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Here, in southern Kentucky it's hot, typically from the end of March through the 1st of November it’s in the 80’s and from June to September most days are going to be in the 90’s with heat indexes of 105 degrees and of course we will have 30 days or so in there when the temp will be above 100 degrees. Very, very humid here, to top it off. We live in a valley that catches some nice southern breezes and if you can keep in the shade you will be OK. Unfortunately, running a homestead that is not always possible.

I first of all want to say that I am not a doctor, not a nurse or anything close to a medical professional, I don’t even play one on TV! These are my personal beliefs and what has worked for me. This should not replace seeking a doctor’s advice if you feel you have heat stroke, go to the hospital!

I had the unfortunate experience of getting heat / sun stroke back in the 80’s when I was training in the Marine Corp at 29 Palms (in the middle of the desert). It knocked me out of things for a day and then I was back at it again. The thing is once you have had heat stroke, it is much easier to get it a second time, then a third and so on. The older you get, the easier you fall prey to it.

The biggest thing for me... is to understand what is happening and how to control it, the worst thing you can do is freak out! Stay in control and take action…..

Heat Stroke Can Kill you!

I was out mowing last Thursday, it was around 4 in the afternoon the temp was in the mid 90’s heat index around 105 degrees. I drank plenty of water earlier in the day and I should have been ready to go. I needed to get the mowing done, it had been wet for two weeks, mowing is impossible on these hills when it is wet and the grass was tall and thick. It was supposed to rain later that evening, so you can see I had plenty of reasons to get it done.

I started to notice the signs of the impending heat stroke, I only had a half-hour to go, needed to get it done! So stupidly, I pushed myself, I did get the mowing done but I am still paying for my stupidity even today, four days later.

I will list the complete major signs in a bit, but the first thing I noticed was I stopped sweating and my mouth was dry. Five minutes later my head started pounding with pressure above my eyes and back of my neck. By the time I was done, I was nauseated, dizzy, experiencing huge blood pressure swings and to top it off I got a Ocular Migraine, oh what fun.

So, I drank four quarts of water over a period of three or four hours, anddrank some pickle juice (this is very helpful in my opinion). It was time for bed so when laid down, my lungs started filling up with fluids, so back up I was, it wasn’t a good night!

So, let’s look at all the major symptoms of heat / sun stroke:

Throbbing headache
Nausea & Vomiting
Dizziness
You stop sweating / dry skin
Rapid Heart Rate
Confusion / disorientation
And finally, loss of consciousness

What to do, first of all if you lose consciousness hopefully someone will call an ambulance and get you to a hospital. If don’t want to go to the hospital, (in our case to get to a trauma unit is by helicopter) place cool wet towels on your neck, back and chest, you need to cool your body down. Change out the towels as they get warm, I would not cover yourself in ice, it would be a shock to your system and could go very wrong. Take a room temp shower if you can stand up for that long. If you have pool get in it, again if you can stand up!

Drink some water, your goal should be a gallon, but not all at once, get a quart in you right away, then sip after that, your body can only absorb so much at a time. If you drink too much too fast you will only end up vomiting. You probably won’t find any doctor to tell you this but force yourself after an hour or so to drink a couple cups of pickle juice, the old-timers around her swear by it and I can say it works for me! Gatorade will work or try some apple cider vinegar diluted in water. If you have some hay-makers punch on hand substitute a quart of that for a quart of water.

Don’t lay down, in most cases your lungs will fill with fluid, sit in a recliner with your ,head no lower than 45 degrees. Get some rest, take some headache medicine and say a prayer!

Remember once you have had heat stroke, it comes back twice as fast and twice as strong the next time, be careful!

Again, this is just my opinion, if you guys have had the same experience let us know how you took care of yourself!

Thanks for checking in we will see yawl next time!

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