Heat Stroke

Heat stroke - I mean !

Thanks Kelly !

That must have been very frightening. Glad you are well again. A warning to me as I know I don't drink enough when I'm out.

Oh, Esmay, what an awful experience, you are right when you say finding a loo is not always easy now! Try not to do to much, chores can wait and maybe think about having a chat with someone - nurse /pharmacist to reassure yourself .

Sounds like a really bad case, so do hope you’re feeling miles better now!
I had it once, after sitting by a pool in France, in the shade on a very hot day, but where the pool are was largely surrounded by stone walls that absorbed and radiated so much heat.

Just felt very weird and very rubbish, drank a lot of water and went straight to bed with no dinner.

Funnily enough I never once had it during the many years we lived in Middle Eastern deserts where summer temps could often reach the high 40s or even 50 deg., and for a certain period with very high humidity thrown in. But we all took salt tablets as a matter of routine - provided by the company.

Glad you’re better Esmay - I don’t drink enough water either -

I had an unfortunate experience about 55 years ago when, with a group of friends, when the tide was out, I waded out to the reef, just north of Mombasa and spent the afternoon exploring. In the evening, I was conscious that I had started babbling and just managed to drink about a litre of water and lie down before I made a complete fool of myself. I was lucky because it could so easily have been sunstroke.

Heat exhaustion comes first: tired, dizzy, headache, nausea, faster heartbeat etc. Those symptoms need to be dealt with urgently. Drinks and a cooler situation, the body needs to cool down. 111 advise call

Heat stroke can follow quite quickly if this is not remedied and would need a 999 call

Up to us to be sensible, avoid situations of excess heat and up the water intake. No exercise in hot situations. We are getting old and our bodies can no longer adapt. I like my cycle rides for exercise and got back home today at 9am, feeling well and comfortable.

The thirst mechanism fades away with age and many old people don`t have enough to drink.Personally I bought myself a lovely 2 litre susteas borosilicate glass jug from amazon. It has markings and a lid. It really is a very nice jug, which I keep on my worktop and I fill every morning, that gives me a good estimate of how much I drink.

When I worked abroad dehydration was always something to think about, you may think you are drinking enough but always drink more than you think. At the first sign of a headache I always drink ayran. It's basically yogurt and water and salt, if you can't find any for sale it's easy to make. Plain Natural yogurt, water and a little salt whisked up till it's all mixed up and frothy, it shoud be the consistency of single cream. Works every time.

A few years ago we were on a tour of Kakadu in Northern Australia. The rainy season was imminent and it was incredibly humid - I was virtually wringing my hair out after 10 minutes. We were exhorted endlessly to drink plenty of water, but nobody mentioned salt.

After a while I started to feel very tired, but eventually remembered the salt tablets we used to take in the Omani summer. At lunch (buffalo pie or quiche and chips!) I put plenty of salt on my chips and soon felt much better.

I once got badly dehydrated. We were on holiday on a yacht in the Channel Islands and put the strange dizzy feeling down to being a bit seasick. When we landed on Sark we had to climb up an incredibly steep route from the harbour and I could barely stay on my feet. We eventually reached a pub for a drink and I drank 2 pints of fruit juice straight down. Fortunately I felt OK pretty quickly but I was only in my early 30's then It taught me a valuable lesson. I guess I might not be so fortunate now at more than double the age I was then. I too sometimes avoid drinking enough when out and about in case there is no loo but when it is hot we need more than we think sometimes.

When we are thirsty, we are already dehydrated.

But unless you are out all day, you should not need to worry about drinking and then needing to find a toilet. Drink plenty s a couple of hours before you go out and as soon as you get home again, although not too near bed-time!

And remember in hot weather to wear a hat or headscarf or at least take one with you to put on.

If possible go in an order something to drink where there is a toilet, or drink outside say the public libary then go in, browse through a book or a leaflet, use the ladies' and leave again.

I've had heat exhaustion quite bad on a day out in Wales. I felt weak, dizzy, couldn't think what I was doing and was sweating heavily. Quite bad tempered too. OH took me into a cafe where I had a drink and ate some salt from the salt pot on the table. That's all I remember about Abergavenny as I lost memory of the day. We went straight home and I fell asleep for hours on the sofa. Didn't feel OK til the next day.

My DH suffered Heat Exhaustion recently on the first day of a holiday in Asia. It certainly was scary, he’d been in hot countries before and knew how to look after himself, but this was so sudden. I though it was a stroke!
We headed back to the hotel where we upped the air con, he had a tepid shower, replaced fluid and slept for about 3 hrs.
Fortunately he was recovered when he woke, but we were on red alert for the rest of the holiday. It has curtailed where we holiday from now on.
I wonder if it’s something you become susceptible to with age.

I do hope you have now recovered. I used to be the same, I drank and drank during hot days but I still felt drained. I then read about taking electrolyte tablets in your water. When you drink lots of water you wash out all the minerals from your body and they need replacing. Since adding one electrolyte tablet to a 500 mls bottle of water every day I have never had any problems with heat, I can walk around all day with no problem.

I love in Scotland. Nuff said.☔🥶

My phone really doesn't know me!

I went on a walk with my walking group on a very hot day. It was in the evening and I drank before we left and took 2 bottles of water with me. We got three quarters of the way round, we were only going 5 miles, and I had difficulty getting up a short hill. By the time I got to the top I was feeling dizzy and had to stop. By then I had drunk all my water. The leader gave me the rest of her water, one lady stayed with me while the rest went to the end. Then the leader came back in her car and took us home. She very kindly took my dog out and while she was gone I threw up! I slept like the dead and woke up feeling much better. I have never felt like that before or since.

Must have been an awful experience, glad you have recovered. 600 mls is not a lot of fluid, just a couple of cups of tea. When the temp goes up so should the fluid. I'm slightly, very slightly jealous though as I have had 1 warm, not hot day, in past couple of weeks.

Sports drink are better than just plain water to rehydrate as they contain salts and essential minerals too.

I remember taking DD to compete in an inter-schools sports day at another primary school. She must have been about six and it was a scorching hot day, no gazebos or shade on the sports field. The children were running, jumping etc.
My DD started to feel ill so I took her indoors, gave her drinks and put cold wet paper towels on her head. One of the teachers at that school passed by and was extremely rude about DD, thinking she was speaking one teacher to another about a pupil.
She was ok, luckily but it was quite ridiculous to expect children to compete without any shade being available. We just can't cope with extremes of weather in this country.

Take it easy, Esmay, chores can wait.

interesting attitude, and not so rarely found unfortunately, for someone in a position of power/authority to dismiss the distress of another person.
i have come across this with some nurses, as if the patient is being naughty or difficult when reporting they are not ok.
which is quite concerning really.

and many black women experience this kind of thing in maternity services.
which leads to poorer outcomes for them.