PSA for all of you in really hot temps, signs and symtoms of heat injuries

[nadinbrzezinski]

Heat Exhaustion

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include profuse sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting, headache, lightheadedness, and muscle cramps.

Go to a cooler place, take a shower, drink plenty of liquids, and yes include gatorate or other sports drinks. You are losing electrolytes as well

HEAT STROKE, is a medical emergency... body temps rise, and rise fast... this is a true medical emergency

Different people may have different symptoms and signs of heatstroke. Common symptoms and signs of heat stroke include:

high body temperature,

the absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin,

rapid pulse,

difficulty breathing,

strange behavior,

hallucinations,

confusion,

agitation,

disorientation,

seizure, and/or

coma.

http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_stroke/article.htm

Please, check on your neighbors, the elderly and kids (or those working outside) are at the most risk. Make sure to drink plenty of water. and if you develop a mild dull headache assume you need to drink water to avoid getting into the stroke situation.

Oh and water and gatorade... caffeinated beverages do not count in this case, really. Oh and as temping as a cold beer might be, alcohol is really going to dehydrate you.

TAKE CARE guys and gals... and if you know senors around you, please check on them.

[undeterred]

1. And if you know Seniors, check on them too.

:hi:

[madinmaryland]

2. Thanks, nib. We went south to Florida for cooler weather and the beach.

The water temp is 87! Freakin bathtub water, though a cold beer is mighty refreshing as is a half a watermelon!!

We're on the Gulf Coast.

[MrsBrady]

3. eat fruit....water alone won't do it.

i spend every year at a folk festival and we spend days and days in the Texas heat outside.
I drink water alternated with orange or berry juices. with some emergen-c mix thrown in occasionally.
I get hot, but I don't get the "the tired" that others get. If I have any alcohol in the evening, I have to double up on the water in the PM.

If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

thanks for your OP :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Why sports drinks are an excellent addition

What we used to do to keep our firefighters working at peak efficiency was to mix a litter of water with a large bottle of gatorade... whatever flavor I had. That kept them going at peak efficiency... for hours of fire fighting.

As to juices, especially good is orange and lime juice.

Yes the rehydration solution is essentially gatorade, but take my word on this... gatorade tastes far better.

[Divernan]

4. And keep your PETS indoors too, they can get dehydrated in just an hour in this heat.

One woman who goes to the same vet as I do, took her lab for a long walk late at night - he was dead the following afternoon from that exposure to the heat. As the vet put it, all his systems just shut down.

So keep them inside, hopefully in air conditioning, but at least out of the sun, and keep their water dishes full.

One of my kids lives nearby, but on a different power grid than mine. If either of us has a power outage, we'll take our pets and head over to the other one's house. With a heat index around 110, it's hard to even breathe without AC.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Extremely good point

we have AC, and I am still getting the parrots into the shower every so often

[Divernan]

7. I've been putting out extra critter food for birds, squirrels, Chipmunks, etc.

along with frequently cooled off water in a bird bath. The animals have been flocking - in this heat, they have very little energy to go in search of food or water.

[freshwest]

8. Living in hot/dry spots w/o adequate A/C, kid's swimming pools help dogs.

[MuseRider]

9. Very important to know.

I was out yesterday during the hottest part of the day with the sun just beating down on everything. I was OK until I realized I had stopped sweating. I quit as soon as I could, came in and drank 2 sports drinks and only suffered a bad headache. If I had not known these things I would have stayed out much longer. Thanks for your reminder, things everyone should know.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. GOOD FOR YOU

We really do not need to read of any heat related emergencies!

:hug:

[tammywammy]

10. It's also good to note

Please check the air quality standards where you live. I know here it's on the highway signs, newspaper and during the weather forecast on the local news. If it's an "orange" or higher level, please limit your time outside, especially with children, elderly, those with respiratory conditions and asthma.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Absolutely, and thaks I forgot about THAT ONE

and I should have not... I do it as a matter of fact, myself.