Last weekend was a holiday

weekend - the kick off of summer. Everyone headed to the beaches to soak

up the sun and suds and some teenagers I saw soaked up a little too much

of both. I went down to Panama City, Florida, to see my Dad. There were

parties on and off the beach and all seemed to have the same theme "let's

drink as much as we can." I saw a large quantity of adult beverages

being consumed in the hot sun, and many intoxicated people were walking

and driving around because of it. This was not a cool thing to see. When

I got back, I was talking to The Boy about my trip. I saw his eyes wandering

when I started to talk about teenage drinking so I took another route.

I said, "Did you know

a person could drink so much water on a hot day that they could become

intoxicated?" Now normally, being a teenager, he doesn't hear what

is said unless it's repeated four times, but this he heard the first time.

"Dad, you mean to tell

me that a person can get drunk off water? I don't believe it."

I'm not a betting man, but

this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. "If I can prove

that a person can become intoxicated by drinking too much water, you have

to cut the grass."

He said, "And if you can't,

you have to let me drive your truck."

"Deal." And with

that I brought out my trusty medical book. Turning to the chapter on heat-related

emergencies, I proceeded to read what the most common ones were.

"Dad," he says as

he interrupts me (teenagers interrupt quite often), "What does any

of this have to do with water intoxication?"

I explained that while working

in hot climates, there is a chance of falling ill due to heat cramps,

heat exhaustion, and heat stroke or - if you take in too much water -

water intoxication. Heat cramps are painful, uncontrollable muscle spasms

that occur in the fingers, legs, arms, or abdomen. The Boy interrupts

again.

"You mean, if I walk outside

on a hot day, I'm going to curl up into a ball and have muscle cramps

all over my body?"

"No, just listen."

I explained to him that heat cramps come from being outside doing strenuous

work or playing in heat for an extended period without proper fluid and

sodium replacement. When you sweat, water comes to the surface of the

skin in an attempt to cool the body off. The water brings with it sodium

and other electrolytes which need to be replaced. Too much water and sodium

drawn out of the body's cells without replacement will result in muscle

cramps. Persons suffering from heat cramps should be removed from the

heat and their sodium/electrolyte intake increased.

Heat exhaustion is the most

common of all heat-related illness. It affects a person working in a hot

environment for a long period of time without proper fluid replacement.

A person can lose about eight cups of fluid per hour working in hot high

humidity, such as outdoors in June-July-August here in Georgia. The body

expands the blood vessels to place more blood in the arms and legs which

leads to lower blood return to the heart. This can cause a person to become

dizzy and collapse. A person suffering from heat exhaustion could have

nausea/vomiting, muscle cramps, headaches, and if left untreated, this

can lead to heat stroke.

When the body temperature goes

above 105 degrees, cell death and collapse occur. This condition is called

heat stroke. If a person has been working in the heat, his skin should

be wet, but with heat stroke, the skin will be hot and dry. The person

could lose consciousness or even have a seizure. Upon arrival at the scene,

the medics will remove the patient from the heat, establish IVs to replace

fluids, try to get the core temperature down and possibly assist with

the patient's breathing. Heat stroke is a true emergency and EMS should

be called immediately.

"But what does any of

this have to do with water intoxication?" The Boy asked.

The fluid lost during hot days

needs to be replaced, but replacement of the sodium is also important.

Working outside and drinking water faster than the fluid loss you can

run the risk of taking in more liquid than your body can utilize. If you

continue, a condition called water intoxication can occur. With the sodium

and electrolytes not being replaced, a person could have headaches, nausea

and vomiting, altered mental status or even go into a coma. You should

get the person out of the hot weather and not let them drink any additional

water, and call EMS or the family doctor.

"So I should not drink

water if Iím outside?" He asked.

Once again The Boy has taken

selective hearing to a new art. I said, "No. Sports drinks are high

in sodium and electrolytes and consumed along with the correct water intake

you should be okay on a hot day. Now go cut the grass."

"But it's hot. I might

get muscle cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke. I can't go outside

and work." I just gave him a glass of water and a sports drink and

told him that the grass would not cut itself.

Even the mildest heat-related

illness could become dangerous; call 911 if you suspect anyone is having

an adverse reaction to the heat this summer.