#surviving heat

[thefirsthogokage]

Very helpful thread made for those walking the picket lines by an EMT in Florida:

(screen shots from here on out. Too many images to put in one post. Sorry for the dark mode switch ahead of time)

[Image ID: a tweet thread made by @TheMaryGirls on July 18th, 2023 that reads in its entirety (though combined where appropriate and tweet numbers removed for condensing):

This is for the strikers everywhere since I'm nowhere near a picket line. This is the least I can do:

I am an EMT in Florida, one of the hottest states in the country on a regular basis. These are things you can do to protect yourself from the heat

1. Water

Water is great, your body needs it to live. You can go longer without food than you can without water. It's vital. If you become too dehydrated you can lapse into something called Hypovolemic shock which is the most dangerous form of shock because, usually, by the time you realize something is wrong, you're already in a bad position.

When you sweat, you're not just losing water. You're also losing salt, potassium, chloride, magnesium, & calcium. To combat this, you should drink something with electrolytes.

You can also eat a banana in order to avoid cramping that can occur with the loss of potassium. You don't want to be the one doing the Charley Horse Hustle on the line when people have phone cameras. You can also eat fruit and veg with high water content. They helps.

A word of caution about ice water. I know the idea of a big bottle of ice water sounds great when you're sweating your balls off on the line but NO! That can be dangerous. Your body temperature is up due to the heat. You chug a bottle of ice water like you used to do with Smirnoff Ice in college, you'll regret it. Ice water will cause your body temperature to drop which fraks up your homeostasis. You can experience stomach craps, fainting, and, on some weird occasions, cardiac arrest. Face planting on the pavement isn't cute.

One way you CAN use ice water safely is by soaking a t-shirt or towel and putting it on your head to help cool you off. Also, cold rags around the wrists can also cool you down. You've seen construction workers with the t-shirts on their heads? This is why.

2. Whole body

If you get blisters on your feet, you need to treat them. Also, don't force pop them, you're just asking for trouble. When they rupture, they need to be cleaned with soap and water (no alcohol or peroxide) and protected. Band-Aids won't really help here.

Band-Aids can easily slip off and give bacteria a chance to move in and really get gross. Liquid bandage is the better option. It's waterproof but it does sting when you put it on so be warned.

If you experience muscle cramps on the line, you need to deal with them. This is your bodies way of telling you something is wrong. Sit down, drink something. Stretching before picketing can also help prevent them. Let's be honest, as writers, we sit. A LOT.

Going from a cave dwelling hermit to bright sunlight and exercise is going to piss your entire system off. Icy Hot and hot baths will be your friend.

3. Dehydration warning signs.

Muscle cramps

light headed

headaches

feeling very thirsty

dark urine

urinating less often

feeling tired

dry mouth, lips, or tongue

skin tenting

confusion

That's all that I can think of at the moment.

GO FUCK EM UP!!!!!!!

/End ID]

Bonus:

[Image ID: Tweeted comment on the thread from @/sardoniccomment that reads:

Every word of this is good advice, but, as a former desert-dweller, there’s something I need to add: dehydration makes you stupid. It can literally prevent you from being able to figure out the source of your problems is dehydration.

/End ID]

[5007]

I live in Arizona. Thirty years ago, I got heat exhaustion while at the summer program my grade school (it's like primary school, for those Europeans who might be confused) was having. We went to walk down the street to a different school to take advantage of their indoor gym. As a teenager and an adult? Not a large distance.

But I was a little kid (under 10 years old). I didn't feel thirsty. I didn't feel hot. I didn't feel sick.

Not until I passed out in front of the firefighter station on the way back to my grade school.

My dad was pissed. My mom?

I didn't do anything regarding school and summer until I took summer classes to catch up to my friends (who were taking advanced trigonometry) and get ahead in school.

And this was in the 90s, when temperatures were an average of 15°F cooler than they are now.

Stay out of the fucking sunlight, even in Spring.

Hydrate.

If you were dripping sweat, get some electrolytes in you (Pedialyte, sugar-free Powerade, etc).

Heat exhaustion is not far away from heat stroke, which is a legitimate stroke caused by being too hot for too long.

