Heat Stroke Exposed: by Chris Cook

I'm sure many residents in the North Florida, South Georgia area are delighted to see the oncoming of fall. Anyone who is familiar with Florida realizes how hot temps can get here in the middle of the summer. Energy bills are through the roof and you dread going outside unless you're on your way to the beach.

My most recent jobs required me to work outdoors, canvassing for sales firms in residential neighborhoods. At times I would catch myself working on the sides of the street where there was shade. It was quite understandable since I had experienced heat stroke on one occasion. I can vividly recall that horrific episode:

I had been doing some painting outdoors during the middle of the summer. I had not sufficiently hydrated and didn't have on a cap or anything to prevent the scorching sun from baking my cranium. I suddenly experienced dizziness and my vision became blurry; all I could see was white. My face became temporarily paralyzed as my jaw cramped up preventing me from maneuvering my jawbone on its hinge. Confusion sat in. Although able to generate sounds through my vocal aparatus, I was unable to formulate or articulate words that were decipherable to the human ear. The emotional and psychological stress was overwhelming.

Fortunately the episode lasted for only about a minute or so. That experience was indeed a wakeup call for me. I suppose the lesson learned that day was to always drink plenty of water or some form of liquid such as gatorade whenever you're required be exposed to the direct heat of the sun for any length of time. Try to wear something to cover your head if nothing more than a ball cap. If the work is to be performed outdoors try to schedule the task for as early in the morning or as late in the evening as possible. Finally, if you are required to work during the heat of the day, limit your minutes of direct exposure to the sun to no more than 15 minutes at a time. Get into the shade, cool down your core and hydrate sufficiently before resuming.