12 replies to this topic

[ncflounders]

I am a c6/c7 and I overheat terribly! I was wondering if anyone has figured out how to prevent it? I have been in construction my whole life, had a worker who used to take asprin every morning, he said it thined his blood and cooled him down. Blood thinner, help?

[mellowgator]

i am also a c 6-7 quad. one of the side effects of quadrapalegia is that we no longer can regulate our body temperature.

my insurance company actually pays 25% of my power bill. do you have the opposite sitation with cold weather? what i do is if i'm outside in the heat is i carry a spritzy bottle and keep spraying myself with the water and if i'm at the beach or near water i swim to cool off. i've never heard of aspirin. i usually just go out in the early am or in the evening to beat the heat of the day. if we overheat we can actually die over this. when i was in rehab a quad got his w-c stuck in the sand at the beach and died from overheating. i also have auto start on my van so i can have the ac running by the time i load up to keep me from overheating.

mellowgator

[allis53ca]

freeze full water bottle...drop down shorts UNDER ure junk...two largest arteries in body inside thighs...better than chilled i.v...i also keep lunch bag cold packs, the soft type, and use them...doing this has saved me from hospital trip more than once

[Izziwhizzi]

Like everyone has said, spray bottles (to act like you are sweating) cold packs (500ml full water bottles that have been in the freezer and are solid ice are great because you can also drink them as they melt), cold wet towels/flannels on the back of your neck, cold drinks and if in the emergency situation a whole bucket of cold water over you with the cold drink! (what I do at the beach) Wet head and hair keeps you cool too.

Just avoid the strong heat, use AC, always sit in the shade etc. when outside but I guess you know all that.

I got my first AD for 8 hours from over heating, it is very stressful on our bodies.

I

[StillFingers]

All the above options/solutions work great.

I've also found the 16oz Misty Mate; see link below, works great as well. Being a c5/6, having the no-sweating issue also, I am often at the beach or local park and need a cool down. I also carry a cooler with me in my van, filled with water, blue-ice freezer bags and my Misty Mate.

When I'm out shooting I pack 2 bottles of water, one blue-ice bag and the Misty Mate, in my camera bag, keeping everything cool. My camera bag sits across my lap and helps shade my thighs.

Here's the misty mate website link, there are lots of products and/or accessories for misting...
http://mistymate.com...d,12/Itemid,26/

The 16oz misty mate I have is blue; I got mine cheaper at this website...
http://www.accesstr....a...amp;eq=&Tp=

Here's a picture I found on the web, it shows the 10 ounce version in use...



BTW, on a personal note, the gentleman that owns/operates the second link/website, Access To Recreation, is Don Krebs. I met Don in 1978 while we were doing our SCI rehab, he's a great guy, and loves the outdoors. Checkout his site, it's got everything any crazy gimp could want/need for outdoor activities, intimate indoor fun, as well daily living aides.

A link to Don's website's home page is below. That's Don, ex-crazy-barefoot-water-skier, relaxing at the beach with his parrots, sitting in a rather strange looking yellow balloon tired beach chair...looks like fun...even for an ex-crazy-surfer like me, well ex-surfer, I'm still crazy!

Access To Recreation
http://www.accesstr.com

Stay cool...

Jerry

Edited by StillFingers, 10 May 2010 - 08:23 PM.

[mellowgator]

deb4604, on May 9 2010, 09:32 PM, said:

Are you just sweating or is your body temperature actually elevated??

No, I wouldn't take an aspirin with out talking to you MD. It makes your platelets slippery to prevent clotting, thus "thins your blood", but in all my years of nursing, I never heard that it will make you cooler.

deb,

fyi, quads don't sweat below their level of injury.

mellowgator

[Alexis]

I had the same thing going on that baffled everyone including my doctors for months. I actually would sweat below the injury level even sitting outside in the cold weather, but it only happened in my chair, not in bed. After getting my first pressure sore, my p/t changed the cushion I was originally given to a Roho cushion and the overheating stopped that day. I have not had a problem since. I was miserable and know how you feel. I hope something helps soon!
Good luck,
Alexis

[animadversor]

Very cool-I want a misty Mate! How hard are they to pump/charge? I'm fairly weak in a pumping motion. i need to check product guide closer, I'd love a battery powered one.

[415mia]

mellowgater
My husband's feet have been sweating for the last 5 years- he also sweats in his crotch and waist area and hi armpits and he is a c6

mellowgator, on 11 May 2010 - 02:54 AM, said:

deb4604, on May 9 2010, 09:32 PM, said:

Are you just sweating or is your body temperature actually elevated??

No, I wouldn't take an aspirin with out talking to you MD. It makes your platelets slippery to prevent clotting, thus "thins your blood", but in all my years of nursing, I never heard that it will make you cooler.

deb,

fyi, quads don't sweat below their level of injury.

mellowgator

[trucker]

I am a complete t5 I have been paralyzed for 5 yrs up until 6 months ago I would sweat above my injury site and never had a problem in the warm months of the year. I was at my daughters wedding a few wks ago and seriously thought I was gonna die My daughter in an RN and we truly belive I had a heatn stroke. This is the first time I realized I wasnt sweating anymore. I love to work outside and be outside in the summer it's what I live for. I'm so upset about this. Any suggestions as to what could have caused the recent change would be greatly appreciated. I feel like it has to be something that has changed recently due to the fact that for 4.5 yrs everything has been ok in that dept.Please Help!!

[goose]

walmart has these wraps that you soak in water and the gel inside soaks up the water. you can put em around your neck and wrist. i think they are called cool wraps. i can put my hands in cold -cool water which lowers my temp. in a hurry. the misters are okay but it dries up to fast for me. then i feel hottier than before.

i went to shepherd in atlanta. they put me on a daily aspirin but it made me too cold in winter. it's used as a blood thinner to prevent blood clots in your legs. i don't think it helps too much if you're out in the sun.

cool wrap or wet hand towell around neck works the best. try freezing them and keeping in cooler. even a wet t-shirt around neck will help.

[mike13]

I am a T-12/L-1/L-2 incomplete, and I have a real problem with temp. regulation, I mean I can breack a sweat on the toilet. and on top of that I have to wear a kind of rib brace rap around my abdomin because of attrify on the left side and subsequent hurniated lower intestine.
So this rap thing does nothing for the temp. regulation problem, I carry a sweat towel with me constantly and have been told by my Doc.O-well/sorry.
The spray bottle might help you but for me it just made me feel clammy after a couple of seconds.
Sorry I can't help more, But I really don't know what to do...