Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Heat Waves and MS

Most of the central United States is in the midst of a killer heat wave and my region is certainly no different. Actually, we had a cold front come through in the alst few days so temps have only been in the high 90s...only!
I stand by my earlier post that it is the difference in temperatures that really do me in, but when the outdoor heat index is over 100 degrees, it doesn't take much for that heat to kick my butt.
Sunday I went grocery shopping and the total time spent outside of air conditioning was maybe five minutes between the walk to the car and unloading groceries, but it was enough to exhaust me for the rest of the day. And I know that one of the most important things about this kind of heat is to stay hydrated, but it wasn't until late yesterday afternoon that I realized the fog I was in was due to the fact that I wasn't drinking enough water.
I had the misconception that since I was staying in out of the heat that I didn't need to be increasing my water consumption. WRONG! I forgot to take into accunt that my air conditioner can only do so much agaisnt the humidity and even those short jaunts outside suck water out of you like nobody's business.
Today it's a bit cooler. I think the high is in the low 90s and the humidity seems to be down. It didn't feel like an oven as soon as I walked out the door. But I did notice that after 15 minutes outside of my climate controlled house, the heat headache started up full throttle. It may be cooler today, ut the heat is still a killer.
And, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I have air conditioning and can afford to run it. Better yet I live in a community that recognizes the dangers of excessive ehat and has designated cooling centers for people who might not have the air conditioning they need.
Still I wonder if we couldn't be doing more to get the elderly and infirmed to cooler places. Yesterday there were deaths in St. Louis, Missouri, (about 2 hours from me) and Louisville, KY (3-4 hours away) from the heat. It makes me wonder why in a land as wealthy and as prosperous as the United States we still have these things happen. Why were these people not better taken care of? And more importantly, does anyone even care?

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