Heat exhaustion: What to drink?

[ErinP]

Gatorade is 35 miles away.

DH just came home feeling woozy, light headed, cool and clammy to the touch. Heat exhaustion, I'm sure. He's finally getting to where he can keep a little water down, but I know I should try to talk him into some Gatorade or something before he falls asleep.

Any home made recipes out there?

[Bearfootfarm]

http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&safe=off&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=homemade+gatorade&spell=1
Google is your friend

[AngieM2]

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf733474.tip.html

And this from googling also.

Angie

[ladycat]

Do you have any V-8 juice, or even plain tomato juice? If you do, add a pinch of salt to a glassful.

If you don't have V-8, apple juice is a good source of electrolytes.

[wyld thang]

a banana (potassium) and potato chips (salt) my sister used to live in HOT africa and when they got this way it was eat a banana FIRST then water

[chickenista]

There was a study recently that showed that milk did a body better than Gatorade during dehydrating physical activity.
Also beer rehydrates quicker than Gatorade.. something about the carbonination.. over the long run and many beers, of course it dehydrates, but just one helps.

[culpeper]

WATER! Plenty of, followed by a trip to the hospital if symptoms get worse, or continue for too long.

Those 'sports drinks' might contain useful electroytes etc, but they also contain SALT, which will only add to the dehyrdration if too much is taken.

Dehyration means 'loss of water' so water is what needs to be replenished.

[homesteadforty]

Originally Posted by culpeper

WATER! Plenty of, followed by a trip to the hospital if symptoms get worse, or continue for too long.

Those 'sports drinks' might contain useful electroytes etc, but they also contain SALT, which will only add to the dehyrdration if too much is taken.

Dehyration means 'loss of water' so water is what needs to be replenished.

Actually, heat exhaustion is not just dehydration... it is also the loss of electrolyts, some of which are forms of salts. Both fluids and electrolytes need to be replaced.

But I heartily agree that if symptoms persist or get worse go to hospital or doctor.

[ErinP]

Yeah guys... I already Googled.
I was hoping for a tried and true recipe. (Since even store-bought Gatorade can be pretty nasty! lol)

In the interim though, I found/tried up this one:
* 5/8 c sugar
* 3/4 tsp Morton Lite salt
* 1 package of unsweetened Coolade mix (I used pink lemonade)
* Water to make 2 liters

It's pretty good, actually...

Thanks for all the suggestions!
'll try the banana as soon as he wakes up...
So far as hospital, keep in mind, culpeper, this was heat exhaustion, not heat stroke.
Since heat rarely bothers him, he had the good sense to realizes something was wrong, come inside, strip down and lay down in front of the A/C.
And the loss of salt (via sweat) is part of what causes the problem in the first place. There's a reason Gatorade adds the salt, afterall.... It sure ain't for taste.

[canfossi]

Take more than one banana, I think there is 350 mg of potassium in a banana. 1 baked potato has 1081 mg of potassium, 1 cup of raisins has Salty chips. Google "foods that are rich in potassium." Load up on Gatorade when you get a chance, I get the powder and mix it myself. I have to watch this very same thing with me and the heat. I can feel it coming on, when I start to get mild cramps in my hands then I know I've lost too many electrolites through sweating. It may take a couple of days for him to bring his electrolites back to normal. Chris

[canfossi]

Take more than one banana, I think there is 594 mg of potassium in a banana. 1 baked potato has 1081 mg of potassium, 1 cup of raisins has 1089 mg, also Salty chips. Load up on Gatorade when you get a chance, I get the powder and mix it myself. I have to watch this very same thing with me and the heat. I can feel it coming on, when I start to get mild cramps in my hands then I know I've lost too many electrolites through sweating. It may take a couple of days for him to bring his electrolites back to normal. Chris

[OkieDavid]

My first concern would be to cool him down....shower as cold as he can stand it. As he is showering he can "sip" a little from the shower. By the time he feels good enough to get out of the shower, then you can worry about replacing the salts/liquids. I've made do with ice water with a dash of salt many times.....Just go slow.

[Maura]

Never try to cool down with a cold shower. The shower should be warm, like a baby bath. Gradually add cold water. He only needs to cool down to normal body temp. Cold water will close the blood vessels on the skin's surface so the coolness will not go to the inside.

[Phantomfyre]

I dehydrate easily and don't deal well with heat - if I'm not careful, I have headaches and get very dizzy. I grab a jug of room temp water (easier to get down) and drink as much as I can, eat a banana if we have some (for potassium) and eat some potato chips (salt and potassium). I also try to stay where it's cool for a while and keep quiet, sipping water as I feel I can handle more of it. This is tried-and-true for me. Hope this helps!

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by OkieDavid

shower as cold as he can stand it.

Bad idea for heat exhaustion. That can trigger a heart attack.

[Danaus29]

My favorite heat exhaustion cure, iced tea with mint (sun brewed with real mint) sweetened with a bit of honey and sugar taken after eating a handful or 2 of roasted, salted cashews.

Too much water when you are dehydrated can cause hyponatremia.

[sewsilly]

I'm the first aid person for band camp in july in SC AND i am missing my colon, which automatically makes you continually borderline dehydrated. Dehydration is high on my 'hit list'.

Remove clothing, fan and cool wet clothes, water, alternating with gatorade (powdered kind (which lacks corn syrup) should be in every first aid pantry in the land) in sufficient quantity to make a quart every 45 minutes. This is continued until such time as urine is clear...

V8 is a very effective and fast rehydrator.

Someone other than the dehydrated person needs to decide on the status of things. For several hours.

Do NOT use anything with Alcohol or caffeine.

REmember the following:

Serious dehydration causes sleepiness, which can prevent the caretaker from evaluating other symptoms.
Dehydration can lead to shock, even in cases that do not seem extreme, so vigilance and care is advised.
Delay in proper treatment can cause permanent kidney damage.
Serious lack of potassium can lead to heart damage.

It is time to get professional help if the person can't make complete sentences, Is dizzy enough to be unable to walk normally, isn't able to urinate or has a fever after being out of the heat for 1 hour.

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by sewsilly

V8 is a very effective and fast rehydrator.

I knew that.

All of your advice is very good, BTW.

[ErinP]

Well I can safely report, he's fine now. He's now had the entire 2qt jug of "Gatorade", is still a little queasy in the stomach, but otherwise fine.
And he never did run a fever. That's why I started suspecting heat exhaustion, actually. He was complaining about being hot, but his skin was cool and clammy to the touch. Even underarm and groin area were cool... Really odd for someone who was claiming to be so hot.
Hmmmm....
"Just a second hon, I need to go Google the symptoms for heat exhaustion"

Sure enough. Textbook example.


What's really strange, though, is that he's never bothered by the heat. BUT, he's usually really diligent about drinking water.
Today was the first hot day we've had this year and he was just out putting out salt/mineral so was mostly just driving. After scratching our heads this afternoon, he finally decided that must have been it. He hadn't been as careful as usual about staying hydrated.

[Woodpecker]

Originally Posted by ladycat

I knew that.

All of your advice is very good, BTW.

i didn't. im going to have to get some even though i can't stand it.