Laina Laughing: 10 Ways To Make It Through The Summer Heat While Chronically Ill

10 Ways To Make It Through Summer

Where I live it gets extremely hot during the summer, and the summer lasts a looonnggg time.

My illness causes organ failure. And the first organ to go is the skin. This means that my body can no longer regulate temperature the way it should. Usually, if you get hot, the heat escapes through the skin. But my skin no longer serves that function efficiently. So the heat gets trapped under the skin and I can’t cool down. My core temperature rises. And I can no longer function.

All of this is just to say that I do really bad with heat. Any kind of heat really (from cooking, bathing, dishes, a slightly warm room, space heaters, etc...), but when you are in the middle of an embroiling, all consuming, heat wave – you can never actually be protected from the effects of it. Not even in a really well air conditioned room.

That being said, there are some things that help me cope.

1. Ice packs on my neck, back, underarms, and wrists (not all at the same time). This often helps me quite a bit. I don’t do it all day long, I don’t even do it every day. But I should do it every day because it alleviates a lot of my pain and other symptoms.

2. Drinking lots of water. Cold water is really good for cooling you down. At any rate – whether drinking cold or room temperature - keeping well hydrated is important.

3. Keeping electrolytes in balance. This is vital. I use two products from a company called Biotics. They are called Electrolytes and Hydrate. They do something similar to what Gatorade does for athletes. It is good to get into the habit of putting them in your water every day – especially if you sweat a lot or drink tons of water.

4. Eat lots of fruit. I especially like watermelon and cantaloupe in the summer – they are just so succulent and quenching. Two summers ago I went through two watermelons every week almost entirely by myself.

5. Plan on siesta’s in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day. I feel awful at that time anyway, and things go smoother if I just rest into it instead of fight it.

6. Cool baths or showers. I don’t tolerate heat well. But I don’t tolerate true cold well either. So, I do tepid baths. After the bath, instead of drying my hair I pile it on my head in a clip. It stays wet for hours and keeps me cool for hours as well.

7. Bathe wrists in cold water. It’s amazing how refreshing that is and how quickly it cools me down.

8. As few hot foods and drinks as possible. I can’t tolerate much heat ever. So I’m not a person who drinks hot chocolate, tea, or coffee. If I eat soup I let it cool to room temperature first. And these things are especially important in the summer.

9. Keep at least one room in the house cooler than the others. It can cost a lot of money to keep our entire house as cool as I require during the summer. So we don’t generally do that. My room is always the coldest room in the house, winter or summer. I have a window AC unit. And I use it.

10. Drink Cold Smoothies. I find that I actually get a little chilly after drinking a cold smoothie (you know, the kind with frozen fruit in it). And the cooling effect lasts for several hours. I love it. I drink an icy smoothie nearly every day.

And now it’s your turn. You may not relate to these issues I have. Some people are great with heat but bad with allergies. Others have children home for the summer, etc... Tell me, how do you make it through the summer?