How does the heat affect you?

[gerhard1]

Oh DANG!! I'm glad he came by!!

Yes, indeed. Glad the gentleman is all right now.

 

[NikatKimber]

So an odd story…several years back I got hit with Viral Encephalitis and it pretty much reset my nervous system. It took about a year for my body to be able to regulate my body temperature again (among many other things). I’d get so hot in the winter that I was soaked head to toe in sweat, even sitting outside when it was near freezing. In the summer when it was hot, I could hardly go outside and if I did, I was exhausted for the rest of the day after just a short time. I “worked hard” trying to build up my heat tolerance again and am finally “back to normal” but that first year SUCKED.



("Viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus. Some viral diseases, such as measles and rubella, can also progress to involve inflammation of the brain. Other micro-organisms, such as bacteria, fungi and parasites, are capable of triggering encephalitis, but viruses – particularly the group known as enteroviruses – are the leading cause. Once inside the blood, the viruses migrate to the brain where they start to multiply.

The body notices the invasion and mounts an immune system response. This causes the brain to swell. The combination of infection and immune response creates the typical symptoms of viral encephalitis. The major risk from viral encephalitis is permanent brain damage. Children aged one year or less and adults aged 55 years and over are more vulnerable to life threatening complications")

Glad they caught it in time (if only just!)!

My brother was born with hydrocephalus, which is where the brain/neck cannot drain the fluid surrounding the brain. It builds up if not caught/treated and causes brain damage. Apparently sometimes it heals on its own, which is far more desirable. However, if it does not a shunt must be put in to allow drainage, asap. It was diagnosed early, but his birth mother did not follow up and it caused blindness, seizures, and mental retardation. The seizures eventually took him when he was 15. We learned how fragile the brain is; but also that it is capable of wonderful things.

 

[Glock 'em down]

I'm part polar bear, so y'all can only imagine how much I enjoy this time of year.

 

[John6185]

In my seventies and this heat exhausts me if I'm outside for any length of time. I've been in the garage working on a riding mower and finally got it running but I had a fan which didn't do a lot of good. One of the best things you can do for yourself if you have heat exhaustion symptoms is to lie on the ground and run a hose with cold water on your body to reduce the core tenperature,