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Staying Cool in the Heat with PH
Summer’s here and the temperature is rising, which makes living with a chronic lung condition a lot more difficult. Having PH puts you at risk of serious complications, such as heat stroke, dehydration and exhaustion. However, the Pulmonary Hypertension Associaton (PHA) has some handy tips to make life more bearable (and safe) during the summer months.
Check out PHA’s 7 tips to staying cool in the heat here:Â 7 Tips to Get You Through the Hot Weather With Pulmonary Hypertension
Would you add any other tips to this list?
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6 Replies
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The Summer is getting more and more difficult for me ! It was once my favorite time of the year but now it comes with so much added fatigue. I would definitely try to get in to see a PH specialist or your pulmonary doctor before the summer months and warmer weather. If you are becoming more symptomatic like increased fatigue, more shortness of breath, more swelling, etc it would be good to develop some type of treatment plan with them BEFORE getting into the extremely warm stretch of days. I just recently got in to see my doctor and they perscribed an extra lasix for the excess water retention that even “healthy” people are more susceptible to in the summer. They also gave me an extra inhaler to take for my increased shortness of breath in the heat! Some things can be fixed by lifestyle changes and more awareness to how your body is feeling, but for others medication adjustment may be helpful this time of year !
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I never thought heat factored in with my lung disease, but thanks for bringing up these points.
My biggest problem is sweating too much (hyperhidrosis), and I think it’s my metabolism trying to compensate for not having enough energy via conventional burning w/adequate oxygen. I hear excessive sweating is a big problem in people with reduced lung function.
At least where I live, if you don’t like the weather, in a few months it’ll be the exact opposite. Then we trade 90F and pressure cooker humidity for snow and temperatures close to zero.
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Hi VK,
thanks again for your responses and contributions to the forums. I totally agree that sweating has always been a huge problem for me. When I was younger with congenital heart disease, I would sweat a TON and turn dark dark red almost like a plum color when I was playing sports. As far back as I remember I seemed to have this trouble with sweating and not being able to regulate my body temperature. When I do activity I always sweat too much but when I am resting I seem to be either freezing cold or feel like I’m having a hot flash! There is no in between . -
Those of you who are affected by heat this time of year, how are you managing so far? How will you take care of yourself when the temperature rises?
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Hey @Colleen and everyone, how’s the heat treating you? We’ve had the AC running for the past few days, and it looks like we’ll need it through tomorrow—it seems like we’re in the midst of a heatwave.
How is the heat and humidity where you are, and how is it affecting your PH? Are you staying indoors and staying hydrated?
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@jen-cueva It was over 100 here in South Jersey. Thank God we managed the expense and put in the new air conditioning! I stepped out to get the mail, and the heat took my breath away. I hope everyone experiencing this kind of heat is finding ways to keep cool and take care of themselves!
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