Here in the Deep South, we are experiencing our first gnarly extreme heat wave of the summer with heat indexes expected to be between 104 and 107 all week.
Oh my word.
While that isn’t pleasant anyway – and you lulu summer loving people should probably just carry on now and return for my next post (bahaha) – for spoonies with heat intolerance – which is many of us – it is a major problem.
Even in more moderate weather, between my autoimmune diseases and my medications, my body temperature is an issue and we keep our house 67 degrees year round.
(My family is so kind to do this – and often seen in hoodies and socks with blankets themselves to keep me from melting. ❤ )
That said, when the temps reach this level, it isn’t good for anyone – and this body of mine simply can’t handle it. I am extremely sensitive to heat and sunlight – and missed a great chance to be a vampire 😉 – so I’ve had to move entirely inside during the daytime hours this week.
Exposure to this kind of weather (at least for me) can: massively increase fatigue, cause shifts in blood volume resulting in dizziness, heart palpitations, and even fainting, cause me to overheat much more quickly than a healthy person because my body doesn’t regulate temperature very well, and trigger a nasty – oh so very nasty – flare (a HUGE problem), among other things.
Here is a brief post another spoonie wrote on weather and autoimmune disease that is great for some additional insight:
We also have air quality warnings in my area, another issue for spoonies and other sensitive groups, like those with lung issues.
Also, I am giving thanks to the Lord to be so fortunate to be able to stay indoors and out of this punishing heat. I am thinking of, and praying for, those who aren’t as protected from it, that they will be safe and well, especially as the forecast is only showing it getting hotter for the next week.
(I am thankful that the City of Birmingham is opening cooling stations for our unhoused friends and neighbors. This is so important.)
https://www.al.com/news/2022/06/birmingham-opens-cooling-station.html
For my fellow spoonies who are dealing with this, of course, the best advice is to stay out of this heat as much as possible. However, in addition to that – and because we can’t just hide under a rock until October, here are a few suggestions to deal with heat intolerance from Kate the (Almost) Great that are helpful:
Like everything else, this is manageable. It’s just important to be aware and really cautious when the weather is this extreme.
Push those fluids and do your best Drac, everybody. 🙂
As always, onward. ❤
Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Grace and Blessings.
the autoimmune hippie. 