Educate Yourself: Dehydration

As the summer starts to heat up, I believe this post is much needed, although it is even more needed after this past weekend being the weekend of the 4th of July! Over 4th of July weekend I’m sure everyone was out having fun and doing all the different outdoor activities they could find with their families. Having cook-outs, watching fireworks, getting drunk. All the usual things that Americans choose to let depict what freedom looks like.

Well, this past weekend, amidst all the working I had to do and the fun I still managed to have, I had a little run in with my very unhealthy friend, dehydration. So I am deciding that it is my job to educate those that I can of what happens when you’re dehydrated, cause this being my first time, I was scared. But first, a little background as to how I got there:

Arriving at Six Flags at around 1pm on Sunday we were all quite excited about what the day ahead had in store for us. We (my boyfriend, his best friend, and I) walked into the park with our newly purchased season passes and booked it straight for the white water rapids ride, where we had a chance of cooling off without actually having to change into our suits. We waited in line for this ride (seeing as it had broken down for a bit from such a high volume of riders over the weekend) for about 45 minutes in the 86 degree (possibly higher) heat. All of this after not having had any water since breakfast earlier that morning at 9am (we also ended up taking the dogs for a walk after breakfast for about 30 minutes in the same 86 degree heat). Getting on that ride was pure bliss for me. I was so hot, but wasn’t sweating one bit… My skin was just incredibly warm. So being able to cool off as we got wet from the rapids, lets just say it was amazing! Walking out of the ride, my boyfriend’s best friend and I saw a coaster we wanted to go on so my boyfriend stayed back and got some drinks, as we waited in the blazing sun for yet another ride that needed maintenance from high volume of riders. We waited in line for about 15 minutes before I started to feel strange. I was mid-conversation with my co-coaster-rider when all of a sudden my vision got fuzzy. It was like I had just been staring at the sun and your eyes are trying to readjust after. But the fuzziness didn’t go away… It started to grow until I was unable to see anything but slight shapes. I started to grow dizzy, and that’s when I knew. I said, “Dude, we need to get out of line now, I can’t see… and I’m dizzy. I need water.” I could feel my throat starting to hurt and I knew that I wasn’t going to hold myself up for much longer. So I started to make my way out of line… Of course, the bars that barred you into line for this ride were fucking weird, so maneuvering them in my dizzy haze was the struggle… But I managed to get below the lowest bar. I figured at least if I was on my ass, I couldn’t fall any further, right? Well, I ended up falling anyway… I got up and tried to steady myself, but was unable to, and before my boyfriend’s friend could jump over the railing, I was down on all fours with all my weight trying to scramble my way back up again. My boyfriend rushed over as did the ride attendant and they helped me over to the shade. Being in the shade helped to relieve some of the heat exhaustion and dehydration I was feeling. It felt like I was being covered by a cold blanket. The ride attendant rushed to get me a small cup of water and kept them coming until my boyfriend was able to run to and from a refreshment stand to get me Powerade and water. As I sat drinking my water and Powerade we waited for the EMT to show up just to ensure that I was okay. She walks up and sees me sitting there and begins to ask my questions like how old I am, when my birthday is, my whole name, and if I knew where I was. The entire time I’m trying to say these answers I’m stuttering and still kinda shaking while I gradually regained my sight. These questions were incredibly important, I came to learn. The EMT sat and explained to me that these questions are some of the hardest for some people she came in contact with doing her job. She said some people have whole conversations they don’t remember and can’t even tell her their own birthday… I had this entire conversation with her and the only thing that I missed was that I had scraped my knee pretty bad. After I got bandaged up I was allowed to enjoy the rest of my day at the park. I regained much of my strength and spunk after eating, but with how exhausted I still felt, I ended up limiting myself to hanging out in the waterpark sipping on my water bottle until I had a water big enough to put your food baby to shame.

Now, this is my dehydration story. Please know that I am not trying to make light of what can happen when one gets dehydrated, but I am trying to explain how I felt because every situation is different. Just because I felt this way does not mean that you will feel this way if this ever happens to you. Below I will give you some information everyone should be educated on about dehydration so you will know how to deal with it when it happens to you or someone you know:

Dehydration is a condition that occurs when the loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount that is taken in. With dehydration, more water is moving out of our cells and bodies than what we take in through drinking.

