Tips for heat-stroke risk?

[nu2dis]

My husband cant sweat and he doesn't really *feel* hot until he is very over heated. Its due to a spinal cord injury mixed with medications he takes. This makes him at very increased risk for heat stroke. We are going to WDW in June and I am looking for tips and products that will help him avoid getting heat stroke. He usually just throws water on his face and we do our best to stay out of the sun, but I imagine it might be even more difficult at WDW in the summer.

Also looking for tips about dehydration risk? I have a stomach condition and I cant drink very quickly. If I get 64 ounces a day, how much should I increase this to keep up with the demands of WDW touring?

Thanks!

 

[richmo]

Wow, I don't know if I'd pick June as the time to go to WDW with heat related pre-existing conditions.

What will work in your favor a little is that I see you're from Houston, so you'll be used to the heat. My recommendations would be the obvious: try to do most of your outdoor park activity in the morning, take a long afternoon break, then head back late afternoon or early evening. The good thing about going in summer is the park hours often go well into the night.

But, keep in mind that even at night it can be quite hot in the parks, so be prepared. You should actually hope for days when the thunderstorms come thru, because sometimes it will cool off (although sometimes they make it worse). Drink lots of water. If you're feeling overheated, do some shopping, or learn where the "baby care centers" are. They'll have a nurse and a quiet and cool place to sit if you need it.

 

[nu2dis]

yeah, June wasnt my first choice, but it was the only month we could do. And being from Houston, we are used to the heat, although I am thinking it might be heat like no other in WDW. I have our days planned fairly relaxed, so we will do our touring and leave by noon and then back around dinner time. This will work well with our young ones too (we have a 2 and 3 year old). We have lots of free time planned because hubby and I like relaxing on vacation. And we are staying at the beach club villas, so transportation should be somewhat easier then if we were off site.

 

[Tiggerish]

Have you considered a cooling vest? Many people with MS use them because we are very sensitive to over heating.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Make sure that you always have water bottles so you can take regular sips. A refillable bottle that has a straw sticking out as opposed to the disposable bottles (like Dasani) might make you more likely to sip regularly. You might also find that sipping Pedialyte instead of always water will help as well. This is often recommended for people with digestive problems who are prone to dehydration. It doesn't have the sugar found in Gatoraide but it does have the benefits of electrolyte balancing.

If your husband finds that splashing water on his face is helpful then a misting fan would probably be a HUGE help to him. He can mist himself almost constantly during the worst heat. He can even let the kids have one each and encourage them constantly "surprise" him with sprays when outdoors.

Your plan of taking breaks in the middle of the day every day really will help a lot as well.

 

[NotUrsula]

I have much the same condition, only with me I was just born that way. I sweat VERY little, and can go down in the blink of an eye when I reach my limit. The heat and humidity of growing up in South Louisiana were a constant challenge to me, but WDW *still* got me with heat exhaustion the first few times I went in summer.

It took me several visits to get my WDW routine down, but I now have a system that works pretty well for me.

Clothing, etc.:
-A good sunhat is a must. I wear a Vineyard Haven from Watership Trading.
-Sunglasses at all times when outdoors in daylight; this wards off headaches. Wear them on a string so that you don't have to put them away when not on your face.
-Misting fan. Get a good one (I like the ones from O2Cool.) Fill it with ice when you pass a drink vendor's bin; they will let you take it for non-potable uses, and you won't have to stand in line.
-Light-colored clothing. Forget the black and navy and wear nothing darker than khaki. Wicking fibers will evaporate off water that you pour/spray on yourself, cooling you down fairly quickly. Cotton knit just gets sodden, especially underwear -- invest in some sport underwear.
-Water sandals. These let you wade into the fountains and cool off with the kiddies. I also found that the amount of concrete in the parks makes the area just above ground quite hot, so keeping my feet/legs cooler was very helpful.
-Cloth diapers. (I know, but try not to laugh). It doesn't HAVE to be diapers (can be washcloths or just pieces of cloth), but I've found they work better than anything else for the purpose. I buy a pack of plain birdseye flat cloth diapers, and carry a few of them in a gallon-ziploc in my bag. They are super-absorbent, thin enough to tie in a knot, and fairly large. If I feel myself getting into trouble, I have DH go to any vendor and fill the bag with ice, then soak the diapers in ice water to apply to my pulse points. I can tie them on at the elbow or on my neck if I need to.

Behaviors:
-Stay onsite and Park-hop. Go to the first park to open in the morning, and try to leave by 11:30. Stay indoors or in a pool until about 4:30 pm, when it's fairly safe to head back to a park, then stay until late closing. Take advantage of EMH to get as much night park time as you can.
-Make it a point to walk on the shady side of the street, and cut through shops when possible.
-Drink a LOT of water (which kind of goes without saying.) Add in a sport drink in the middle of the day if you're feeling down. Eat some fresh fruit, too.
-Eat VERY frequently, about once an hour, and carry around protein snacks. (I find that nuts with a slightly sweet glaze work really well as an emergency snack.) Be sure to eat protein at breakfast and go easy on the carbs.
-Use a lot of the strongest barrier-type sunscreen you can get. The spray works best for me. On a hot day I put it on any time I feel my exposed skin getting noticeably warm, which is normally about once an hour. (Those of you who sweat normally probably don't feel this much, but people like me literally begin to feel like we are on a griddle when direct subtropical sun hits our skin for more than about 10 minutes.) I like the Bullfrog formulas that contain Titanium dioxide. Higher SPF than 30 doesn't really do much better in warding off sunburn, but my personal experience is that it does help with keeping your skin temp down, so I like to use 50+.

