Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Heat Exhaustion/Heat Stroke

Summertime is no time to be cutting firewood


Mike

From the CDC re: heat stroke


Interesting that they want you to stop hydration.

- Tom

I've stopped sweating a few times in my life... its NOT a good sign, especially when you sweat like I do.

we call it "the bear" as in,"man its a hot one today...I think the bear is after me."

Brutal stuff it is and to be taken very, very seriously. I just finished a very large oil and gas project in Qatar where we monitored heat index (temp/humidity) and classed it into 5 groups from most severe to least, black, red, yellow, orange and green. We would hang colored flags as conditions changed. Black had us stop all work, red allowed 10 minutes work for 50 minutes break and so on. We had many black days which was quite a task as we had to move the 50,000 construction workers to their camp when so delared and back when the red flag was raised. We clearly did not want anyone to suffer the potentials of heat stress and didn't with the plans we layed out.

Luckily, where I work it's hot but usually pretty dry. One day in the desert last year there was a pretty solid cloud cover, and with it pretty high humidity. I usually wear long sleeve shirts to try and keep the sun off of my skin, but on that day I soaked through it pretty quickly. As soon as the clouds burned off, the humidity dropped but the temp went up about twenty degrees, but it felt cooler.

A couple of weeks ago, we were pounding iron rods (rebar) into the ground (for survey monuments). It was getting towards the end of the day and I was getting a little tired, and my forearms started cramping as I was swinging the BFH (sledge hammer). Hmm, maybe the old body was trying to tell me something?

No need to feel embarrassed, heat stroke is not something you can out-tough. hot, humid weather can really put the hurt on ya. Sounds like you had a close call, glad you made it alright.

ONCE YOU HAVE HAD IT YOU ARE FAR MORE SUSEPTABLE TO GETTING IT AGAIN ,,IF YOU GOT IT THAT QUICK BEEE CAREFUL HAVE SOMEONE WITH YOU AND DO DRINK GATORAID OR ANOTHER LIQUID WITH ELECTROLITES IN IT GLAD YOU ARE OK

I went for a hike yesterday around a local lake. In the past it usually took me 1:15-1:25 to go around the lake. Yesterday started off well enough and I had a light pack with a small bottle of gatoraid and a bottle of water.

I plodded/flopped/jogged for a half a mile or so then walked pretty fast for another on the flat parts when I came to the first hill (pretty not steep) I was wiped out! I was gasping for air and was doing the take a few steps and stop routine. I sipped water and g-aid and continued on. The flat parts weren't too bad and the down hills not bad at all but ANY rise in terrain sapped my strength instantly.

It was about 94 or so and about 100 % humidity. I sat for a spell on a stump and simply couldn't catch my breath. I was seriously considering crawling through the thick brambles and flag a car down on the road that was about 30 yards away.

I finally made it to a botanical garden that is part of the lake area and swallowed my pride and in a whisper I squeaked/gasped " I need help, can someone give me a ride to my car?" A very kind lady helped me to her car and in short order I was back at my car and in the AC there.

Pretty scary stuff. There was no way I could have made the rest of the hike (about a mile and a half to 1.75). I was still sweating profusely but gasping/hyperventilating, weak kneed, dizzy and trembling. Not quite an emergency but damn close. I know i'm not in very good shape but this experience wasn't just humiliating it was a wake up call to get my [bleep] together and soon.

About 23 years ago I got the heat stroke in Tx when running after work in the summer in the Clear Lake area. I was roasting hot then and stopped sweating, dizzy and barely made it home.... Nothing to mess with I tell you.

