On these sweltering hot days pay close attention to the amount of water you take in (trust me you can't get enough).
After nearly 40 years of working outside I've learned to recognize the symptoms of too much sun too much heat...over exerting yourself and denying the fact that your getting a little older.
Yet I stand here admitting to you that I "over did" it a couple of days ago and nearly "pitchpoled" off the top of an 8' step ladder whith a whirly bird brain buz...I was quick enough to realize the symptoms and climbed down... soaked a bandana with water... saturate my head and neck and retreat to the pick up and turn on the AC...after about 10 minutes of inactivity everything returned to the "norm"... so I loaded my tools and left the job site to return the next morning when it was cooler.
Sun stroke is no laughing matter...heat exhaustion is even worse...all is well but I can stll feel the after effects a couple days later.
At any rate...take heed and drink plenty of water...as long as you sweat your ok...if the sweat quits find shelter from the sun and drink all the water you can lay your hands on.
I'm sure some will think this a silly warning but for those that don't...keep drinkin that water ahead of time! Don't over do it and schedule those installs for early morning...
"Werks fer me (when I pay attention) it'll werk fer you (if you pay attention). Posted by Mark Yearwood (Member # 2723) on :
Be careful out there, Monte. The heat can sneak up on you. Our shop area always gets to be 100 degrees or more on those hot days. This year I'ld had enough and got one of these... www.cool-space.com Sure makes a difference and it's portable, too.
Take care.
[ August 02, 2003, 09:41 AM: Message edited by: Mark Yearwood ]
Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
Does coffee count?
Posted by jimmy chatham (Member # 525) on :
getting dehydrated can cause kidney stones too.
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
Like my man Lance Armstrong will tell ya, "Hydrate or die!"
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Amen to what Jimmy said.
A doctor friend once told me that if you feel thirsty you have already passed the point of your body being balanced and that you have already dehydrated...so, drink before you get thirsty.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Water isn't the only thing you need while working outdoors in the sun and heat - don't forget to eat!!
Dizziness, exhaustion, fatigue, headaches, shakiness, queeziness and the feeling like you're ready to pass out are common symptoms between dehydration and low blood sugar. Dehydration will be coupled with your fingers either feeling tight or swelling.
Your blood sugar only takes a few minutes to change drastically so when you're working for extended periods outdoors be sure to bring a small variety of foods like fruits, some carbohydrates like pasta for instant energy to fire up your muscles, and some protein (tuna for example) for energy with more longevity. After eating some carbs or sugars your body will reflect the change in blood sugar within 15 minutes.
I usually bring a pasta/tuna salad and some watermelon, grapes or honeydew melon to the beach with me... along with 3 gallons of water. Within 4 hours all that water is gone and I know it's time to go home. Yes, I drink every last drop! and that's just to lay on the beach under an EZ-UP shelter!
Living in AZ it's easy to go from "feeling great" to "face down passed out in the sand" literally in a 10 minute timeframe. It's also common knowledge around here, if you gotta work outdoors, do it early in the morning (you know, like when it's only 100 degrees). Working at night here doesn't work cause the ground has stored the heat from the daytime and releases it throughout the night. Right at sunrise is the coolest time of day here!
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
The rule is ,, if are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
My wife was doing a little too much yard work just about 8 days ago & combined with a high blood pressure condition she ended up suddenly getting an extreme headache & dizzyness. She got to her water & a bandana to put on her neck about the time she collapsed into a shady spot. After a somewhat "lost hour" where she made it back to our cottage & rested/fainted again, she got our neighbor a nurse to take her blood pressure. It was 200/80 & I got a call at work that she didn't want to be taken in an ambulance, so I rushed home to take her in.
The combination of symptoms raised an alarm of a possible brain bleed (aneurism sp?) so after the EEG & a CatScan they had to do a spinal tap to be 100% sure that there was no blood in the fluid from her brain. All tests gave good news, so the most likely diagnosis was heat exaustion compounded by her hign blood pressure.
Thankfully I just got us both a health insurance policy about 3 months ago. We had been without one for about a year due to our marriage & home purchase changing our incom/asset status & me being too overwhelmed with a multitude of responsibilites to get it together as quick as I should have.
(I sure hope I can finally get her to start taking hign blood pressure medicine)
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
My ol' painting buddy, Jack Armstrong, always took a big jug of water, some fruit juice in a cooler, and bananas.
There is something about eating a banana if you suffer from heat stroke. I believe it has something to do with the high potassium content of bananas.
My partner always says you can't drink too much water. In the professional sports training rooms, there are signs telling the players to force liquids.
It is so easy to forget to drink water while working out on a job. Let's not pull a "Monte"... Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Lets not pull a "FULL Monte"!!
....shudder........
heh................
k31
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Dr. CAS, a Banana is fine for you folks up north, but the drain is open far too much down south to depend on a nanna alone. A suppliment is needed. Besides eating a banana and drinking a lot of water will really fill the gut on a hot day.
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