So remember how just a few weeks ago I put up a post about how to avoid heat exhaustion?
Well, it really is all good advice, but sometimes, it is just to deathly hot outside.
I was working the livery on Thursday, ya know, with the animals. Pony ride and petting zoo, that kind of thing. I was thoroughly enjoying myself until we broke 100 degrees.
I had been drinking water all day AND taking in sodium. After lunch I went to Smoot Hall and put some ice in my handkerchief to tie around my neck. I stayed in the shade as much as possible. I did everything I could to avoid heat exhaustion.
It wasn't quite enough though. I was doing okay until about 3:30, and I was completely hydrated. But all of the sudden my head felt like it was trying to split in two and I felt like I couldn't see straight.
I knew I needed to get cooled down NOW.
I was in charge of pony rides at that current moment, and we had guests coming, and the vignette team was also coming on down the road. As the people come up I apologize to them and say "It is going to be just a moment on your pony rides, I need to go grab a co-worker. The heat is getting to me a little bit". And considering everyone wanted to be dead from the heat, they understood.
I walk (stumble) over to the petting corral and yell to Isaiah, "Can you grab Brent to run pony rides? I have got to get cooled off, I do NOT feel good."
As soon as I see Brent walking over, I apologize again and originally was going to head to the hospital (not a working one, it's a replica of the Desseret Hospital and the basement is the employee lounge. It's air conditioned.) But I quickly realize I am not going to make it that far.
As I'm walking past the Vignette team April mouths to me, "Are you okay?" I shake my head and say no.
I make it to the bathrooms behind the school house, just across and down a little from the livery. I make it to the last stall and I start taking clothes off. I NEEDED to get cooled off. I manage to get my boots, (You wouldn't believe how much heat shoes can hold in.) socks and shirt off before wave one of throwing up came around. There goes all my lunch.
After a few minutes of that, I stop long enough to get my pants off. (Which also hold in a lot of heat) and lie against the wall, which was fairly cool.
I hear someone come in, and I think it was a co-worker mostly because I glanced under the walls and saw that they had a basket and a bonnet, and not to many guests walk around with those.
However, I lacked the energy to say anything. So she left, and I feel wave two of throwing up coming, which sucks because everything in my stomach was already gone.
So sure enough, round two hits, and as I'm in the middle of throwing up again, some guests walk in and I hear "Are you okay?" I manage to moan "No" in between heaves. Then these wonderful guests ask "Can I do anything for you?" and between heaves again, I manage to say I need someone to go to the livery. (I knew thats where the closest co-workers were) and was able to inform them that I was an employee. The one lady asked my name, and then left. Her daughter stayed in the bathroom. "Do you need anything?" I had finally finished round two by this point. I pretty much said that I needed to get cooled off, that I had heat exhaustion.
Around this point I hear Isaiah come in. (Yes, that was a girl.) And she told me that someone had called Holly and she was on her way. (My boss)
Isaiah stays until Holly gets there, but then she has to get back to the Livery, we were a little short handed. Holly comes in and after first making sure that I wasn't dead asks what happened. I said "I don't know, it's never hit me like this. Usually I can tell it's coming and I can keep it under control. It just came out of no where." That's when I was forgiven for not telling her sooner. Because I didn't know until it was happening.
She tells me she is going to go grab a dress to cover me and grab the golf cart to take me to Smoot, (another blessed air conditioned building) and April was going to wait outside the stall while she was gone.
As April is waiting, round three of throwing up hits. I keep apologizing because I know it sounds gross. She just wanted to make sure that I didn't pass out. I've been lucky and I've never actually passed out from heat exhaustion before. I just get sick and want to be dead. That headache is pretty much the worst thing ever.
Holly gets back just as round three finished, they get me into a dress so I'm in something besides underwear and an undershirt to travel. She takes me to Smoot Hall, and I go to Cliff's office to lie down on his couch (best couch in the world, I want it for my bed) Cliff had already left for the day. Holly comes back with two bags of ice. She puts one under my head and one on my stomach, so we can get my core cooled down. And then I lie there for 45 ish minutes before Holly decides I am good enough to stand up.
Also, the vignette team brought me a powerade while I was down in Cliff's office. Because they are awesome like that. They also offered to drive me home, except no one knew how to drive stick and thats what my car is.
Then Holly came back and she gave me a ride to my car, I then came home and did nothing on my couch all day, it was great.
And since my goal of not getting heat exhaustion at all this summer is no longer happening, the new goal is to get it less than last year. It was three times last year. So hopefully no more this year.
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