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Heat stroke?

The Griff

The Griff

High drag, low speed
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Hey guys, around 2:30 today I was at the junkyard, getting some west coast mirrors for my F250, It was probably 95 degrees out, I didn't have a socket set with me so I was using vice-grips (keep your whining to yourselves) It took me about 45 minutes to get one off without any WD-40 or PB. About halfway through getting the second mirror off, and all of a sudden I felt light headed dizzy, and extremely tired. So I stumbled over to a half ton chevy with no doors and fell into the seat, I had to sit there for about an hour before I felt ok to get up.

I decided the mirrors weren't going anywere and called it a day.


What happened? I am a bigger guy, 6'1 and 300 LBs, but I never had anything like this happen before.
 
Sounds like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Been in the military for 13 years so I've seen it many times. In short, heat exhaustion/stress can cause profuse sweating, dizzyness etc. Heat STROKE is much worse - rapid heart rate, nausea/vomiting, DRY skin, unconsciousness, and can actually be fatal. Nothing to mess with, my friend.

If it was true heat stroke, you were lucky to walk away - especially if you were alone. If you're going to be out in the sun, you've gotta make sure you're hydrated (water) and have electrolytes (gatorade, etc). Most people walk around dehydrated all the time, they just don't realize it. If you're truly hydrated, you're drinking a LOT of water and your pee is almost clear.

Now the bad news - once you've had a heat injury, you'll always be susceptible to getting another one. Be mindful of this.
 
You were probably dehydrated or if you had not eaten your sugar level took a crap. The later happens to me in the summer since I am boarder line Diabetic.
 
If you are that heavy, are you on blood pressure meds?
There are several of them that will cause that under those conditions.
Heat exhaustion will do it too, but if you are on the meds, see your doctor, and/or get a BP cuff and learn how to use it.

I decided to lose some weight. Lost about 80-100 lbs, and started needing less BP meds.
Trouble was, my doctor did not believe me. I would be in the sun for a while, and start getting dizzy. Sometimes my vision would close in until it was full on tunnel vision.
Lowest BP I saw was 40/10. I think it went lower a few times, but I was too weak to check it.
Finally bought a recording cuff, and took a set of readings in to the doc. Idiot wanted to put me in the hospital.
Convinced him to just adjust my meds, and I am doing a lot better. But I still have to watch out in the full Fl. sun.
 
I agree with the guys above. I'm 6'1" and 270. I've got heat exhaustion a few times over the years just completely overworking myself in the sun. It definately sucks and you really gotta be careful. I know junkyard around here no one really pays much attention to anyone else. Wouldn't make for a good day.
 
Since I work outside on a roof in the summer, or skinning running boilers in power plants, I am more conditioned to heat and the like. This is heat exhaustion, sitting down and drinking some water, maybe nibbling on some food and you will feel much better. Heat stroke you 9 out of 10 times will not walk away from. That is way past red zone.

I am only 26, but I was a heavy heavy alcoholic for a few years after some bad times. My blood pressure was through the roof, higher than my 60yr old fathers, and he has heart problems. They wanted me to take the pills and the like, I just ended up really putting the brakes on drinking, using water instead of soda, and laying off the crap food. Luckily Im ok.
 
drink tons of water next bro time, get some rest too! if it keeps happening, see a doc. im really big too, we have to drink even more water than the avg person.
 
how old are you? 35 & up your entering heart attack territory...had a physical lately?

For me, the first hot days of the season are brutal, but once I get acclimated I do fine.
 
Best and first indication is you will stop sweating. Then you know for a fact your getting into the red zone.
 
Sounds like heat exhaustion. If it was heat stroke and no one was around tou are lucky you're alive. The stroke would be your body shutting down bfore you're dead. I drink at least a half gallon of water most days. The army made me a water freek. Haha. When working hard in the sun you have to Double the normal intake Of Water to protect the body's abuility to Cool itself. Being a bigger guy makes it even more of a challenge to keep Hydrated. Gatorade is sometimes not good either because the extra sugars. We were told While in the field is if We drank Gatorade to Delute it 50/50 to still get the waters benifits.
 
rebelgregory said:
Sounds like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Been in the military for 13 years so I've seen it many times. In short, heat exhaustion/stress can cause profuse sweating, dizzyness etc. Heat STROKE is much worse - rapid heart rate, nausea/vomiting, DRY skin, unconsciousness, and can actually be fatal. Nothing to mess with, my friend.

If it was true heat stroke, you were lucky to walk away - especially if you were alone. If you're going to be out in the sun, you've gotta make sure you're hydrated (water) and have electrolytes (gatorade, etc). Most people walk around dehydrated all the time, they just don't realize it. If you're truly hydrated, you're drinking a LOT of water and your pee is almost clear.

Now the bad news - once you've had a heat injury, you'll always be susceptible to getting another one. Be mindful of this.
Click to expand...

X2 spent 10 years digging ditches under the Phoenix sun as a Construction Worker. Seen plenty of guys fall out from the sun. 3 types of heat related illness

1. heat sickness... thirsty, sweat, out of breath, lathargic
2. heat exhaustion... sweating profusly, short of breath, skin hot to the touch, dizzy
3. heat stroke... stop sweating, skin is hot to the touch, confusion, loss of conscienceness.

Sounds like you hit heat exhaustion.
 
I did the same thing once, after the 4th time realizing I kept tightening a bolt when I started out loosening I saw that I'd been in that spot for over an hour. It was a 95 degree day but in the middle of all that metal on the top of a hill it had to be about 105. Worst thing is I should have known better....I did blacktop for 5 years and knew the dangers! IF you MUST work out in the heat drink lemonade or something with lemon or lime juice( REAL juice not fake flavored), wear some kind of thin headgear and above all When you STOP sweating GET INTO THE SHADE! People claim that pouring cold water on your head is bad but it stopped Heat Stroke countless times for me when I was paving. Be careful man HEAT KILLS!!
 
I've been there before...cutting tree limbs in 100 degrees...dragging them to the street...
Got to feeling weak...sweating profusely...then freezing cold...then salt crusted on my arms and I was dry...I started seeing black spots and was about to pass out.
I was home alone but I ran inside wet a towel and put it around my neck and turned on the air conditioner and put my face in it and breathed in the cool air.

I have had nearly 3 other episodes like that since then...the last time was when I was running wire in the attic and it was at least 115 or 120 up there...I thought I could quickly get in and throw the wire and be out...I sweated out in less than 10 minutes and almost passed out up there...once again...alone up there...would have died for sure if I had passed out.

I cannot tolerate the heat anymore...it doesn't take much for me to get heat sick...
 
Another thing with that, if you know you're going to be sweating balls, you need to start hydrating before. Not an hour before or that morning, like a day or two. But of course we can't all plan each and every day.
 
Chief Brody said:
I cannot tolerate the heat anymore...it doesn't take much for me to get heat sick...
Click to expand...

These things build. Once you've had heat exhaustion/stroke, you're more prone in the future.

By the way, it was not heat stroke. You do not recover from heat stroke on your own. Between 80 ad 90 percent of people with heat stroke die, and the few that live are fortunate enough to have medical treatment minutes away.

Heat stress/exhaustion is much more likely, but even heat exhaustion is nothing to mess with. A lot of times that's going to need some sort of medical intervention, too. Simply not having drank enough water (or having drank too much coffee that morning or beer the night before) and not having eaten enough could do it too.
 
Everyone I know that is 300 pounds is borderline dehydrated on a regular basis because they sweat their ass off all the time even in the A/C. Plus the crappy food they eat also keeps them dehydrated, not to mention soda

Can't imagine eating like that a working in the heat
 
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