Heat Injuries.

azhiker96 · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1419

Just wanted to share a recent experience with heat injury. I hiked out of Reavis with my wife this past Sunday. I let her set the pace and we had enough water and poweraid for the hike. However, she is not used to hiking in the heat and she ended up suffering from heat exhaustion with about 3/4 mile left to the trailhead. Her primary symptoms were nausia and fatigue. I set her up resting in shade, doused her with water, and hiked on to the jeep to drop off my backpack and pick up some extra water. After more dousing and rest time she was able to continue to the jeep while I carried her pack. At the time I thought she had not consumed enough water but a little ways down the road she threw up at least 1/2 gallon of water/poweaid mix. She had simply overheated and when she did her gut shut down and would not pass the water through the stomach. If she had done more hiking recently or had been outdoors more then she would have been better aclimated to the heat. Please remember to be careful hiking in the summertime and stay tuned to your hiking companions.

Arizonaheat · Posted: 5/27/2003, 2:20 pm Post subject:

George, sorry to hear about Deandra. Hope that doesn't sour her on the whole hiking/backpacking experience.
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Daryl · Posted: 5/27/2003, 2:26 pm Post subject:

Once you identify that you are dehydrated, you need to drink slowly. A cup every 15 minutes maximum. Otherwise you will throw it up (wasting all that water and making the problem worse). A sports drink is better then water because it replaces the salts you lose through sweating, which allow your body to hold the water.
Having her eat crakers or a salty snack could have helped too. The keys to treating someone with a heat illness is to cool them off and hydrate them ASAP. Heat exhaustion turns into heat stroke very fast and that can kill you or leave you with brain damage in just minutes. You did good, I'm glad everything turned out okay.

Another note, if you are hiking and drinking plenty and notice that you have to stop to use the bathroom a lot, you are probably low on salt. If your muscles hurt too, you are low on salt. This happened to someone I hiked with this weekend. It usually happens when you start the hike partially dehydrated from the day before.

for more good info check out www.sonoransar.org and go to the desert survival page.
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maryphyl · Posted: 5/27/2003, 3:10 pm Post subject:

Were you eating every time you stopped for water? Sounds like hyponatremia not a heat problem. If she was working off of one of those bags with a hose those things can be really dangerous because you do not stop often enough or eat enough.

Most breakfast foods don't have much salt in them so we start off not low on water but low on salt. You can't consume too much salt--your body just excretes it. You can consume too much water if you are not eating salty food as you go along. This can be deadly or do brain damage so take care.
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azhiker96 · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1419

Maryphyl, good point. She didn't eat everytime I did but I didn't press it. I've gone for much longer hikes without eating. I consider eating as a fuel source and the years have built up a surplus supply for me. Usually I use Gorp or Poweraid for electrolytes. This trip it was Poweaid and jerky. She did use a platypus and also took drinks of poweraid when I did. It seemed like her body just didn't cool off enough for the exertion level and heat of the day. Most of the hike was in 80-90 degree temps though one later section registered 100 degrees. I have done quite a bit of hot weather hiking and I think my cooling system is tuned to it.
Daryl, great link! I was an army medic many moons ago so I knew what do to. I was just surprised to find us in that situation. I underestimated the effects of the hike on her. I feel badly for that. I was very close to attempting a rescue or securing her in a shady area and going for help. I guess the point of my post was that someone can overheat in spite of having plenty of fluids and electrolyte. I had not considered that possibility in the past.
Arizonaheat, thanks for the words. She still loves the outdoors, she's looking for the link to those new sites Todd is supposed to get running; Arizonacarcamping.com and No#%&$#!Bugs.com. Wink

BTW, from the prints on the trail, there was a deer that followed you and Jmzblond out from the ranch. It followed the trail on your tracks for about 1/2 mile.

Arizonaheat · Posted: 5/27/2003, 6:16 pm Post subject:

We saw four mule deer and one white tail on the way out. The white tail rolled a rock off the hill that almost hit me, spooking me and the mule deer. This was between the Reavis Falls cutoff and the trailhead.

We did not see the deer that stalked us by the ranch.

Todd is probably working feverishly on those sites now, that is why we haven't heard from him about our jaunt. Laughing

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Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

GTG · Posted: 5/27/2003, 7:35 pm Post subject:

azhiker96 · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1419

GTG, she's feeling much better thanks. The gnats liked her better than me. She's counted 80 bites on her right leg and 30 bites on her right arm. Some of those are mosquito bites but the majority are gnat. Mayby Game and Fish could insert a few mountain lions into the area. It would keep the pesky deer in check and might also decrease the impact of mule skinners on the area.

maryphyl · Posted: 5/28/2003, 10:36 am Post subject:

This is copied from the GCNP hiking page:

HYPONATREMIA (water intoxication)
Is an illness that mimics the early symptoms of heat exhaustion. It is the result of low sodium in the blood, which is caused by drinking too much water and losing body salt through sweating. Symptoms are nausea, vomiting, altered mental states, and frequent urination. To treat, have the victim eat salty foods. If mental alertness decreases, seek immediate help!

There has been a long ongoing discussion about this on the yahoo Grand Canyon website. We start out low on salt and then feel queasy and do not want to eat which makes things worse. During the discussion many veteran canyon hikers (myself included) realized they had suffered from this and never knew it. The problem is deciding whether to give water or salty food. The wrong decision can be disasterous.

Some of the foods I have been carrying for years don't actually have all that much salt so read on the package. I have changed my ways Smile

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I walk in beauty.

evenstar · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 5548 Location: SCW by way of CA

I carry and frequently chew off a hunk of jerky.
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GeorgAz · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 815 Location: Scottsdale

Does anyone get heat related headaches?? It seems if I do not pace myself,the first thing that happens is a headache that will last for at least one day after the hike and I do drink lots of water,but am guilty on not eating enough. I don't know if it is histamine-related or due to Ozone,but I am not able to perform well outdoors anymore. I get severe sinus/allergic reaction to the air(?) we have right now.I've noticed even in the gym where I spend at least 40 min. on an elliptical,the same thing can result.(My gym is old and has very bad a.c and not much moving air.It's very distressing as I really miss our local mountains.Any advice, anyone? (Leave the state??) Question

GeorgAz · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 815 Location: Scottsdale

I just found this.I guess I wanted to know about dehydration/heat exhaustion and this gave me some answers. Surprised

http://MedicineGarden.com/Library/treatmentsdehydration1.html I'm sure I don't drink nearly enough water and I will add some salt to my diet in the summer! I'll see if there's a difference! I'm not sure about the homeopathic meds. the article mentions,but might be worth a try! Wink

Hikngrl · Posted: 6/4/2003, 8:19 am Post subject:

GeorgAZ-
I get heat related headaches all the time. I don't even have to be doing anything strenuous! That is always my first warning sign that I am getting over heated... Like you, it takes me all day to shake it once it is there. Sure puts a damper on things does't it!

sidhayes · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 116

Hike/workout every day. Your problems are more a matter of conditioning.

snick33 · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 67 Location: Scottsdale Arizona

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0525overhydration25.html

I noticed this last week in the Republic, it sums up a lot of my confusion about drinking water.
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