Solstice

Hey everyone🙂
this summer I ended up getting hit by a massive heatstroke while I was down at the beach... Usually, when I'm at the coast, I basically live in the water, but that one day the ocean was actually freezing, so I just sat on the sand for like 3 or 4 hours straight. Big mistake. Two days later, I couldn't even catch my breath and my blood pressure absolutely tanked. I spent an entire week just horizontal, sleeping constantly because of the low pressure. Once I finally started feeling human again, I got slammed with this brutal headache that wouldn't quit for a full week.
So, I'm curious—has anyone else dealt with heatstroke? What was that like for you?
Also, what are the odds of this happening again? Am I more likely to get hit by it next time compared to someone who’s never had it before? If you know what I mean...🙂

So, I dealt with a pretty nasty case of heatstroke a couple of days ago, and I’m still feeling pretty rough. Since we're at the end of the school year, I really need to be back on my feet if I want to pull my grades up. Does anyone have any experience with this or know a bit more about what to expect? I'm honestly just a little worried because I'm not sure when I'll be fully recovered.

thanks

Greetings to everyone. I would like to recount an incident from this past Thursday and, naturally, hear your thoughts on the matter.

I headed to the pool with the specific intention of working on my tan. I arrived around noon or 12:30 PM and spent most of my time basking in the sun. It was a scorching 90°F out there. I had zero head protection, and I hadn't eaten or drank anything all day. When I finally decided to head home around 7:00 PM, I took a cold shower. Once back at the house, somewhere around 8:30 or 9:00 PM, I experienced a sudden, intense bout of dizziness while standing in front of the mirror. I had to sit on the floor for a few minutes until it subsided slightly. Since I was alone, I called my sister and cousin to come over from the city. Once they arrived, I explained the situation and mentioned that the vertigo was still lingering, albeit less intense. We went straight to the ER. I gave the doctor a detailed account of my day. He checked my blood pressure, which was 140/90... high, certainly, though perhaps not extreme... but ideally, it should be lower given that I am only 21. He examined my pupils, which were somewhat dilated, and assured me there was nothing dangerous occurring—just something that might cause a bit of alarm. He gave me one and a half tablets to take immediately and instructed me to go home and rest, diagnosing it as heatstroke.

The following day around 5:00 PM, seeing as my condition had neither improved nor worsened, I returned to the ER. I didn't have a headache, just a slight fever, a racing heart, some mild nausea (though no vomiting), and a sense of lethargy and instability when standing. Upon returning to the emergency room, I explained everything and noted that I had been seen earlier by his colleague. He performed the same examination as the previous doctor and reiterated that it was heatstroke, noting it could persist for two or three days, perhaps longer. He prescribed two different medications to be taken three times a day for three days. Before leaving, feeling somewhat apprehensive, I asked if he was absolutely certain it was just heatstroke. He chuckled at my panic and insisted he was sure, telling me there was no reason to fear as nothing was life-threatening.

I am taking the medication, yet my condition hasn't significantly improved today. Aside from how I feel immediately upon waking, I continue to feel unstable after a period of time.

What are your experiences regarding this? Has anyone dealt with something similar? Your advice and perspectives would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

By the way, I asked my doctor if taking cold showers had anything to do with it. He told me it didn't, noting that if it were the case, I'd be showing signs of a common cold instead. So, he's sticking with the diagnosis of heatstroke...

I dealt with heatstroke years ago, and it was brutal—constant instability, dizzy spells, I even blacked out once.
The worst part? It lasted nearly a full week. So, please don't worry too much; what you're feeling is much milder, and you'll bounce back soon. Just make sure you stay hydrated, and honestly, try to be a bit more careful next time. Don't overdo it in the sun, wear a hat, and always keep a bottle of water handy.

James Fisher2 said:By the way, I asked my doctor if taking a cold shower mattered, and he told me it didn't—he said if it were an issue, I'd be showing signs of a cold by now. So, he's sticking with the diagnosis of heatstroke.

I forgot to mention: you should pick up some General Electric electrolyte powder to sip on. You've
likely lost a ton of electrolytes.

James Fisher2 said:I hit the pool intending to work on my tan. Showed up around noon or 12:30 PM and basically just baked under the sun all day. It was a scorching 90°F out there. No hat, no shade, and I didn't touch any food or water the entire day. By the time I headed home around 7:00 PM...

Why would anyone do that to themselves? Just sitting there roasting? And why skip food and water all day? Isn't there free water at the pool? Makes zero sense.

He probably forgot to stay hydrated...

