teaspoon of potassium-based Salt Lite)
3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar
How about 2011 in Texas?
I don’t know the cutoff age, but people who are “seniors” tend to not perceive “thirst” as well as they used to. So when dehydrating, they don’t impulsively drink fluids.
I got dehydrated a few years ago, and coupled with an adverse drug reaction to a new drug I just started taking, causing me nausea I ended up in the ER. Now, I make sure I am hydrated. If I feel a bit thirsty I make sure that I drink fluids ASAP...., v8, Gatorade, water, etc...
I nearly put myself in the emergency room after a Hot Yoga class.
Took me almost 2 weeks to fully recover.
You don’t want to go there!
Actually, after a run-in I had with dehydration, I now make sure I take a capsule of an electrolyte mixture, every hour, or so, of strenuous work.
It is a highly preventable condition. Salt is most of what you need, but not all.
SaltStick Electrolyte Capsules are one such example. You can also mix up your own electrolytes.
I remember 1962, the Ozarks picking beans. So hot my brother passed out in the fields. We knew we would have to find a way out of there after graduation from school.
Then there was April 1972, 102 F in Tulsa. APRIL!
There were lots of super hot summers in the days when we were warned of THE COMING ICE AGE!
It is just a normal hotter than He!! summer.
WHAT.... Not a single mention of “catastrophic man made global inferno boiling warming?”
Someone at the clinic better pack their bags.
Never drink a lot of water unless you also take in some salt to replenish yours lost in sweat.
Drinking too much water will literally kill you...............
This time of year is tough for me (50-something woman). I am outside 6-7 hours a day. I have to get most of my strenuous chores done between sunrise and 10 (or when temps reach the 80s), and the rest late afternoon. I always wear a lightweight hat in the sun, it really helps.
One tip that I learned from my son’s baseball coach - drink a lot of water hours before you exert yourself, and sip on electrolyte drink while working (or in his case games/practices). I eat a tablespoon of peanut butter with half a banana before I work, but nothing heavy. I eat a bigger meal late morning/lunch.
The second I start pouring sweat, I stop what I’m doing and rinse my head in cool water and head inside and drink electrolytes right away. That is not a time to push through.