Soooo I know it’s not officially summer yet, but it sure has felt like it lately. I enjoy warm weather and I can even stand hot weather but sometimes it’s just too darn hot outside and even unsafe. The nurse in me often thinks about things that most may not, for instance when Josh was in France living by himself I made sure he knew how to give himself the Heimlich Maneuver incase he choked… real talk.
The heat and me running outside in it got me thinking about the fact that it’s important for everyone, especially those who spend a good bit of time outside to understand the different heat illnesses and how you can help yourself or someone else who may be affected. So I’ll briefly go over the three illnesses that you may see and how you can help manage these illnesses!
Heat Cramps
These feel like normal cramps that you may or may not have experienced before, but are exacerbated by prolonged exposure to heat. They usually occur in the legs and or abdomen. If you or someone else is experiencing heat cramps, get into a cooler place, a building with air conditioning is ideal but under trees or a shady area will do if you’re not near shelter. Do some light stretching and massage on the affected area, drink some sort of electrolyte drink, water will do if it’s available but avoid salt tablets; they won’t help!
Heat Exhaustion
This is where things start to get a little more serious, and usually affects those doing more strenuous activity or who are exposed to the heat for a longer period of time. Signs include: cool, moist, pale or flushed skin, feeling nauseated, dizzy, a headache, or feeling weak. You should get yourself or move the person to a cool area immediately and loosen or remove as much clothing as possible and begin to apply cold towels or cloths to the person. If the affected person is still conscious begin to take in small amounts of a sports drink or fruit juice if available. Milk or water can be used if neither of the aforementioned beverages are available. The Red Cross recommends ingesting 4 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes. If the status of the affected person does not improve, he or she begins to refuse drinks, vomits, or loses consciousness call 911 right away.
Heat Stroke
This is a very serious and life-threatening condition that can hopefully be prevented by taking proper precautions when outdoors and recognizing signs of heat cramps and exhaustion. Heat stroke occurs when the body becomes too hot and the organs begin to lose function. Signs of heat stroke are: extremely hot, red skin that may be dry or moist, a rapid, weak or “thready” pulse, rapid shallow breathing, altered consciousness or loss of consciousness, confusion, vomiting, and or seizures. If you notice any of these symptoms call 911 IMMEDIATELY. If you can you should then put the affected person in cold water up to their neck or continually spray or dump cold water on them. If you cannot immerse the person in a tub of water or don’t have access to large quantities of water, using ice-cold, wet towels to cover their body is perfectly acceptable, just rotate them over the person’s body and continue to re-wet them. You could also cover the person with bags of ice if that much ice is available. After trying one of these interventions it is best to check their temperature to see if it has decreased, but if you don’t have access to a thermometer continue one of the above methods for 20 minutes, until help arises, or their condition improves.
If you are by yourself and feel that you are coming down with heat exhaustion or heat stroke call 911 IMMEDIATELY so you can get help as soon as possible. Prevention is another key element in making sure that you or someone you know doesn’t end up with one of these illnesses. Keep an eye on your local forecast, if you see extremely hot temperatures in the forecast prepare beforehand. Drink water even when you’re not thirsty (don’t chug it like that woman did for that radio contest) but if you wait until you’re thirsty, it’s too late! Limit your activities to indoors and only go out if you need to. Participate in activities that are not strenuous. If you have pets bring them indoors and make sure they have enough cool water to drink. Check in on those that are elderly and live by themselves or those with small children or no access to air conditioning and make sure they have water and a cool place to be.
This post was not meant to scare but to prepare you incase you should come upon someone affected by one of these heat illnesses or you yourself are affected. I’m a big fan of educating others and feel that it’s part of my duty as a nurse! I hope these tips helped, and if you want more information on heat illnesses or other disaster preparedness information visit http://www.redcross.org/prepare, for great articles and check lists that can help you and your family and friends be prepared!
Thanks for reading and have a fun and safe summer!
RunNurseWorld 