@cohanf yeah that would be my take away from what happened. Your whole sense of being hot or cold is scrambled. At one point I was packed in ice and shivering and saying ok I think I'm cool finally. But it was just my body in shock so we had to slow down and cool more gently.

I think long cool shower might eventually work to your core, but yeah a brief cold shower won't change much.
#heatwaveHealth

So here's a weird but happy #heatwaveHealth discovery.

Ya know how in that Discworld book, Detritus gets smarter when he gets trapped in the pork future building and finally cools down?

That's me hunkering down in the basement. My phone is running out of juice before my brain. Will have to find extension cord for my charger so I can continue in my nest of chill.

CW for selfie eye contact. And indirect scorn.

Ok, I tend to get slap happy dark humour when things are really stressed, so let's start a #sillyWaysToStayCool tag to pitch terrible and/or amusing ways to cool off.

#heatWave #heatwaveHealth #tooDamnHot

Like cuddling up to this piece of ice...

So yeah, my new special interest is how to survive a heatwave AND a chronic illness.

Will continue to add things as I figure them out but for an abundance of ideas on how to get or stay cool check out this thread (and add your own!).

https://disabled.social/@vlrny/114831844215352969

I added a #heatwaveHealth tag on the OG post as well.

I feel like I am surviving a natural disaster all by myself, so very glad for all your company, even if you're in your own weird solo disaster as well.

Stay fresh cheesebags!

Valerie Roney (@[email protected])

Ok so... I ended up having EMS take me to a cooling centre today (though the heatwaves had passed). Went to a rec centre where there were lots of lifeguards to check on me, and help me out when I wasn't cooling down. So this is just your random reminder that resource is probably available, even when it isn't a heat-event week. Also if you go to the rec centre when day camps are running there's medicinal freezees! 🥶 Which helped a lot and brought a tiny bit of joy into an awful day. #heatWave

disabled.social

☝️ whenever I'm not stable and safe I take major action. Mostly hiding out in the basement, wet scarves, cold food and drinks, tylenol helps, hot water bottles with cold water.

I'll get the shivers if I try and drop too much too fast, so have to go gently but firmly, and confirm with temp that I am in fact cool.

Staying well hydrated with extra salt (even though I don't sweat, go figure). If my lips don't feel plump and are wrinkly at all, it's a good hydration cue.
#heatwaveHealth

☝️in hindsight, I should have clocked and intervened during the heat exhaustion phase (it's so hard to tell what's not enough meds, too much meds, not about meds at all, the symptoms are very similar). #spoonieLife amirite!?

What's helping me now, is watching those signs, but also taking my temperature and heart rate fairly often.. anything above normal (even a bit, for my body) and HR around or above 100bpm, especially if it's doing rills and running up and down 15-20 points.

#heatwaveHealth

Ok, #heatwaveHealth infodump now that I am a bit brighter:

Signs I had heat exhaustion all week (but assume illness/meds reaction)
- weakness/fatigue (severe)
- swollen face/edema
- grey/pale alternating flushed
- feeling hot with cold feet
- dizzy, nausea, neurosick including disordered gait.

Things that alerted me to looming heatstroke:
- couldn't stop weeping
- panting
- crawling, too weak to be upright
- violent muscle spasms
- dizzy, confused, nauseous
Which is when EMS got involved.

Crikey!
Went to bed with hot water bottles full of cold water, woke up shivering, but finally got my body temp below 37°C and it stayed there this morning.

But half an hour outside (it seems lovely, only 22° & 29° humidex) and my temp is back near 38° and my heartrate up 20 points.

Managing this heat and keeping me cool is gonna take all my spoons this week.

But at least I am figuring out what the triggers and solutions are.

Will drop notes in the #heatWaveHealth tag for others.

☝️in related news hit me up with your heatstroke after care tips. I am out of crisis but have a headache and feel pretty worn out. What makes you feel better and helps the recouperation?
I'm gonna start by taking All The Drugs and hopefully having a good night's sleep. I think my pain may be off the hook tomorrow.
#heatstroke #heatwaveHealth
Heat Alert: A Smarter Approach to Extreme Heatwave Warnings - Rackenzik

New multivariate heat alert system improves forecasting by factoring in temperature, humidity, and heatwave duration.

Rackenzik