Early on in each year’s building season I usually have a little encounter with dehydration, just to remind me that the issue doesn’t go away over the winter, it just sort of hibernates.
Doesn’t usually happen as early as April, though. This got me Thursday afternoon, after a very productive morning in which BB and I finished the new flashing on the east side of the Lair and fixed and resealed some winter damage on the siding.
The next task was supposed to be quite simple, just cut and apply inside molding around the back door. But suddenly I couldn’t get anything right – I wasn’t thinking straight and really shouldn’t have been around power saws, the sun dazzled me, I was achy and cranky and just generally stupid. You’d think I’d know what all those things are a sign of by now, wouldn’t you? Except it’s April, it’s not hot, it wasn’t even all that bright.
Dehydration is cumulative. I spent the whole day before holding a ladder and staring into the sky, getting a nice face sunburn. I was fine Wednesday and I was fine Thursday morning, but Thursday afternoon it all came home to roost. We finished the trim and I called a halt for the day, and after a couple hours’ sit-down and a lot of tea and water I was fine again.
Just nature’s way of reminding me – Hydrate, stupid.
parents moved to yuma from the ohio river valley in west virginia.
mother ended up at the urologist’s office.
she was not hydrating.
he told her how much water per day, put the bottles on the table with a glass. and drink some every time she passed by the table, and all of it must be drunk by bed time.
it sneaks up on you, especially if you are a foreigner.
Oh Joel, you should know better especially after the kidney stone reminder. You ain’t a spring chicken anymore.
Dehydration was one of the biggest reasons behind most of the first aid calls I made while working. It seemed during spring/summer/fall every day there was at least one person who needed help. It was standard on first aid calls where the issue was a person not feeling well to ask (a) when was the last time you ate, and (b) when was the last time you had something to drink that wasn’t coffee.These two questions led to solving 80% of the issues. Note, the other 20% were strokes/heart issues, heat prostration etc.
This issue can sneak up on a guy so damned fast, it’s stupid.
Joel, my poor Mum died from acute renal failure. Not a way to live the last of your life, doctors only allowing patients one icecube per day of fluid intake, and the terrible consequences of dialysis treatment. We take our kidney function for granted mostly, few of us hydrate properly even when water is available. Ah, haven’t got time for a drink!
Standard military medico’s instructions: water, Motrin, and clean socks. When I was in the State Guard, I had a case of heat illness that left my butt feeling pretty miserable. Also a bout of dehydration few years ago, spent the evening in the ER clinic getting three liters of saline in my arm. I much rather get my fluids the old fashioned way!