For our newest family members who have recently been diagnosed with MS I thought it might be a good idea to go over heat intolerance and sun safety tips for the summer. Even us MS veterans who deal with heat intolerance can probably benefit from a refresher course here. I am well aware of my body's response to heat. It drains me very quickly and makes me feel all wrung out so to speak but sometimes I still choose to ignore the heat!. As the temperature starts to rise to the upper eighties and beyond 🌡we really need to think about being aware of heat sensitivities that MS can bring on. Feel free to add to this list if I miss any tips or if my tips are not clear enough ask questions or state them in a clearer format. So here goes:
* The safest time to be outdoors of courses is in the early mornings and late evenings. Middays are the times that the heat gets to us the quickest. So avoid being out for any prolonged periods of time especially if you are doing any type of physical activity.
* Stay out of the direct sun as much as possible. You don't want to sunburn because that will dehydrate you quicker. The burn actually pulls moisture from your body. So slather on the sunscreen at least 20 minutes before you go out and repeat it every 2 hours. Make sure the sunscreen you use is at least 30 SPF. That will provide you more sun protection than the lower SPF's sunscreen. And stay in the shade as much as possible.
* Don't be afraid to get out the big floppy hats. Provide your head and neck with as much shade as possible especially if you are forced to be out in the direct sun.
* Stay away from tight fitting clothes. Make sure your clothes are loose and allows air to get to your body. Don't layer in the summer if you can help it. Let your body breathe as much as possible. In the summer Under Armour is not your friend. It might pull the moisture away from your body but it adds an extra layer and that stops air flow up next to your body. Remember sweating is our body's way of helping itself cool down.
* if you have them pull out your cooling vest. They do provide an extra measure of protection. If you don't have a cooling vest get a cooling neckerchief. These you can soak in cold water or ice water and put around your neck to help keep the major veins in your neck cool. Cooling neckerchiefs are now sold by Major retailers and can usually be found at checkout lines in many stores. If they're not in the checkout line look for them back in your camping and outdoor supply area. It's amazing how simply keeping the blood in your major neck veins that are close the surface cool with the neckerchief will actually help to keep your entire body cooler. On extremely warm days you might need to refresh and rinse out the neckerchief every 10 minutes if the neckerchief becomes warm around your neck.
* Remember to hydrate hydrate hydrate. Keep water with you at all times on warm days when you're outside. And don't be afraid to drink it continually. Having a cold beer or two might taste good on those hot dats, but stay away from alcohol. It actually causes your body to dehydrate faster. So do not be tempted to indulge while you're working outside or outside on those hot summer days. Water or Gatoraid type products will be your body's best defense against the Heat. Heat Strokes can be caused by your body being over heated and dehydrated.
* Know the signs of heat stroke. Monitor your body for possible heat stroke symptoms when you get extremely overheated. Your best defense is to make sure you stay hydrated. When you know your body is reaching its limit find shade and or air conditioning and find it fast. When your body stops sweating, your skin gets clammy, you feel faint or lightheaded, or possibly nauseous, body temperature rises to over a hundred and five degrees, your heartbeat accelerates, you get a sense of disorientation or confusion, you develop a throbbing intense headache, you develop a seizure, or exhaustion hits an extreme level and you have any or all of the symptoms listed above take the precautions that you are possibly having a heat stroke! A heat stroke is a medical emergency and can cause serious damage or even death if not treated quickly. So, stop whatever you're doing and seek medical assistance. Do not take it lightly.
* Another fun way to help your body cool down is to have the small freezer pops readily available on those hot hot summer days. And every hour or so grab an ice cold frozen freezer pop to help cool down your body internally. Don't substitute that for water but you can have the freezer Pops in addition to water. If nothing else they're ice cold and good to put up alongside your forehead and cheeks to feel cooler.
* You also need to avoid caffeine when the temperatures soar. Caffeine is another substance that can cause your body to dehydrate quicker.
Please again, add to the list anything that I have missed. I hope this helps and I hope despite our MS and the heat intolerance it can cause, we all have a safe and fun summer. Have a great Memorial Day! I'll be thinking of you all while we boat Sunday and Monday. Hello summer I've been waiting for you a long long time!🚤
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