Watch out for this

I hit serious dehydration yesterday. It was serious. Drink those fluids when you are out there.

I was taking a break at work and I got an instant tooth ache. I went accross the street and got some stuff to cream on it. It got worse. I was taking the residents on a scenic bus trip and had to cut it short because the pain almost made my head explode. Then I realised that I was not my normal sweaty self. It was 97 degrees yesterday and I was dry as a bone.

Take heed and drink all the fluids that you can when it is hot out. DON"T stay thirsty my friends.

It ended up that the dehydration manifested in my mouth, which may mean that I have a future tooth problem. As soon as I started ingesting fluids the pain went away.

I lost my saliva glands to radiation , so i am used to "sipping" liquid constantly, however this presents a danger, since I never get thurstay. thanks for this post, the las couple of days I have been totally trashed(no pun intended). and very listlessand dizzy, I think you just spotlighted the cause thanks.

Quote:

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got some stuff to cream on it.

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NOT even gonna go there,,

ya'll be careful out there. Don't drink when you are thirsty.....drink BEFORE you are thirsty.

A good rule of thumb is 16 oz every half hour when working all day in the heat. If your urine is yellow.... drink water! The color of your urine(barring any medicine that could contribute to the color) is the best indicator of hydration. If you don't want to carry a water bottle around all day, by a camelbak.


http://www.camelbak.com/

I keep a half gallon jug of ice tea with me at all times...It gets filled a couple times a day when i am at the shop. Staying hydrated is very important....After my wife's gastric bypass surgery they told her that she should drink a lot each day but she did not listen...Then she ended up in the hospital getting fluids and had a couple sleepless nights when her entire body got restless from a lack of hydration.

Yeah it's no joke. This was a class I had to teach in the Army. All the heat casualties suck, and they get progressively worse with each one. This may not be appreciated but here is some info EVERYONE on the face of the planet should know. It gives you the types of heat casualties and how to treat and how to prevent!


Identifying and manage heat injuries

Heat cramps

A muscle cramp or spasm of the voluntary muscles of the arm, leg, or abdomen caused by depletion in the body of water and salt.

(1) Symptoms

(a) Painful spasms of skeletal muscles including muscles of the extremities (arms and legs) and abdomen

(b) Thirst

(c) Skin may be moist or dry

(d) Core temperature is normal or minimally elevated

(e) DO NOT ELIMINATE HEAT EXHAUSTION AS A POSSIBILITY. Heat cramps and heat exhaustion may co-exist.

(2) Treatment

(a) Move casualty to shade

(b) Loosen clothing

(c) Gentle stretching of cramped muscles

(d) Oral hydration with electrolyte solution. If nauseated, IV hydration with 0.9% Normal Saline

(e) Obtain further medical advice if symptoms continue



Heat exhaustion

A systemic reaction to prolonged heat exposure and is due to sodium depletion and dehydration

(1) Symptoms

(a) Profuse sweating with pale, moist, and cool skin

(b) Headache

(c) Weakness

(d) Dizziness

(e) Loss of appetite

(6) Nausea (with or without vomiting)

(f) Confusion

(g) Core temperature may be normal or elevated

(2) Treatment

(a) Move the casualty to a cool shady area

(b) Loosen or remove the casualty's clothing and boots

(c) Oral hydration with electrolyte solution, if tolerated

(d) IV hydration with 0.9% Normal Saline solution preferred

(e) Keep casualty supine

(f) Monitor the casualty and always evacuate - may be heated at BAS and RTD if combat situation dictates



Heatstroke

Caused by failure of the temperature regulating system in the brain.



Heatstroke usually involves excessive exposure to strenuous physical activity under hot conditions.



Elderly or chronically ill patients may develop heatstroke without strenuous physical activity.

The hallmark of this condition is altered mental status.



(1) Symptoms

(a) Sweat may or may not be present

(b) Skin is red (flushed), hot

(c) Headache

(d) Dizziness

(e) Nausea

(f) Confusion

(g) Weakness

(h) Seizures

(i) May progress to coma

(j) Respiration and pulse may be rapid and weak

(k) Core temperature is above 104 F

(l) Heatstroke is a medical emergency that will result in death if treatment is delayed

(2) Treatment

(a) Act quickly to prevent further injury

(b) Remove from environment

(c) Active cooling

(i) Remove clothing

(ii) Misting with water and fanning

(iii) Moist wraps

(iv) Immersion in cool water. Do not lower core temperature below 102 degrees. Temperature will continue to drop after removing from water.

(v) Ice packs-groin, axilla

(d) Fluid therapy - IV hydration with 0.9% Normal Saline (if unable to tolerate oral fluids)

(e) Heatstroke is a medical emergency that will result in death if treatment is delayed. Start cooling measures immediately and continue them while waiting for transportation and during evacuation.

