Anyone with Heat Stroke experience?

[StupidBird]

wow, what an eye-opener. I hope all recover well.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I actually ended up having a conversation about this with a doctor and two EMTs. All thre ranted about how people underestimate the impact and seriousness of heat stroke. It is called stroke for a reason.

All three said it was their belief that most people never fully recover from a full stroke, that it has implications for their health for years.

She got prompt treatment, and she's getting care now, but don't fool with this.

 

[MeatKing]

I hope she's doing ok now.. The dog trainer I had this summer, was a sunny hot day... Moved us all into the shade, said he gets dizzy etc, ever since he had heat stroke a few years ago

 

[darkmatter]

Yes, I have had work related heat exhaustion, twice serious, and a number of lesser events. Yes, it permanently changes your tolerance to heat, I can only work short periods with plenty of hydration and still have to cool off prior to recommencing my tasks. (Makes it hard to work in the garden for any length of time in the mid-day summer heat) The good news is once you're aware of it, stop and drink water to cool off when you start to feel a little light-headed/dizzy or break out in a profuse sweat when no one else around you is.
My heat exhaustion incidents involved heavy coveralls, plastic rain suits, and respiratory masks. (Nuclear Work)

 

[Brick243]

I had a heat stroke 12 years ago. I was baling hay and working on the tractor all day in 100 plus heat. No canopy on tractor. By the end of day I was seeing spots and feeling very light headed.
I was sweating profusely all day.

When I got home I tried to cool off with a shower and drinking alot of water. I ended up in the emergency room with very low blood pressure. They IV'd me quickly.

I still have the effects of that heat stroke. I cant take the heat well at all. I have to drink lots of fluids and I dehydrate very easily now. When I dont drink enough my blood pressure goes down and my pulse goes up. I can tell my body is not as strong now. I'm not the same man now that I was before this happened.

My doctor tells me that a bad heat stroke can change you for life. I have always worked outside doing manual labor but I just cant do it on a full time basis anymore. I had all the warning signs the day this happened. I had to get hay baled on two fields that day and pushed my body way over the line and am still paying for it now.

Learn about the signs and symtoms of dehydration and avoiding a heat stroke. Believe me they are dangerous.

 

[calicokat]

Thanks for all the info, concern (and especially hugs!)

We had the appt. with the Dr. and he has benched her from marching band for the rest of the year, and NEXT year too. We checked her thyroid, liver function, electrolite levels and all the regular full workup stuff. Got the results on that and everything is in normal ranges - yeah!

I had a talk with the Asst. principal too about making sure the kids with outside practices are getting adequate rest and water breaks. I don't want to see anyone else have to go through this. It seems like the "sport" teams are well versed in all of this, but the "activity" groups (like band) . . . not so much. Yet they are practicing out in the same heat, often times carrying even heavier equipment than the football guys (drums, tubas, etc.!)

Gosh, Brick, sounds like we almost lost you. Sorry to hear that you still are affected after all this time.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I have never had an actual heat stroke, but have had quite a few heat exhaustion spells. Maybe my experience will help you, I will tell you about 2 times, caused by different reasons.

First time I can ever remember being heat sensitive is when I was in South Carolina in the Army. I was 23 and we were doing some work out in one of the fields. It wasn't a particularly hot day but I just hadn't been feeling good all day and I was not used to the humidity. During basic training the Drill Sergeants MAKE you drink water. We were required to carry a full canteen at all times, and randomly throughout the day they would make us stop kneel and drink the entire canteen. We would have to hold it upside down and open so they could see we had drank the whole thing. They were 1 liter. This would be in addition to any water we had already been drinking on our own. It was midday and I was sitting in the shade feeling like crud, I had probably already drunk 6-8 liters of water and was continually sipping on more. I eventually felt so bad that I asked to go to the sick bay. After sitting in the waiting room for close to half an hour they finally called me. When I got in the room my resting heart rate was over 100 bpm. They said I was dehydrated. I told them how much I drank that day and they said "it's not enough". They gave me the option to either be IV'd or to go sit in the waiting room and drink SIX more liters over the next 60 minutes. They said if I couldn't I would have to be hospitalized. I ended up drinking all six, and went back in and my heart rate was down to 60 something. They told me that almost very single soldier in basic training is chronically dehydrated because they either don't know how much water they NEED to be drinking, or because they simply aren't drinking enough. It's also said that as much as 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated either from not drinking enough water, or replacing water with other drinks like soda. Literature indicates that dehydration causes people to be less able to perform at their peak and its presence sets people up for weight gain, joint and muscle pain, fuzzy thinking, disease, and fatigue. Dehydration can cause irritability, anxiety, depression, food cravings, and allergies. Emergency thirst signals include feeling sick upon rising in the morning, heartburn, migraines, angina, joint pain, back pain, colitis pain, fibromyalgic pain, constipation, late-onset diabetes, and hypertension. So if the doctor says "lots of fluids" he means LOTS of fluids, NOT a 12 ounce bottle of water a couple times a day. He means A LOT.