Lastly, don't hesitate to call First Aid if he starts looking pale or acting confused at all. Have him sit and cool his pulse points while you wait. Any CM can call First Aid for you; just grab the first one you see.

 

[bookwormde]

You have gotten lots of great ideas from PPs about how the lessen the impact of the Florida heat, so using as many of them as practical would be good (we use a lot of them as a standard matter of course for making WDW more enjoyable in the heat).

It is interesting, for people who have reduced sweat output or do not sweat at all dehydration is actually less of a problem, unfortunately since they lack this cooling mechanism rises and core body temperature are often much more rapid and frequent and this is the core cause of the most series heat injuries. It is still important to hydrated but if his rise in core body temperature does not have the early onset indicators you may want to monitor his body temperature even if only peripherally from a digital ear thermometer.

For you just having a bottle to sip on all the time, is the most helpful thing in addition to the adjustment to your “touring style” that have been recommended above

We have started doing this regularly during emergency operations where we are wearing our full firefighting gear in warmer weather since with it on, evaporation cooling is significantly reduced. After one “bottle” (SCBA bottle) vitals are monitored and body temperature is taken and until they return to standard level no more exertion is allowed. This has greatly reduced the cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke that we see.

bookwormde

 

[nu2dis]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the really helpful answers. We will for sure be putting these in practice

 

[cclovesdis]

Make sure that you always have water bottles so you can take regular sips. A refillable bottle that has a straw sticking out as opposed to the disposable bottles (like Dasani) might make you more likely to sip regularly. You might also find that sipping Pedialyte instead of always water will help as well. This is often recommended for people with digestive problems who are prone to dehydration. It doesn't have the sugar found in Gatoraide but it does have the benefits of electrolyte balancing.

If your husband finds that splashing water on his face is helpful then a misting fan would probably be a HUGE help to him. He can mist himself almost constantly during the worst heat. He can even let the kids have one each and encourage them constantly "surprise" him with sprays when outdoors.

Your plan of taking breaks in the middle of the day every day really will help a lot as well.

I've also been able to find electrolyte enhanced water at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. It's calorie free but has the electrolytes. Not sure if you are driving or flying, but if you are driving and can find it, it might be worth it to take along.

Also, I am on a medication that comes with a "Avoid prolonged exposure to artificial or natural sunlight" warning. I mentioned this to a CM and was told I could get a GAC. I opted against it, but it might be a good idea for you. Best of luck!

 

[LauraVV]

My husband cant sweat and he doesn't really *feel* hot until he is very over heated.

Wow, I have dysautonomia with a 90% loss of sweating ability. I'd not go to Disney in June due to risk of overheating. A couple of things if you've already booked the trip. You can get a cooling vest for your hubby. I almost always feel cold. Even when overheated I don't "feel" hot. I nearly had a problem one day last summer and I just had a sense of impending doom. If I'd not heeded that, I'd likely have been in big trouble. After that feeling I was out of commission the rest of the day.

My neuro suggested that I really need to take salt tabs (thermotabs) when the temp is over 70 degrees. You might want to ask your hubby's docs about those things. Otherwise, I'd ask the MD for advice. I'd also ask about a GAC so that any wait times can be out of the sun as much as possible.

 

[maryserv]

My husband cant sweat and he doesn't really *feel* hot until he is very over heated. Its due to a spinal cord injury mixed with medications he takes. This makes him at very increased risk for heat stroke. We are going to WDW in June and I am looking for tips and products that will help him avoid getting heat stroke. He usually just throws water on his face and we do our best to stay out of the sun, but I imagine it might be even more difficult at WDW in the summer.

Also looking for tips about dehydration risk? I have a stomach condition and I cant drink very quickly. If I get 64 ounces a day, how much should I increase this to keep up with the demands of WDW touring?

Thanks!

I too am from Houston, and when that first 80 degree day hit and all my energy died (I have MS) I truly thought about cancelling our May trip or sending my DH and DS without me. I want to echo the suggestion of the poster that mentioned the cooling vest. Absolutely. My doc prescribed one, and I was able to get one through a grant from MSAA. I practiced with it at home doing some gardening. They make a difference. Get one that comes with ice packs, and get "double-ice" if you can. They must be frozen to start with to keep the greatest cooling. When you get to a park, have your ice packs in a collapsible cooler (can't take hard ones to the parks). Head straight to the First Aid in the park and ask them to store one set of packs in the freezer for you along with the cooler (they will fill out a form with your info on it). After the packs have lost their cooling power (it has been about 4 hours on this trip), go back and switch out your packs. Don't forget to stop by on your way out of the park to get all your stuff.

There are also neck wrap and wrist wraps that use the same technology. Search online for "cooling vest" and you will get a lot of items. Evaporative cooling WILL NOT WORK for him, because Houston is humid and Orlando is humid.

Someone else suggested the O2 Fan I think. I have one too, and it has worked well. PM me if you have greater questions or need sources; I have a list of vest companies the MS Society emailed me when I started looking.

Best wishes!