Heat Stroke

[lelapin]

One year ago I experienced heat stroke when exercising too much outdoors in hot conditions.

I was taken to a local hospital where I stayed in ICU for one night and had various tests.

When released I was told to take it easy for a while to recover and I read that it could  take up to 12 months to fully recover.

It is now 12 months later and although I am considerably better, when I am subjected to heat of about 32 degrees or more, I have to resort to cooling myself down with an ice pack or a handheld fan or I start to feel a little faint.

I am now 80, so is this a situation I must accept to live with or is it worth getting a medical review.

[Speedo1968]

I live outside a small market town south of Khon Kaen.
Following a stroke 5 years ago with complications ( almost total muscle loss ) once back to normal 3 months later I started road and exercise park walking at 4am, normally around 10km.     Again in the evening in the park, about 5km.      I am now, unfortunately only able to walk 2 - 5km due to being unable to replace muscle I loose during day to day activities.    I do do yoga floor exercises and general exercise at my home twice a day, with about one hour each evening walking a friends dogs.

Although from UK most of my working life, farming, has been in hot climates e.g. Middle East ( 50C in summer ), South America, Asia, Australia so I am used to hot / humid climates.    

 

This season hot humid windless air makes breathing difficult.

Ensure you keep cool, drink plenty of water, consider changes to your diet including things like coffee.
Don't keep your accommodation too cool, wear cotton clothes, cotton blankets.

Do see your doctor.

Take care.
 

[Sheryl]

it is quite normal for an 80 year old -- let alone one originally from a more temperate climate - to have difficulty coping with high temperatures.

 

You need to just live with it.

 

Make sure you stay properly hydrated at all times, and do so with  a balanced electrolyte solution on days when you are sweating for any reason.You can easily buy electrolyte sachets at any 7-11. Green coconut water, and the local orange and lemon juices made in a blender with added salt and sugar, are all good choices.

 

Do not exercise outdoors in hot weather. Exercise indoors, or else early morning/evening when it is not so hot. Stop frequently to drink - with electrolytes if you are sweating, otherwise  water.

[cooked]

Speaking as a runner, 73 years old, I never suffered heat stroke until I started running in Thailand. Solution: hydration, certainly, but electrolytes are the key. You lose a lot of salt while sweating, and if you drink water, you will sweat even more.

Nothing wrong with the old salt tablets that used to be available on building sites before it was decided that salt, and not sugar, was responsible for high blood pressure.