Some causes of Dehydration in Adults:

Many conditions may cause rapid and continued fluid losses and lead to dehydration:

• Fever, heat exposure, and too much exercise

• Vomiting, diarrhea, and increased urination due to infection

• Diseases such as diabetes

• The inability to seek appropriate water and food (in the case of a disabled person)

• An impaired ability to drink (in the case of someone in a coma or on a respirator)

• No access to safe drinking water

• Significant injuries to skin, such as burns or mouth sores, or severe skin diseases or infections (water is lost through the damaged skin)

Symptons of Dehydration in Adults:

• These signs and symptoms can range from minor to severe:

• Increased thirst

• Dry mouth and swollen tongue

• Weakness

• Dizziness

• Palpitations (feeling that the heart is jumping/pounding)

• Confusion

• Sluggishness

• Fainting

• Inability to sweat

• Decreased urine output

Urine color may indicate dehydration. If urine is concentrated and deeply yellow/amber, you may be dehydrated.

When to Seek Medical Care:

Call your doctor if the dehydrated person experiences any of the following:

• Increased or constant vomiting for more than a day

• Fever over 101 degrees fahrenheit

• Diarrhea for more than 2 days

• Weight loss

• Decreased urine production

• Confusion

• Weakness

Take the person to the hospital’s ER if these situations occur:

• Fever higher than 103 degrees fahrenheit

• Confusion

• Sluggishness (lethargy)

• Headache

• Seizures

• Difficulty breathing

• Chest or abdominal pains

• Fainting

• No urine in the last 12 hours

Dehydration Treatments for Adults (Self-care):

• Sip on small amounts of water, too much water or gulping too much at once could cause you to throw up.

• Drink carbohydrate/electrolyte-containing drinks. (This is why my boyfriend got me Powerade, which helped my vision to clear dramatically!)

• Suck on a popsicle make form juices and sports drinks

• Suck on ice ships

Try to keep the person cool, here are ways to cool them down safely:

• Remove any excess clothing and loosen other clothing

• Air-conditioned areas are best for helping to return the body temp to normal and break the heat exposure cycle.

• If AC isn’t available, increase cooling by evaporation by placing the person near fans or in the shade, if outside. Place a wet towel around the person.

• If available, use a spray bottle or misters to spray lukewarm water on exposed skin surfaces to help with cooling by evaporation.

• Avoid exposing skin to excessive cold, such as ice packs or ice water. This can cause the blood vessels in the skin to constrict and will decrease rather than increase heat loss.

Prevention:

The foremost treatment for dehydration is prevention. Anticipate the need for increased fluid intake.

• Plan ahead and take extra water to all outdoor events and work where increased sweating, activity, and heat stress will increase fluid losses.

• Avoid exercise and exposure during high heat index days. Listen to the forecast for high heat stress days, and plan events that must occur outside during times when the temps are cooler.

• Ensure older people and infants and children have adequate drinking water or fluids available and assist them as necessary.

• Avoid alcohol consumption, especially when it is very warm, because alcohol increases water loss and impairs your ability to sense early signs associated with dehydration.

• Wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing if you must be outdoors when it is hot outside. Carry a personal fan or mister to cool yourself.

• Break up your exposure to hot temperatures. Find air-conditioned or shady areas and allow yourself to cool between exposures.

Now, as I have previously said, not everyone's experience with dehydration is the same. And yes, it can be scary, but it happens to everyone. I was scared and embarrassed but in reality, everyone around me was just thankful I was okay and only came out of it with a scraped knee. There are ways to prevent dehydration from happening, but for some people, like myself, you don't see it coming. So just know that this post is meant to educate you and keep you aware of your body's intake of water this summer. It is not meant to scare you into staying inside for the rest of the summer. So still go out and have fun, just be aware and listen to your body and any warning signs it may give you. You never know when it could save your life.

Our source about dehydration:

WebMD

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