100 degrees and knife shop

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Bill Burke

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I discovered yesterday that one hundred degree temps and knife shops don't really mix. I got really dizzy started sweating profusly and then puked for about an hour. I was considering the ER when I finally stopped and after a nap woke feeling better.
Has this happened to anyone else here?
 
Happened a couple of times when I've gotten really dehydrated. They're not kidding when they say drink lots of fluids when it's hot.
 
100 degree temps don't like anyone, Bill. It's been 95 to 100 in my tin box mobile home, in Boise, for the last 4 weeks...every day and night. Doesn't agree with me, even tho' I don't actually have to do chit. I know I don't have to tell your to Be careful around your machines and try to have someone check on you occasionally..
 
We were at the track for a 3-day-weekend last week. Friday was in the upper 90s and very humid. Pretty much spent the day from 7:00 am - 7:30 pm either outside, or in a car w/ a helmet on. Drank over 2 gallons of water and gatorade, and only had one beer in the early evening. Went to bed feeling fine and awoke at 2:00 am with a splitting headache; could not shake it or fall back to sleep. Back at the track Saturday morning w/ headache plus lightheadedness/ nausea. Went out once with my student and did not drive myself. Spent a large part of the day in a classroom building trying to recover. Did not feel better until Sunday morning, but after a few more hours outside the headache was back by lunch time. Packed it in an drove back home.

I really did my best to stay ahead of it last weekend, as I got my butt royally kicked last summer playing soccer in mid-90s temp, and drinking only a couple hard lemonades after the game (I finished my water at half time). It actually hit full-force right after I got home and my wife was concerned enough she called 911 and the local FD sent an ambulance and carted me off to the hospital to get fluids via IV. Not an experience I want to go through again, as my portion of the bills (after insurance paid their part) was still ~$1k. That money would have been much, much better served going towards the purchase of a nice custom knife... :D
 
Loss of salt will make you feel like crap also. When you perspire alot you lose salt as well as liquids. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much better I've felt after taking some salt on my tongue and digesting it. Works fast too.
 
Also, stop every few hrs and wet a towel. put it on the back of your neck. It helps with heat stroke, which I think you ended up having. (not medical advice, I could be talking out of my a@@)
 
That reminds me, running cold water on your wrists is also supposed to be a great for the heat.
 
Loss of salt will make you feel like crap also. When you perspire alot you lose salt as well as liquids. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much better I've felt after taking some salt on my tongue and digesting it. Works fast too.

I don't recommend this, but if I suspect a lot of salt loss, I immediately cook up at least as pound of bacon, and have several BLTs, in rapid succession..
 
As an added bonus, in hot weather it can be down quickly in the microwave. <g>
 
Ha Ha Great new post for national Bacon day. Bacon as a first aid treatment. I'm in might have to make up some choclate covered bacon just for emergencies.

I did do the cool rag on the head and back of my neck. also started drinking water slowly after I was done puking and the more as my tummy felt better. As buike hunter said it has been 97 a max of 113 here for the last three weeks. supposed to cool down here saturday. I have been being careful and trying to workin in the mornings but have a bunch of orders that I really feel like I need to get out so I was pushing it a little and paid the price. I didn't feel to bad today but as soon as it got over 90 I quit.
 
take it easy Bill..no sense taxing yourself in obscene conditions
patience is best observed by all
 
Many times. Behind the line during the hottest summer days its 120+ with 100% humidity do to pots of sauces and stocks, convection steamers ext. I keep iced towels around my neck to keep from passing out.
 
Boy, I feel for you guys, out here the shop heats up into the 90s in the afternoons and it's already umcomfortable, and it is not even close to the humidity you have on top of that. Still have a hard time to get myself into the shop right after work and need to wait until the evening for it to cool down a bit. Take care and stay safe, everyone!

Stefan
 
The only time I don't mind really hot weather is when I'm sitting by a pool or in front of the ocean.

Glad you recovered, Bill. Be careful!
 
