Yesterday was a reminder and not in a nice way. Despite having thermometers and hygrometers in every room and several spots outdoors, yesterday I developed heat exhaustion to the point that around 0300hrs this morning I telephoned 111. I was pleasantly surprised when the person taking the call didn't tell me off for it being an 'unrelated to Covid' call, and bonus - she contacted my GP who contacted me first thing this morning to check on me.
I've had heat exhaustion several times - I know how to prevent it (I thought!) and how recognise it so it doesn't progress to heat stroke (which I've had twice). I won't go into the gory (no, really gory) details but I will say this: no matter how well prepared we are, things creep up on us and suddenly we're quite unwell.
Long story short, I should have been keeping a better eye on the digital temp-hygrometer and taking steps when the room temperature went to 24C (75.2) and the humidity hit 60% - my optimal is 22C (71F) with 50% humidity. I didn't keep that watchful eye and I paid dearly for it. I thought I was fine until I wasn't.
I'm on the clear liquids to BRAT diet the next few days (bananas, rice, apples, toast) with ice lollies figuring high on the menu to start. Fans and dehumidifiers are running full blast and cold compresses are in the freezer.
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Sunnie2day
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Goodness poor thing. I am not sure of the protocol on here but would love to email you on regular email and have a broader conversation given that you live in NE Scotland and my background as Laird of Camster Burn. If that is not possible then I fully understand Sunnie2day. I am very interested in your medical condition and would like an email chat if you are willing. Tks Ian
Oh Sunnie so sorry you must have had it much warmer than us my Mum would have called it close! here Stay cool and take it easy, I had heat stroke once we were in Botswana thought I was about to die! As you say it creeps up on us. I have had our blinds and curtains drawn. Doing what jobs need doing before 10am. Hope your feeling better soon.
Heat stroke is horrible, the first time landed me in hospital for a week. The second they cooled me in Emergency, watched me for eight hours after, then packed me off home with strict instructions to crank up the air conditioning, sit under a fan and eat ice lollies. We always had ice lollies in the freezer - something I'm seeing I need to do here now as well!
We lived there for 3 years in the 70s the boys were 6 months and 2 1/2 we came home ready for Craig to start school didn’t want him going to boarding school John was working on a copper mine so we were in the bush must admit it was an eye opener I had been born and brought up in a small village and never been anywhere. Made me grow up really quickly! Saw things I could believe!
Hope your feeling better very misty here today still a bit close did my ironing before 8 this morning and that’s me done for the day! You stay cool enjoy your ice lolly 👌
Hope you are feeling s bittie better today! It has been horribly hot the last couple of days- I woke up early this morning feeling ‘puddled’ - not typical N E Scottish weather at all! It’s just thick fog here now!
'Puddled' - spot-on! Sweltering is another good descriptive, my husband used that one last night to described what the house felt Thursday even with the fans going.
I think that's what surprised me, heat exhaustion just isn't what I expected to ever have to deal with in NE Scotland! Where we live, especially - the vale can be warm while we still have snowpack, it's usually considerably cooler up here than even two miles downhill.
Lesson taken - I will be much more alert to creeping heat and humidity now.
Hi. A bit cooler here in Ellon today. Hope your feeling better. I tend to stay awake as long as I can in the heat and drink lots of cold water. Having lived overseas in Asia for six years I can tolerate heat but understand your situation.
Oh no, poor you! Sounds dreadful. Ive felt very lethargic, under the weather & exhausted last coople of days & thought that was bad enough! I so hope you feel much better soon 🍡🍧
Hello Sunnie, I do sympathise and have been in the same humid boat down in Kent these last days. Heart rate shot up to 120+ but BP very low under 120. Fans going like crazy night and day and just feeling that years ago I coped better in the Gulf with high humidity and temperature in the 40's. Heat exhaustion hits us hearties very hard indeed. We know to take plenty of fluids and care in what we eat during these hard times but it can be quite frightening to handle especially at night time. Do take care, I know you will but thankfully the cooler days are coming again. And you have mad midges to contend with as well!!
