Heat exhaustion/dehydration

[rkep01]

Well...just got home from hospital after two days of getting refilled with 6 liters if saline solution! Was out in the yard working on my boat bottom, cleaning off old algae, etc. in advance of putting it back in the water. Didn't realize how hot it was, drinking Coke, and concentrating on getting finished, which I did, thankfully. Anyway I put all the cleaning stuff away and turned off the hose and went inside, when the whole world started spinning uncontrollably. Laid down for a while and got progressively worse. Wife called the rescue squad when I started to go into convulsions. Still shaky on the pins, but much better than a few days ago. Discovered that Ironman I am not! Short moral to the story is don't think you're hydrating yourself by drinking soda that contains caffein in it. It just makes it worse. Man, I never want to go through that again! :frown:

 

[Basil]

Well...just got home from hospital after two days of getting refilled with 6 liters if saline solution! Was out in the yard working on my boat bottom, cleaning off old algae, etc. in advance of putting it back in the water. Didn't realize how hot it was, drinking Coke, and concentrating on getting finished, which I did, thankfully. Anyway I put all the cleaning stuff away and turned off the hose and went inside, when the whole world started spinning uncontrollably. Laid down for a while and got progressively worse. Wife called the rescue squad when I started to go into convulsions. Still shaky on the pins, but much better than a few days ago. Discovered that Ironman I am not! Short moral to the story is don't think you're hydrating yourself by drinking soda that contains caffein in it. It just makes it worse. Man, I never want to go through that again! :frown:

Glad you're getting better! I only drink water when I'm out working in the yard on a hot day! Beer is not good either!

 

[aeronca65t]

Whoa! Glad you're OK Bob.

My Missus gives me a bottle of water everytime I go somewhere. As a result, I have several stashed (unused) in my van. The other day I was mowing the lawn at the lake house and realized I was very hot and hadn't drank anything in a while.
So I sat down and drank two bottles of water.....guess I was thirsty!
Then just sat for another 1/2 hour just to make sure I was OK.

Yeah, I'm not Ironman either!

 

[70herald]

Glad your feeling better.

Just one little point about water. If you are becoming dehydrated already, water on its own is not enough, you need a "reinforced" mixture with salts in it which help the body absorb the water.

 

[PAUL161]

It's funny how heat exhaustion can happen and it is very serious! One of our large farm tractors has an air conditioned cab, the wife was mowing a hay field a couple years ago, after a couple hours, she pulled up to the barn, shut the tractor off and collapsed over the steering wheel! Thank goodness it didn't happen when she was moving! I was there and immediately called the E squad. They took her to the hospital and she was put on a saline drip for around 10 hours. Brought her home the next day. Temp was in the mid 90s, but she was in an air conditioned cab, very cool, but evidently was dehydrated before getting in the cab. Hard to imagine how much of this stuff they pumped into her. So you never know. Very scary, thank God she came out of it OK. Water, we are never with out it anymore! PJ

 

[rkep01]

Glad your feeling better.

Just one little point about water. If you are becoming dehydrated already, water on its own is not enough, you need a "reinforced" mixture with salts in it which help the body absorb the water.

I know what you mean. Back in the olden times, when I was in basic training at Lackland, we had to carry salt tabs along with our canteens. Now, with the multitude of "sports drinks", I don't think the salt tabs are much in use any more. That being said, I have laid in a good supply of G2 sport drink for when I need to do any work outdoors in any weather. Once burned, twice wise. :blush:

 

[GBRandy]

Glad you are OK. I have been close to where you went....but never that deep.

I am a diet coke fan but I keep the low calorie G2 around for just this reason.

WAIT! Does beer have caffeine?

 

[DrEntropy]

No worries, Randy. The FACTS are IN!

:laugh:

...and there's a porkchop in every can!

 

[rkep01]

Well...that settles it for me!

 

[rick_ingram]

Caffeine also works as a diuretic by increasing the Glomerular Filtration Rate in the kidneys.

Alcohol works as a diuretic by inhibiting Antidiuretic Hormone in your body.

Therefore drinks containing either is a NOT good idea to use for fluid replacement on hot days.

Good old H2O is best.

(I read the article posted above....it is rather incorrect.)

 

[aeronca65t]

I'd trust Rick.....he's got the professional background on this subject.

 

[GregW]

Caffeine also works as a diuretic by increasing the Glomerular Filtration Rate in the kidneys.

Alcohol works as a diuretic by inhibiting Antidiuretic Hormone in your body.

So would an Irish coffee be bad?

 

[rick_ingram]

Caffeine also works as a diuretic by increasing the Glomerular Filtration Rate in the kidneys.

Alcohol works as a diuretic by inhibiting Antidiuretic Hormone in your body.

So would an Irish coffee be bad?

Uh.....two wrongs certainly don't make a right.

 

[JamesWilson]

Irsih Coffee?

Long Island Iced Tea would be more cooling....

 

[GregW]

Two more James and we can have one for each season. Though I don't recall Long Islands having any actual caffeine in them.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Caffeine also works as a diuretic by increasing the Glomerular Filtration Rate in the kidneys.

Alcohol works as a diuretic by inhibiting Antidiuretic Hormone in your body.

So would an Irish coffee be bad?

Uh.....two wrongs certainly don't make a right.

Yeah, but how come two negatives make a positive? :confuse:

 

[rlwhitetr3b]

Mickey,

That does not add up! The questions keep multiplying.

 

[JPSmit]

Caffeine also works as a diuretic by increasing the Glomerular Filtration Rate in the kidneys.

Alcohol works as a diuretic by inhibiting Antidiuretic Hormone in your body.

So would an Irish coffee be bad?

Uh.....two wrongs certainly don't make a right.

no but three lefts do

 

[rick_ingram]

Mickey,

That does not add up! The questions keep multiplying.

Good seeing you at the Power Tour in Champaign yesterday, Rich!