Second time I started having heat exhaustion issues was about 3 years ago. I started running cross country and was not dealing with the heat well. It slowly got worse, first I couldn't exercise if it was above 90, then 85, then 80, then I started having trouble exercising unless it was cold out. I would overheat exercising at 76 degrees. This went on for about a year. I also developed REALLY bad migraines that I would only get if I exercised and overheated. It was so frustrating not being able to exercise without getting overheated and migraines. I had all my blood work done and everything had always come back normal. Through a series of events and clues I realized I needed my wisdom teeth out. Come to find out I had had an infection the entire time. I stopped running for 7 months while I gathered the money to have them removed. They have been gone now for almost 5 months and I am now running in 106 degree weather with NO issues, NO headaches, and NO overheating.

Just wanted to point out that somethings things aren't always as they appear, and sometimes things can have REALLY weird side effects.

Hope this helps you at least a little to think outside of the box.

 

[nanawendy]

In my experience as a medic @ girls camp (ages 12 to 18) anyone who has had a issue w/ heat in the past will be more likely to have problems for the rest of their lives. They need to do prevention like drink ahead of time and through out... 1/2 gatoraid and 1/2 h2o .... 16 oz every hour or two. This is during times of heat stress . They have these cooler neck bands @ hardware sales stores, it helps keep the body cooled off/ and SHADE is very important. I'm glad they will let her do another job so she can still participate. This is nothing to mess w/. A very serious approach is required.
Also NEVER put cold water on a heat stressed victim... this could be deadly. I had a male leader pour ice water on a girl I was treating and she almost died . To much of a shock to the system.
Cool cloths on wrists, neck. forehead, underarms and between legs.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I am glad to hear that the doc did a thorough check up on your girl.

Yes, you are right most activities groups become slowly aware of how to handle these things.

Tricks: have members wring out wet wash clothes the night before put them in a baggie and freeze them overnight! The washclothes IN the baggie can go on the head under band hats and then taken out to wipe off the face and neck. Works surprisingly well.

Really bad events when you are performing have small muslin bags made ahead of time. Put dry ice chips in the bags and put the bags inside hats or safety pinned inside clothing. DO NOT TOUCH the skin! This can make a cool smoke effect, but it does not always.

 

[Raiquee]

I didn't read the other threads buuuut

I suffered from heat stroke on vacation in Costa Rica back when I was 21ish? At least 5 years ago. I got heat stroke, we were on a trail hiking. My boyfriend (hubby now) left me to trek up the mountain with his 1/2 sister's mom. My vision went blurry and I lost my hearing, and I had to lay down due to dizziness. A local went and dumped my shirt in the ocean, wrung it out and brought it back to me, forcing me to wear it. It was cold, and I felt freezing. She probably saved my life that wonderful lady. I didn't go to a doctor for treatment, being in a foreign country and all. Stayed in an airconditioned hotel room for 3 days and slept the entire time. I felt I had the flu. Freezing cold all the time, my skin blistered and peeled. I somehow forgot how much closer I was to the sun than in WI. (DUH!)

Now, I can go out and garden and hang out in the sun for a few hours, but I usually have a dizzy spell after an hour or so. Anything too much and I get really nauseated, really ditzy, stumbling...I look like I'm drunk. I don't make sense. Hubby always knows when I've been out in the sun too long. Almost daily I get very dizzy being in the sun to almost fainting, but never quiet do it.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is something your daughter deals with for the rest of her life. I have been for at least 5 years. I don't even live anywhere super hot!

ETA: more symptoms of my heat stroke.