Until we can clean up our atmosphere and hamstring future pollution caused by corporations, stay the fuck inside - it's only going to get hotter.

if you are dealing with extreme heat or even just. moderate heat in your area right now. 80f/26c is when it starts getting toasty for a lot of people. if you are in a heat wave and you have not done yourself the favor of googling fucking "heat exhaustion symptoms" i am shaking you violently right now. look it up. burn the symptoms into your brain. heatstroke is no joke and it can and WILL sneak up on you before you're aware it's even an issue. ohh my god

[goljie]

davejohn in the summer (one is sweating, one isnt. you decide)

summer city date

[hellenhighwater]

In a truly shocking twist, my house has NOT been leaking heat since the furnace died six days ago. I normally keep the house between 66-68 in the winter, because it does heat unevenly and if I go any warmer, it's too hot in the bedrooms. The furnace died, and the house dropped to 58, but with the addition of three small electric space heaters, the house has held temp between 61-65 F the entire time, which is remarkable given that it's been sub-freezing the whole time and this sucker is made of 1860s wood. I'm not complaining! I was just hoping to make sure my pipes didn't burst. I thought old houses were supposed to be leaky and drafty and hard to keep warm.

My current theory is that Malice and Vice have been stuffing their shed cat hair into the walls, and it's fantastic insulation.

[teaboot]

question i suspect you may know the answer to. I'm in Quebec right now, it's well below freezing and I'm having to stay in an uninsulated attic without a sleeping bag or warm enough blankets. I can't sleep because of the cold. Any tips on not freezing to death? I can't feel my face anymore.

-sleep on top of something. Cardboard, Styrofoam, balled-up paper, a mattress, a blanket, dry towels, whatever. If you're stuck with just the floor or ground then it will suck the heat out of you.

-keep the top of your head covered. You lose an insane amount of hear through your head.

-Wrar all of the clothes that you have. All of them. Only remove layers if you start sweating.

-drink warm or lukewarm water.

-mittens are warmer than gloves. If you have neither, put socks on your hands.

-change your socks before going to bed. Do NOT wear socks you've worn all day, even if they still feel dry.

-Cover yourself in blankets, clothes, towels, WHATEVER, but DO NOT COVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE. Condensation will get stuck under there with you and make you damp and cold.

-Stick your hands under your armpits or between your legs near your groin. These are the warmest parts of your body.

-if you wake up freezing, pace in circles to warm up. Don't exercise to the point of sweating, just to warm up a bit.

-air is the best insulator. The more air something has in it, the better it is at trapping your body heat. I was serious about crumpling up newspaper

-Stay as far from the windows as you can, and as close to the centre of the house as possible. Ideally away from any stone fixtures.

-If there is a fireplace, light it ONLY IF YOU ARE CERTAIN THE CHIMNEY IS CLEAR. Carbon dioxide poisoning is a risk. If it is clear, use paper and small slivers of wood to get it started, then larger burnables. Fire needs to grow before it can eat bigger foods. If you have no matches, but the electricity is on try a stove burner, or a hot light bulb.

-If you break a light bulb and turn the lamp on, you will get a flame for a few seconds, but only if you have no other options because this is dangerous.

-if you are with people or a pet, this is a great opportunity to cuddle.

-STAY DRY.

-EAT. Making and msintaining body heat burns energy.

-If you suddenly feel like you're boiling, KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON. Paradoxical undressing is a symptom of hypothermia. You ARE NOT HOT, your body is lying

-Suddenly not shivering when you've done nothing differently is an early hypothermia warning sign. CALL SOMEONE.

Leaving this open cause this is all I have off the top of my head. Good luck out there

[athelind]

On the blackout blinds note:

You don't have to shell out for big, heavy, fabric curtains. You can get inexpensive accordion-fold paper blackout blinds from Amazon or other vendors. They are VERY effective at blocking light and surprisingly effective at reducing heat indoors. I have a set in my bedroom window, and they've helped a great deal -- it was really noticeable this past weekend, when our AC died during 100°F weather.

They would almost certainly be even more effective used in conjunction with curtains, but I just have the paper ones in my window and they're all I really need.