Sunburn

(1) Significance

(a) May require hospitalization

(b) Increase risk for further injuries

(c) Impact on readiness

(d) Usually preventable

(2) Prevention

(a) Limit exposure

(b) Cover skin

(c) Use sunscreen

(d) Be aware of potential medication reactions



Salt tablets are not used in the prevention of heat injury. Usually eating field rations or liberal salting of the garrison diet will provide enough salt to replace what is lost through sweating in hot weather.



Watch a heat injury casualty closely for life-threatening conditions, check for other injuries, and seek medical aid.



Heat Illness

The inability to respond (increase in core body temperature) adequately to environmental conditions, inadequate correction of fluid and electrolyte deficiencies, and malfunctions of the system through exogenous and endogenous causes



Heat Stress

A condition that increases the metabolism due to heat which may result in an increase of core temp, perspiration, and cardiac output and result in heat injuries if untreated

I don't think I've ever had a problem with heat, even though I work outside, jeans and dark blue shirt in the humid air and houston heat. I also am lucky to drink a single bottle of water every 4-6 hours or so...Always on the move!

(I forget to feed myself some days too..)

But good to know what to look for!

When I was younger it wasn't a problem. Now I will drink over 2 gallons on a day I don't forget to drink. If I don't drink, I will get cramps later on, usually in the evening. Next day I will cramp up when I use a particular muscle. I'm used to being outside and all kinds of weather, and infrequent meals. I get more dehydrated than I realize then have cramps all night, really hate it I got to drink a qt of water and go for a walk when I should be sleepin.

I just had a friend have a heart attack due to dehydration. His kidneys also plugged up. drinkin more water probably woulda helped him. I usually carry 1-2 gallons of water with me now.

Yea...me an my 3 workers killed to coolers of water an ice...(its a 5gal water can)

Keep cool an drink as much water as you can

I carry a cooler with ice and bottled water or gatorade to rehydrate. I've worked some long hot days and nights and forget to drink because of being so busy and not wanting to take the time. We've been having some pretty hot days now and I felt lightheaded and dizzy the other day so I make sure that cooler is in the truck with me and I keep bags of ice at my parents too where I work from a lot so I'm sure I have stuff on hand now. Thanks for the reminder OP, its easy to forget.

A place up north in Michigan called Redbud, had a large national motocross race over the 4th weekend, and one rider died from heat exhaustion. Be forewarned and be careful,,,

Got way too hot today and pushed too hard...ugh...paying the price tonight...

sorry deadhead...hope you recover quickly.

Man, some of you would give me anxiety! Please be safe, I'd hate to hear if anyone had to be hospitalized or worse from dehydration.

Re, I have a BP machine at the house cause I have problems with my kidneys(18 years of kidney stones has wrecked my kidney function and causes high BP). My BP stays around 160/85. Been on BP meds on and off for years(i'm only 35). So for me not only does my body need the water on these hot days I can rest assured if I dehydrate myself by working all day in the sun I'll have a stone in the near future. Crazy thing is before the doctors knew why I was getting stones all the time I wrestled in high school and college and NEVER took in enough water(or food, lololol) and was passing several stones a month.But since I TRY to hydrate by drinking at least a gallon a day. WARNING***** You can drink too much water. It's called Water Intoxication. Caused by a sodium deficiency. And it CAN kill you. It doesn't happen often but it can happen and I HAVE seen it. That's why Gatoraid and sports drinks are good to drink(minus the sugar) cause they replace sodium. Also just make sure you eat something also. I know it's hard to make yourself eat in the heat but it will keep your sodium levels up also.....
Today I feel like a train ran over me though....I can only imagine how my 64 year old father feels after hangin in there with me all day yesterday!! I guess what I'm saying is all the metal in the world isn't worth it....BE CAREFUL...cause when you notice something is wrong...it's already too late.
P.s.- It gets **** hot in the Dirty South!

Since you mentioned gatorade, they also have G2 a lower calorie version. Not a no-cal but about half the sugar of their regular stuff.

Hmmm...you know I saw that but didnt realize it had less sugar! Thanks! And I see I misspelled Gatorade...must be the dehydration..; )

Good point Dixie. Also, if you drink too much water and get water intox, there can be irreversable problems. problems where you'd need to be in a mental institution the rest of your life. When i worked at the state hospital there was a whole ward dedicated to water intox. These people were on a strict water intake regimen and would do ANYTHING to get liquid in their mouth. They would drink out of the toilet, eat the dirt out of a potted plant that had just been watered, even drink their own urine....... or somebody elses. And this is not curable. So know your intake...... death isn't curable either.

Interesting stuff. Here is a link for more info on water intoxication from wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication