Replies

When I was a lot younger and dumber I used to mow 3/4 acre of grass with ap ush mower in 102º central Texas heat. Around Bryan, a couple hours east of you. (near Lufkin now)

I was working on my mother’s porch in some of that good ol’ 102º, wiped my forehead and it was dry. HUH? Checked again...forehead, arms both dry. It’s 102º, maybe more. I should be dripping...no wonder I’ve been lightheaded.

I sat down on the porch. My uncle started to bitch because I wasn’t working, he turned white, when he looked at me it scared him. I told him get me a pint jar of water I got too hot. He started telling me I didn’t need to drink a lot of water, I told him just get it.

I took a small swig, swished and spit it out. Poured half over one forearm, half on the other, told him get me another. Did another swish and spit, spent the next 45 minutes drinking a pint of water. Next morning I thought I was going to have to crawl to the bathroom...took me a week to recuperate. Took a month to get back to normal, I still can’t take the heat like I did the day before that. By the way, I’m 60 too. And ride a bike a lot but not like that any more, just short rides in the AM usually for fun. I rode the hike and bike trails in Austin in the mid 80’s almost daily, usually at least 10 miles a day. Now I’m doing good to get in 2 miles in a day.

If that happens...Stay out of the heat for a couple of days, get some rest and plenty water. I overdid it, I’m still paying. Fortunately I had enough first aid training long ago I knew what to do, and hadn’t gotten to the delirious stage yet.

For those who don’t know, here in Texas we get some serious heat, and it’s not bone dry like t always is in places like Arizona and Nevada, the humidity here makes it worse. I’ve seen 107º right here in my yard, around 1997 or 98. With humidity rarely below 30%, that’s miserable.

Never drink a lot of water if you get too hot. I get a bottle of cold water and roll it up and down both forearms, that helps cool you but not too quick. Worst thing you can do is get too cool too fast or drink a lot of water. Take a small sip, swish it around and spit it out. Do that at least twice. Then take small sips, for a normal 16 oz bottle of water, take 30 minutes to drink it. SLOW is the ticket. Do not go into a room with AC, sit under a shade tree. Cool down slow. A place with a breeze is nice, but here in our Texas summers, that’s not common.

What to watch for...you stop sweating. Not good. You feel light headed. Not good. Dizzy and weak, very not good. You faint. Hope somebody finds you and gets you to a hospital quick. If you get delirious, no telling what you will do, hope someone is around who knows how to handle it.

Never drink a lot or too fast. Slow and easy is the key. Never cool down too fast, both will throw your body into shock, then you’re in real trouble. Rub some ice or a bottle of cold water up and down your forearms. That will cool the blood in the surface vessels, but not too fast. Drink small sips, room temperature water is best, and water only. After you get some water in your system, then maybe something like Gatorade, but water first. NEVER drink cold water if you’re seriously overheated, that will throw you into shock too. Cold water on a hot day is not great, but will do ok, as long as you’re not in trouble. If you get overheated, room temperature water only. You do not want to go into shock, then it’s hospital time. No cold liquids, no beer or soda. Water only.

This is experience speaking. And some training...What I got is called heat prostration. Not quite a heat stroke, if I hadn’t caught it in time, it would have developed into heat stroke within 2 or 3 minutes. I was very close to real trouble, fortunately I knew it, and knew how to deal with it. Another fortunate thing is I don’t have a tendency to panic. I’ve dealt with life threatening situations several times, saved 3 or 4 peoples’ lives, including mine, been the first one to a couple of pretty bad wrecks, I don’t lose my head. Fire fighter training helped too.

Don’t panic. Room temperature water only. Sip it SLOW. No AC, find a shady spot for a while till you cool down. Roll a bottle of cold water on your forearms. Stay out of the heat for a couple of days. If you wake up the next day weak as hell, you got way too close to a heat stroke, take it easy for several days. Drink plenty water.

It’s this time of year people die from the heat folks, watch yourselves out there. Watch the people around you. Know how to deal with it.

If someone else is overheated, make sure they know their name and what day of the week it is, their address... if they can’t answer those questions, something is seriously wrong, consider a hospital trip.