Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Is heat stroke really an issue?

So I had it yesterday like I do at least once every Summer. I guess it's gone now because I don't feel as bad as I did yesterday, but while I was at work today and chatting with the other workers, they told me that I should go to the hospital when I get it. Honestly, I don't feel I should. I used to get this a lot a little kid and I do remember going to the hospital once and all that happened was that I was put in a cold water bath. I pretty much do the same thing nowadays when I get it. I just soak a t-shirt in ice water and wear it with the A/C on. Eventually it goes away.

Heat exhaustion is very different than heat stroke. You likely wouldn't have been talking if it had been true heat stroke.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-heatstroke/FA00019

I'm not a medical doctor, but according to WebMD, heat stroke is a real medical emergency. Apparently going to the emergency room is not only so that you can cool down, but so they can make sure you're not dehydrated and no damage has been done to internal organs.

Penny

Sounds like somebody needs to be packing more water with him.

When the heat ends up getting to one of the guys on the crew, they are put in the shade, or truck with a/c and some water. Pretty much they are in Time-out an not allowed to leave the shade/AC until one of the Boss's says to, then he's on light duty for the rest of the day.

However since were all working together, its pretty obvious when somebody is having an issue with the heat or anything else. And can ussually be caught before things get to serious.

This all should be a clue to you that you are doing something wrong, you have been doing something wrong for some time, and you need to alter your behavior.

Even if you've only been hospitalized once, you sound like you're headed for another.

Make an appointment now to see a doctor about this specific thing. I'm guessing if you have a family physician now, he or she may not know everything about your history.

You've probably read about young athletes on high school and college football teams falling over dead on a hot day while working out. Sounds to me like you're at high risk for doing the same thing.

And you wouldn't have put this out on this forum if you didn't have a sneaking suspicion that something wasn't right about all this.

- Tom

I think my love for warm weather might be playing a role in this. See, at my job we are NOT devoid of fluids to drink. We got a rather decent lounge area. It's just that I totally HATE cold weather and whenever it's warm I love to be enjoying it no matter how much I sweat. My job is not too hard, but I do admit it does get a sweat going. I think tomorrow I will tell some of the other workers and the dispatcher to remind me to take a break. I'm one of them guys that just keeps working and forgets about things like breaks or lunch.

Yeah, Barak is the same way. His idea of doing something is to begin working and continue working until it is finished. Back in the early days of our marriage he got himself seriously dehydrated a couple of times, and it scared me. I used to stock Gatorade for him, and I'd see him gulp down two large-size bottles in less than a minute.

He just got in from mowing the grass (power mower, not a riding mower) and I noticed his shirt was soaked through with sweat. So the first thing I did was get out a bottle of water for him...

You can already be seriously dehydrated before you feel thirsty, especially if you're into what you're doing and (as you said) you're enjoying the heat. Make yourself take a quick break every half hour and drink a glass or bottle of water.

Penny

Drink, drink, drink dude...

I'm in the field alot this summer in Houston, Texas with temps of 95-100 degress with 95% humidity. Unreal how horrible it is really.

For instance today, I drank 8 liters of water and didn't piss one time.

Don't try to be a tough guy. If you've really had heat stroke, which I have, you wouldn't be trying to prove anything. Work hard but drink. Water only does it for me until lunch. Then it's replentishing electrolytes time.

I've wondered about drinking something like Pedialyte. I know it's for kids, but it's specifically to replace electrolytes. Of course, Gatorade is also, isn't it?

Penny

yes Penny ... "sports drinks" are to quench thirst, and replenish electrolytes and other things lost from sweating and physical activity ...

I don't know if Pedialyte is the same/same ... but someone else might ...

Gmoney,

It's not that I'm trying to be a tough guy. I don't believe in alpha male mentality. It's just that when I am really involved in something, I keep at it. I remember back in my jr. high school days when I would be mowing lawns in 100+ degree weather and even though I would get light headed and be thirsty, I just wanted to get the job done.