Thanks everyone. I think that I am fine now just got to be a little more concious of what is happening. not much humidity here but that seems to dehydrate you before you even know what is happening.
 
Sounds from the symptoms that you came down with a case of heat exhaustion. It is the precursor to heat stroke (which you really don't want), so you need to make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and take a break every once in a while to cool off. Don't overdo it, we can wait for the knives. :biggrin:
 
It was 107f here yesterday.
I keep a jug of water and another of watered down lemonaide with me and drink it constantly.
Every couple hours I go to the water faucet and wash my arms neck and face to remove the sawdust sludge.
I was doing it to keep clean-ish, but it makes me feel refreshed as well.
 
Yep, heat exhaustion: it sucks... and can go from sucking to fatal pretty fast. From the CDC: "675 people die from complications related to extreme heat each year in the United States – more than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, lightning or any other weather event combined."

I think others cover most of these in one form or another, but here are my tips after working a number of pretty nasty physical labor jobs in high heat and do stupid things for fun like running and and ridding a bike for hours in the sun:

- Keeping water actually attached to your person helps. I had a insulated cover for a small water bottle that also had a quick belt clip attached and that worked really well. Reaching down to my hip ever few minutes for a drink became a automatic and almost sub-conscious action.
- SALT! emergency bacon and actually just eating some salt are options, but when I was doing 100mile bike rides, I found that balanced and measured doses worked much better. These: http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/endurolytes.elt.html where the best I found.
- It get's really tricky when you have to wear protective gear, but you have to do as much as possible to enable evaporation on your skin. Sweat evaporating is what actually pulls heat off your body and heavy clothing or dirt covered skin gets in the way of that.
 
Thanks again everyone. It is kind of funny but I KNOW about doing all these things that everybody has suggested. I was an EMT for over twenty years and just because my card expired dosen't mean that I forgot everything I know on the expiration date. It is kind of stupid on my part to let myself get this far gone though. I ran out of water in the fridge and didn't want to stop long enough to go and refill the water bottles. What a dumb ass I am. I will be sure and be more careful in the future.
 
Hey Bill
Here in Redding in the last few weeks its been as high as 113 degrees I feel your pain.
 
I worked in a butcher shop with no A/C where it gets above 100 in the summer. Came very close to passing out. It is a bad idea not to have A/C in a butcher shop of all things.
 
My shop is in the basement. Cold in the winter, but comfortable in the summer (especially after I put in industrial dehumidifier, as we have had rain after rain).

Working in the heat, is tough. Sorry, Bill -

M
 
Bill, my dad was a navy corpsman in Vietnam. When his marines got heat exhaustion and dehydration he would make them eat a can of stewed tomatoes, later when he was stationed in Barstow, California he would make them drink a can of v8. He said, there is a point where water doesn't help you if you throw your electrolytes out of balance. The salts and minerals in a can of v8 actually restore you pretty quick. I have tried it when I lived in Phoenix and when I was working out in ElCentro, Ca. 125 degrees plus is no joke. Works pretty damn quick. a hell of alot better than gatorade. Drink plenty of water and keep a couple of cans of v8 laying around, not the low sodium kind. be well
 
Son that's a pretty interesting trick. As much as I hate tomatoes, it sounds useful.

I wonder if it would a good for pre-exercise?
 
I worked in a butcher shop with no A/C where it gets above 100 in the summer. Came very close to passing out. It is a bad idea not to have A/C in a butcher shop of all things.

The last butcher shop I saw in 100 degrees heat was at an open market somewhere in Morocco where the pieces of a goat were hanging among the flies. One would wish that there aren't too many of those in the US...

...and now I have to go and buy some V8 :)

Stefan
 
Coconut water is suppose to be a good jump start to rehydrate.

Guys at work use alkaline water....which I think is just snake oil.

Its not that hot here, but I was taking a lot of creatine which seems to double the required hydration level, so I felt like crap for a while.
 
I'll give that a try Sachem, I don't really care for the straight up v-8 juice but do like the spicy stuff.

This actually seems like it is turning into a thread that is helpful for everyone.

Thanks Guys
 
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