I remember having a mild case of heatstroke back when I was just a kid. I basically spent the whole day running around in the sun without eating or drinking a single thing... just total negligence, I guess. By the time I finally made it home, my head was absolutely pounding. I went to lie down, but then someone started ringing the doorbell, so I forced myself up—only to pass out right at my sister's feet. The last thing I remember was being unconscious, and then suddenly we're pulling up to the ER, and I’m just sitting there thinking, *Wait, where are we going?*
I was out for about half an hour, and they ended up keeping me at the hospital for five days after that. Luckily, I didn't have any lasting side effects afterward.

Chloe Palmer75 said:I suffered from heatstroke years ago. It caused instability, dizziness, and even a blackout.
And yes, the recovery lasted nearly a week. Don't worry, yours is a milder case and you'll pull through. Just stay hydrated and try to use some common sense next time. Don't overdo the sun exposure; wear a hat and always keep a water bottle on hand.

Heh, thanks a lot... I'll certainly follow that advice. I'm already feeling better today. I finally turned on my PC to read the comments, whereas yesterday I was typing this all on my phone. The lightheadedness hasn't fully vanished, but it seems to be subsiding...

Chloe Palmer75 said:I forgot to mention you should grab some General Electric electrolyte powder to sip on. You’ve likely
lost your electrolytes.

To be honest, I'm not sure. As I mentioned, my doctor put me on some pills. So now... I'm hoping there aren't any side effects from the powder?

steelwalker26 said:Why would anyone do that to themselves, just sitting there roasting? Why go the whole day without eating or drinking anything? There’s free water by the pool, isn't there? It makes no sense.

Believe me, I’ve asked myself that exact same question and still haven't found an answer... :/ Of course, there is free water available.

amberpanther25 said:He probably just forgot to hydrate.

I had a mild case of heatstroke when I was a kid. I spent the entire day running around in the sun without eating or drinking anything. By the time I got home, my head was pounding. I went to lie down, but then someone knocked on the door... I stood up and just collapsed right at my sister's feet. I didn't come to until we were pulling up to the ER. It was such a shock... I didn't even realize where we were going.
I was unconscious for about half an hour, so they kept me at the hospital for five days. No lasting side effects after that.

Glad to hear everything turned out okay... Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and experiences. It means a lot.

First of all, I’d ask the moderators not to move this thread to another section, at least for a while. This has happened to me multiple times on this forum before, so I thought I’d mention it...

Here is the situation: almost exactly one month ago, I ran into an issue and posted about it here.
At the beginning of July, I was at the pool from noon until 7:00 PM. I spent most of that time sunbathing; I wasn't wearing a hat or anything, and I didn't eat or drink anything. I have no idea why I did that. Usually, I drink two or three liters of water every single day. That day, unfortunately, I didn't. Right before heading home from the pool, I took a cold shower. It was actually the first time in my life I had ever taken a cold shower, and I suppose I stayed under the water "a bit too long." When I got home, about two hours later, I was looking in the mirror when I felt dizzy... or perhaps everything just went black. I'm not sure which one it was. It lasted maybe a minute or two at most. I should note that I didn't have a headache at all. Afterward, I just felt weak and unsteady on my feet... I didn't have the dizziness or the vision blackout anymore, just that general weakness and instability while walking. That persisted for about 15 to 20 days. At first, doctors insisted it was heatstroke. Later, even they weren't entirely sure what was going on, though my primary care physician still maintains it was just a severe case of heatstroke, which explains why it lingered. I had blood work done anyway, thinking maybe I was anemic. To my surprise, the results were more than good; my blood count was actually excellent. As for medication, I barely used anything, and I didn't even finish the course I was prescribed.
I have appointments scheduled with a neurologist and a few other specialists toward the end of August.

Currently, and for the last ten days or so, I have been feeling great. One could say I have fully recovered. Those two initial symptoms that lingered for so long are gone. Occasionally, though, while I am speaking with someone, I feel a sort of "discomfort in my head"... I don't know how else to describe it. It isn't pain.

I am interested in your thoughts on all of this... I am a little concerned. I have never been sick before, so this has been somewhat disruptive to my daily routine. I am 21 years old.

Btw, just for peace of mind, I have been considering a brain scan... but I have read quite a bit about how the radiation isn't healthy and could potentially cause serious illnesses. What do you all think?

Thanks in advance, and I wish you all the best,

If you’ve been Googling heatstroke and heat exhaustion—which I’m betting you have—you’ve seen that it can actually be fatal in severe cases. That was a massive shock to your system. You probably owe your quick recovery to being young and having decent health, honestly. Minor blood pressure fluctuations caused by external factors like the heat or internal ones like an adrenaline spike cause everyone to feel "lightheaded" from time to time; it’s nothing out of the ordinary. You bounced back fast. Just be thankful you're okay and try to look out for yourself next time.

If you need any follow-up testing, your neurologist will be the one to tell you, but personally, I don't think you need to worry.

I dealt with a nasty case of heatstroke a long time ago. Honestly, it was worse than what you're going through—the dizziness, the loss of balance... I couldn't even keep my eyes closed or open. Everything was just dark, disorienting, and full of strange flashes of light.
It was miserable. It took about two months to fully recover, and I ended up in the ER a few times.
It hasn't happened again since. I remember they kept saying my potassium levels were low, so they were constantly pumping me full of IV fluids and supplements.

Could be dehydration too... back when I was like 17, I had a massive heatstroke and ended up stuck in the hospital for 9 days. 😁 I was dizzy, blacking out, had burns, was puking, and the weirdest part—my whole face swelled up. Like my cheeks and chin were totally puffy; they actually thought I’d been bitten by something at first. It all hit me the day after I spent all day playing beach volleyball under the sun. I remember them checking my calcium levels and giving me an injection for it (which was brutal), so maybe check that? And yeah, even though it was like 90 degrees out, I had the chills, and even two Tylenols didn't touch it. 🙂 They didn't even bother with a head scan for me, just some other tests 🙂

Hey everyone—I really hope this thread hasn't gone cold... I’m reaching out because I could use some advice or maybe just a bit of guidance from those who've been there. About eight days ago, I suffered what I assume was either heat exhaustion or a full-blown heat stroke—honestly, I'm not entirely sure which one it was. I ended up in the ER twice in the interim, but my blood work and EKG results came back perfectly fine. The doctors are insisting that, based on the clinical data, I am completely healthy... which is great, I suppose, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm still dealing with the exact issues people have mentioned above. Every single day, I’m hit with this overwhelming sense of weakness; I just can't say I feel "fresh" or energized at all. When I'm just hanging out in my room, things seem okay... but the moment I try to go for a walk, it feels like I haven't slept in a hundred years. It’s even getting hard to focus my eyes on objects... Some days feel a little better, only for me to wake up the next morning feeling even worse than the day before. Please, if you have any advice, I'd love to hear it. How long did a recovery like this take for you? And was there anything specific you ate, drank, or did to help speed things along?... Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone. I dealt with two nasty cases of heatstroke this past summer. The first time, I was foolish enough to walk around without a hat for maybe 20 minutes, and by the time I got home, my head was absolutely splitting.
The second time, I stepped outside at work for just five minutes during the peak of the afternoon heat and got hit with the exact same thing. Later that night, when I tried to sleep, the nausea and fever hit me hard—I was shivering uncontrollably in bed even though it was mid-summer.
I was pretty naive back then; didn't bother seeing a doctor, which honestly, looking back, could have been fatal.

Is it becoming "normal" to get heatstroke just because summers are getting hotter, or am I just cursed? Between my pale skin and thinning hair, I guess I’m just a walking target for the sun. Any advice?

So, I’ve been dealing with heatstroke for a few days now; the last time I went through something like this was way back in 2005, when I spent my time huddled in a dark, freezing room with ice packs pressed against my forehead,
but lately, I’ve just had this persistent headache, a general sense of weakness, sluggishness, and a total sensitivity to light—I feel like I'm checking off every single symptom on the list. For weeks, I’ve been spending some time out in the
sun 😵during my lunch breaks, nothing too long, but doing it every single day apparently caught up with me. It was strange because yesterday morning I actually felt fine, but then by the afternoon, the weakness and the headache just hit me out of nowhere; I seem to feel okay only when I'm sitting right under the AC...
I’m hoping it passes soon, since in the past it usually only lasted a day or two, but this time it's dragging on. I'm making sure to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest, so...

I was reading online that after a heatstroke, it’s not uncommon for the headaches to linger for up to a week.

wanderingpanther68 said:I’ve been dealing with heatstroke for a few days now; the last time this happened was way back in 2005, when I had to spend my time resting in a dark, cold room with ice packs pressed against my forehead.
But the headaches have been constant for several days, accompanied by weakness, sluggishness, and a sensitivity to light—it feels like I’m checking off every single symptom on the list. For weeks, I’ve been spending some time out in the
sun 😵, nothing too long, but doing it every day has clearly taken its toll. Yesterday morning I felt perfectly fine, only to be hit by that familiar wave of exhaustion and pain by the afternoon; staying under the AC seems to be the only thing providing relief.
I suppose it will pass eventually, though in the past, it usually only lasted a day or two, whereas this time it's dragging on. I'm making sure to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest.

I read somewhere that the headaches following heatstroke can persist for up to a week.

Make sure to drink some General Electric electrolyte solutions to replenish what you've lost.