Stay hydrated and take time to cool down from time to time. If you get to low on electrolytes you can have some serious heart arrhythmias and even a heart attack. If you ever stop sweating, you are in DEEP TROUBLE and need to go to an ER IMMEDIATLY!

If your body temp gets above about 104 you can suffer permanent brain damage if it isn't brought down NOW.

Heat-related illnesses consist of three stages, ranging from relatively mild to life threatening: heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, respectively.

Been working black top for the past 7yrs. The first sign that the heat is getting to us is a slight headache. Even though we keep plenty of water with us(not too cold)we also keep a couple bottles of Pedialyte around for when/if a headache starts. It's important to read and follow the directions though.

til later

In a dry climate, sweating isn't as apparent as it is in a humid climate. Born and reared in the very humid Southeast and working outdoors for many years in desert and near-desert aridity, I've been exposed to both extremes well enough to be very familiar with 'em.

In the extra-dry Southwest, where the air can be very dry right next to a bubbling fountain or an irrigation sprinkler, your perspiration can evaporate as fast as you exude it (leaving your clothes completely dry, for example). So you're losing more water � by far � faster than you know. In the Southwest, you can even go dangerously dry while you're right next to a swimming pool.

Scant urination and yellow urine are danger signals. Even if you have to drink gallons, don't stop until your urine is abundant and either pale or clear.

Along the southwestern border, the frequency of deaths from dehydration shows how easy it is for locals to under-estimate their need to drink a lot of water.

Riders coming into town from days in the desert and immediately seeking a slug of whiskey are Follywood inventions.

I experienced deaths first hand due to heat stroke in Vietnam. I experienced the early stages fishing alone on a 99 degree day & almost lost a guide hunting sheep in the mountains of Texas years ago. He lay beneath the jeep for an hour or so wearing damp cloths & drinking water. Heat stroke is not a good way to die, if there is one.

I have also experienced deaths due to heat stroke first hand. We just lost one of our dogs to heat stroke a few weeks back, in the back of the 4 runner, with the AC going, and the other 2 dogs were fine. He just went, so the heat effects everyone/everything to a different degree.

I also had a buddy in the army die from heat stroke when he was in Air Assault school. Was doing a road march, and he got dizzy so he took a knee. The instructor told him he needed to finish or he wouldn't get his wings. Well, he got up, took about 10 more steps, and fell over. They got him to the med center, and took his temperature. It capped out a 105 degree thermometer. They realized he was in real trouble, rushed him to the ER. He never recovered, they retired him on the spot so that his wife would get retirement pay for an E-4 (it isn't much, but better then nothing).

Hydration is the key, but make sure you are replenishing electrolytes as stated by others in the thread. When I was in Basic Training, they were having issues with people dying from over-hydration, because they forced us to drink water all the time, and it was cleaning some people out of their electrolytes, and they were dying from it. So it is a delicate balance. Make sure you stay hydrated, and are taking in salts and other stuff so that your body can retain the water.

I have had severe dehydration once, and I hope to never have it again. I also have problems with kidney stones, which is just another reason to make sure you are taking in enough water.

Heat stroke is a killer. I drink a lot of Vichy water. Excellent stuff. If you need to do the electrolyte replacement, easy to make the burn packet that were in the Army first aide pouch. tablespoon of salt, teaspoon of sodium bicarb, one quart of water, cool if possible.

Maser, I dunno what you do for work, but when I started doing concrete for work I was very much in the same boat. The first week was pure hell, and I was one sick feeling kid.

Fill up a couple of milk jugs with water. Drag one of them around with you, stash it in the nearest shade or just pack it with you. You will be amazed at how much more water you will drink, when the water is right next to you.

Doing that helped how I felt and in return how I worked, dramaticaly. If your not feeling 100% your not goona be able to give 100% at work.

It's also a good idea not to drop the E bomb on a hot day at work.....grin

Don't forget the salt tablets. They really work. When I was at Fort Bragg for boot camp we would go through a 1000 tablet bottle in a day and that was a platoon. That's 20 tablets per man per day. Our fatigues would start out green in the morning and be completely white by evening chow. Salt and water kept us going. Salt and sugar mixed into water work real good in the heat.