Be safe and keep cool
Patty

I'm glad I read this today. I started doing yard work today around noon. I have a lot of shade in my yard so I can't mow until the dew dries. I checked the temperature on the NOAH website beore I started it was 93F with a heat index of 130F. I've lived in Texas all my life so I normally don't give it much thought when it's only 93F. It'll be nearer 100F soon. I usually mow for about an hour stopping for a drink of water occassionaly then stop for a big drink and a short break before I start trimming. While I mow I carry a rag to wipe the sweat out of my eyes every once in a while. Today after mowing about 30 minutes noticed I had stopped sweating and felt a little light headed. I went inside to cool off and get a big drink. I feel much better after cooling off. I'm going to the drugstore to see if they have any Pedialight and then I'll finish mowing when when my yard is back in the shade. I have mowed when it was 100F and it's pretty tough. A couple of years ago I put on a heart monitor while I was mowing to see what my pusle rate was because I could tell it was pretty high. It was over 160 in the sun and slowed to 140 when I was mowing in the shade. I guess I might need to slow down at age 67 but I still feel great.

I have had it happen 3 times, but not as severe as described by the OP.

What happened to me was, I was suddenly out of breath, just gasping. I stopped what I was doing for awhile, but whenever I tried to stand up or take a step, I gave out of breath again, and things sort of blacked out. I don't remember about the sweating.

I have always wondered if what I had was the beginning of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

I'm glad my situation provided some good info for others. I still feel a little "off" and have had slight headaches. I may be a bit gun-shy for some time.

My mother-in-law just went into the hospital this am with chest pains and my father had a large basal cell cancer cut out yesterday. They say things happen in threes.....

Its full moon to top it all off....

And yep, HS is not due to being out of shape or anything else.... just like hypothermia anyone can get it. ANd most times you are not expecting it, it creeps up on ya...

I learned on this thread about Pedialyte.... gotta go get a case of that next.....

Hope everyone that reads this learns... this year has not been nearly as hot as last year, but the humidity here has been a bear....

The one thing I noticed up north though, while you get some bad heat and humidity(we shot Camp Perry in OH many a year in August) it generally is not bad in the early and late hours and at night.

but the year I was in taxidermy school in WI.... without AC on the second floor, it got so bad that I put a few inches of water in the tub and laid in there for a few hours a few nights.s

Hope the MIL and Father are doing better.

I landscape here in RI, and it's been in the 90's this week. I am 260 pounds and do not do well in the heat. Unfortunately, the work has to get done. I wear long sleeves and long pants and a boonie hat, and I drink a gallon of water a day, along with a couple bottles of Sobe or Gator Aide. Sometimes, I don't pee for the duration, and I definitely soak through my clothes. I have worked until dizzy many times. Two days ago, I was clearing brush and mowing and I got a little dizzy and sat under a tree and drank half a bottle of Gator Aide, filled it back up with water, and drank down the rest. I tidied up and went home. 3 A.M. I woke up dizzy and hot, and got to my feet and ran to throw up. I watched the room spin the rest of the night eating popsicles in front of the AC. I can work out there every day, and some days, even though they don't feel a lot different, I go down from the heat.

I cover up in light clothes, and I drink a ton of fluids, but I still have problems. I'm betting the older I get, the worse it's going to be, having to work in the heat. I'm going to have to get smarter some how.

djb glad you are ok! suffered from that myself at Ft Lewis WA in 1979.

it helps some people to put wet towel on back of neck and wet cloth in hat ,,all hats should be heavly ventilated at this time of year ,after all or heads are our radiators loose most of our heat there..

Working outside in the heat and humidity has been a bitch this year. I'm sorry for everyone else's problems but it's a relief to know it's not just me.

Our issue in the winter, is we can't make it to the elevation needed to get the trees we want (Western larch).

I try to cut in the spring, and am at it as soon as we can get there without bucking drifts. Between other events, helping friends and civic groups, we sometimes stretch into the 4th of July. On the up side, we have had seasons where 2 to 4 inches of snow have piled up while we were cutting on the 4th.

About half of today was spent splitting and stacking. Only made into the 70's though.

Glad to hear you are O.K.
I worked construction in Houston,Texas and the surrounding area for many years. I know about heat stroke. It is to be taken seriously. You will be an easy target for heat stroke the rest of your life now that you have had it once. Also, it is not unusual for people to collapse later after they think they have recovered. Do not force the issue let your body recover for a few days until you feel normal again.