I need UK journalists to not show 43 degrees is not beach weather like people are gonna die

Americans do not interact

[human-rocket]

‘Anakin and Obi-Wan with baby Luke and/or Leia? Maybe all of them cuddling in bed?' for @sky-kenobye

my art | ko-fi

[seance]

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN AND ALICENT HIGHTOWER take the pain / make it billboard big / then swallow it for me

[tsuchinokoroyale]

*tries to find a line from brat that hasn’t been used to caption a selfie uhhhhh*

You always say, "Let's go out" so we go eat at a restaurant

[kyonshi-8610]

ᜉᜓᜆᜁᜈ ᜀᜅ᜔ ᜎᜃᜐ᜔ ᜅ᜔ ᜂᜎᜈ᜔ ᜀᜇᜏ᜔ ᜀᜇᜏ᜔ ᜊᜓᜋᜊᜑ potaina ang lakas ng ulan araw araw bumabaha

[gingeremo]

[borbology]

Sometimes when it gets really hot while Meta Knight is guarding the castle, Sword and Blade will come out and spray his wings with some water to keep him cool.

Summer is coming. Stay cool and hydrated 💖✌️

Thinking about my borb anatomy headcanons. Meta Knight's wings can both absorb and dispel heat faster than any other part of his body because of how close the blood vessels are to the skin's surface within the thin membranes. He spreads his wings in the sun when it's nice out. As somebody who is often in close contacts with vultures, I see them doing this all the time. It's called a horaltic pose. If Meta Knight is overheating, spraying some water onto the membranes of his wings and letting it evaporate will cool him off very effectively.

[tapakah0]

[casualavocados]

We agreed that I'm in charge of the bars. But you come here all the time to watch me. How am I supposed to lead my people? Use your head, okay? Suit yourself.

KISEKI: DEAR TO ME Ep. 04

[localcryptic]

drawing sidestep in a turtleneck, sweater, and leather jacket. as if going outside in that outfit in Los Diablos weather wouldn't kill them instantly. like man i understand your need for layers and secrecy and whatever but there's a high of 114° i think you should just stay inside today. which is riskier, exposing yourself to the Special Directive or exposing yourself to a fuckin Southern California summer day??? If the Heartbreak Incident couldn't kill them, the goddamn. Heatstroke Incident will take care of it jesus christ. Their tan lines have got to be fucking crazy. they will never recover from this.

[cuckoo-on-a-string]

Surviving the Cold: Tips from an old hag

I'm hearing some of ya'll are losing power when it's below freezing. This is terrible, and I am sorry.

If you have time to prep, do it. The Red Cross has several excellent pages on this stuff. If not, work with what you have.

As someone who has survived being snowed into a house without power in subzero temps, here are some suggestions (generally useful even if your power is on):

Light candles: I suggest sticking to small tealights, tapers, or jar candles to avoid building up smoke. Keep them ON a table or tray and AWAY from anything that might dream of catching fire (remember, kids, dust is flammable... as is pet hair). These won't provide the heat a fireplace would, but they will do SOMETHING.

Don't take off your shoes unless you're putting on thick slippers: Frostnip is a bitch and I get it every other year because I'm a dumbass. Learn from my pain.

Cover windows and doors: You know those heavy carpet wall-hangings that are so popular in the northeast parts of Europe and Russia? Those bitches are functional. If you have spare area rugs, comforters, or blankets, tape or tack them over the Ice Portals.

Don't run down your phone battery: Yeah, it's boring, but don't scroll TikTok unless you KNOW you can recharge at will. I had a friend get trapped on the road and I had to organize a whole rescue posse in the dark of night. She only had enough juice for one call. That call probably saved her life.

If it's safe, spend time elsewhere: Become Walmart's resident ghost. Inspire dread in your small town coffee shop's baristas. The library always welcomes hapless ghouls. Better to haunt public spaces with hair you haven't been able to wash for two weeks and smelly clothes than become a statistic.

Layer the fuck up: Multiple socks. Fingerless gloves over regular gloves. Two undershirts, a long-sleeve concert crew neck, you highschool spirit t-shirt, that shirt your friend keeps forgetting to pick up, a thin sweater, a thick sweater, the Horror Your Loving Auntie Knitted Just For You, your old button-up, and a coat. Get a hat. Add a blanket - it's a cloak now. Be ridiculous. Make it weird. Be the junk lady from Labyrinth.

Do not drink booze: Alcohol will make you feel warm while compromising your actual body temperature. Save the schnaps for the party when the power's back.

Ask for help if you need it: Remember how I mentioned the Red Cross? If you need a warm place to shelter until the power's back and you don't have safe family/friends, they can help. Your county may also have emergency shelters in place. Those aren't just for unhoused folks. If you need them, use them, and ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT.