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I know this comes up fairly often, but I bring it up again to remind everyone to concentrate on staying hydrated.
Last Saturday I got a little dehydrated and got muscle cramps. In spite of drinking 2-3 quarts of water during the first 3 hours of work, by the fourth hour I was starting to have spasms in my back and arms and hand (trimming job, about 85 out and high humidity) After three hours the homeowner brought me a peach so i took a break enjoyed her hospitality. Then I went to the truck to clean off some of the grime and pick off a few yew clippings that had gotten down my shirt. While picking one off of my neck, I noticed that after I pulled the skin away from my neck, it did not snap back but gradually slid back. At this point in the day I had thought I was drinking plenty of water. I realized I hadn't though, because of the way the skin did not return quickly. I wasn't yet feeling any effects of dehydration, so it kind of surprised me. I knew that this was a sign of it though because of having to treat my wifes cat at home with subcutaneous injections to keep her hydrated during her last weeks of suffering from kidney failure. We were given syringes and solution, and taught how to check her for when she might need an injection to rehydrate her. The test was to pinch and pull up some of the skin from the back of her neck and watch to see how fast it slid back. If it didn't snap back fast, time for fluids. In my case last saturday, it was too late when I noticed it to ward off all the problems. I started drinking more often while at that job, then stopped home and drank more water, grabbed some powerade and had two glasses of water, 15 minutes apart, with 1/2 t. salt in each. After that break I went on to the next job. As a result the cramps lasted only a short while as opposed to thru the night. So, I'll sound a bit like the oatmeal guy, when he's talking about diabetes and say " check yourself and check yourself often". Drink up on those hot days!
Last Saturday I got a little dehydrated and got muscle cramps. In spite of drinking 2-3 quarts of water during the first 3 hours of work, by the fourth hour I was starting to have spasms in my back and arms and hand (trimming job, about 85 out and high humidity) After three hours the homeowner brought me a peach so i took a break enjoyed her hospitality. Then I went to the truck to clean off some of the grime and pick off a few yew clippings that had gotten down my shirt. While picking one off of my neck, I noticed that after I pulled the skin away from my neck, it did not snap back but gradually slid back. At this point in the day I had thought I was drinking plenty of water. I realized I hadn't though, because of the way the skin did not return quickly. I wasn't yet feeling any effects of dehydration, so it kind of surprised me. I knew that this was a sign of it though because of having to treat my wifes cat at home with subcutaneous injections to keep her hydrated during her last weeks of suffering from kidney failure. We were given syringes and solution, and taught how to check her for when she might need an injection to rehydrate her. The test was to pinch and pull up some of the skin from the back of her neck and watch to see how fast it slid back. If it didn't snap back fast, time for fluids. In my case last saturday, it was too late when I noticed it to ward off all the problems. I started drinking more often while at that job, then stopped home and drank more water, grabbed some powerade and had two glasses of water, 15 minutes apart, with 1/2 t. salt in each. After that break I went on to the next job. As a result the cramps lasted only a short while as opposed to thru the night. So, I'll sound a bit like the oatmeal guy, when he's talking about diabetes and say " check yourself and check yourself often". Drink up on those hot days!
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