Heat stroke scare??? Heat exhaustion?
 

I have Dysautonomia/POTS which effects temperature regulation and a history of concussions.

I walked for 15-20 minutes in the heat and since I’ve gotten back, I’ve been feeling very sick. I had to run a bit on way back...I have had like some double vision with reading my phone letters, struggling with just typing/reading, feeling foggy/out of it, and like talking and just feeling like it’s more tiring and difficult.

I’m concerned because of my Dysautonomia and past concussions.

I don’t think I drank any water though or very little today before I went out...
I’ve been drinking water and cooling down but it’s going to probably take some time for my neurologist to get back to me :(

Everyone around me is saying I’m overreacting and there is no way I could have a heat stroke. And I really hope I don’t but I also am struggling.

Has anyone ever had this?

I really hope you're feeling a lot better by now. I see it's been a few hours since you posted.

I think that "Heat stroke" itself has an elevated core body temperature. It is potentially very dangerous. Heat stroke needs immediate treatment.

Heat related illness can also be exacerbated if we're taking particular medications when the weather is very hot and it's important to make sure you're hydrated well and take precautions so as not to overheat. e.g. cooling the body and checking colour of urine for dehydration etc.

Are you also taking any medications that would affect the way your body reacts to heat?

If you are taking any medications for your conditions then it'd be worthwhile checking them for heat related side effects. Ask your doctor about that as well.

How hot was the temperature when you were running and walking outside?

Sorry I missed your post AJ.

Heat stroke is an body getting too hot with inadequate water to work properly. It can be very serious.

The solution is to get hydrated and cooled down. Medical help is needed in the severe cases. You did not experience heat stroke. If you had, you would not have been able to post to NeuroTalk. You would have collapsed.

It sounds more like you suffered from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Again, the solution is getting hydrated and cooled down. Dehydration causes the blood to get thick and provide less than optimal blood flow to the brain.

With your conditions, you need to be disciplined to not put yourself in these situations by letting yourself get dehydrated and do physical exertion in the heat.

Thermoregulation
 

Just some tips about cooling quickly, efficiently and safely.

Heating and cooling of the body is known as Thermoregulation.

There are three areas of our body that can remove heat (or bring heat into the body) faster than anywhere else.

Glabrous skin is found in the bottoms of feet, palms and face

Arterio-venous anastomoses (AVAs) are direct connections between small arteries and small veins and are super cooling and found in glabrous skin.

So if you overheated some protocols to quickly reduce your core temperature would be

splash cold tap/faucet water onto your face

hold a can of drink from the fridge in your hands

take your shoes and socks off and stand on cold tiles or in cold water

The point is AVAS should not be constricted by too cold a temperature. So putting your hands in an ice bucket would be far less effective than cold water. Sitting in an ice bath would be far less effective than cold water.

Similarly you can raise your core temperature quickly by warming glabrous skin.

Best wishes,

Atty

I've had a few of these scares as well. Type 'heat index chart' into Google Images and even print it out if needed. Any time the index is 90 or higher I try not to do strenuous activity like run or play sports. I also sweat profusely even in air conditioned climates when exercising and so hydration can be tough to maintain any time of the year and it doesn't matter if it's indoors or outside. Heat stroke is an extreme version, but I'd imagine most people have probably at least had some form of heat exhaustion before and especially if you live in a very hot and humid area like I do. Keeping electrolyte drinks on hand really helps and you could also keep a thermometer on you to check your body temp as well.

This answer is classic for a person struggling with anxiety and OCD.

Checking your body temp is not necessary. Use common sense. If you feel weak and dehydrated, cool down, hydrate, and rest.

kom, Do you take any meds, like an SSRI? They can cause excessive sweating.

Simple water is fine unless you are doing physical effort for hours on end. Electrolyte depletion takes much longer than an hour of effort.

Did you have dysautonomia before the pcs? I'm just wondering because that's been one of my issues for the last 4 years now. They say that sub symptom threshold exercise is good treatment for this but I'm not so sure.

Sometimes anxiety supposedly makes it worse.