I did think those heat exhaustion days were behind me when I retired home to NE Scotland. I think we're going to fit ceiling fans for the living room and bedroom - I seem to recall those being very helpful when living along the US Gulf of Mexico. Of course, we had central air conditioning as well, not sure AC is justified where I am now.
Midgies, those little wretches! I hung a load of washing on the line last week and brought the sneaky little demons in on the dried clothes, grrrrr!
Sunnie. Just back from golfing with a hearty friend and was discussing the problem with heat. He suffered badly but now uses a gel filled mat on top of his pillow. It reacts to pressure of you lying on it and omits a cool feeling. Not familiar myself with this but he swears by it.
I would research the pillows first Sunnie. Apparently they come with a warning to get medical advice first if you have diabetes or blood pressure issues. I was going to buy one for kevin but decided not to in the end.
I don't have diabetes or blood pressure issues but I think we're going to try ceiling fans for now. I have a phone visit with the GP set for Monday and will ask about the mats but again, I think we're going to give ceiling fans a go - LOL, my husband is having a wonderful time learning all he can about ceiling fans before actually making the purchase.
Good distraction for him so I'm keeping what I know to myself - what we need are 'low-profile turbo reversible' ones with light kits and he'll work that out with all the research and tape measuring he's doing
I used to have a reversing ceiling fan/light in my last house, albeit only in the kitchen. I thought it was brilliant, I'd have them here but our place is quite old with really low ceilings. Kevin is 6ft so I can see an accident happening! 🙄 🤕
LOL, my husband has just come through and measure the ceiling height He's muttering something about 'low-profile' so I know he's on the right track. He too is 6' and while our ceilings are a bit higher than in older homes, a drop light kit and blades could make things unpleasant.
I would love to have a ceiling fan in the kitchen - I had one in every US kitchen and those things are a marvel, I never even needed the extraction fan if the ceiling fan was spinning and the window was open a slight bit.
Oh dear. Hope you feel better soon. I’m sitting up on the bed in front of an open window and have windows open in the other rooms to create a draught. I felt unwell myself today. Stay cool.
I hope you're feeling a bit better today yourself, good thinking to have the windows open to create a draught. My husband did that Thursday when I took unwell and it dropped the temperature in the whole house rather nicely.
Cat wasn't happy to have to be in his crate but our neighbours keep hens and he goes for them at any chance taken. I think having to keep the windows only open to the first (closest) hook is what permitted the heat to build up indoors the other day. As soon as my husband crated the cat and opened the windows all the way, it became much more bearable in here!
It is cooling off a bit here, mercifully! Yesterday was tolerable and today is beginning even better. Still not feeling great, though, so it's another day of taking things slowly. Never thought I'd be glad to see a dull sky, though!
UPDATE: feeling a bit better today - yesterday was not great but today appears to be starting well.
Heat exhaustion is just not something I thought I'd ever have to cope with when I retired home to Scotland. Showed me, I know better now and will be more careful.
Thank-you all for the kind thoughts, commiserations, and tips
As long as I keep up the vocal exercise (reading aloud half hour daily), I do manage to keep most of my 'true' voice - but let that exercise slip even one day and my stupid voice goes all wobbly. I avoid telephone and video for that reason. I do a weekly Skype with the family in the US and have to really time it right or they're noticing extra wobble and go all threatening to come over to check on me in person I'd love to see them all but not owing to my health!
We live on 'high ground' but on my morning walk I went in full wellies to the edge of the bluff over the burn and was shocked to see how high it is today. I saw several of the homeowners putting sandbag dykes up along their properties (that are too close to the burn and routinely flood) - the men were all in hip waders.
If you do get a break from the rain, wellie up and be ready for the 'squelch' - coming back through the green I nearly lost a boot to the mud and water!
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I'd love to see them all but not owing to my health!
NHS kicking in to warp drive.
Scary experience with medication. 
Swollen leg 
