Working outside in high heat / high humidity

[jpinard]

A few days ago I planted 15 tiny groundcover plants at 8:00 pm in the evening. It was still hot out - about 85* and 90% humidity. I had my oxygen on, but the humidity rendered it nearly useless as my nasal canulas were quickly overrun with moisture. It took me about an hour to finish as I had to take frequent breaks, and days later I am still exhausted from the effort. Because of my CF I lose ~10x the amount of salt (in sweat) vs. what a normal person does - but I compensated by drinking a lot of Gatorade during the outing.

This is a frustrating situation since I want to try and get some more stuff down outside this summer, but I can't seem to find a way to cope with the heat/humidity without killing my body. It will be nice out for a couple of days, but then it'll be miserable again beyond. In fact, I can't imagine going back out right now since I have no decent way to "cope". So, if anyone has some ideas/ways they deal with this, please post here. Any idea - no matter how unorthodox would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to be stuck inside until September.

[Lunch of Kong]

Ideas:

1. Hire someone to do the work for $5 an hour.

2. Get up at 6am and be back in the house by 9am.

[Cold Blooded]

Climate any better at night?

[jpinard]

If I had the money I'd hire someone. I don't.

Night and Morning... sometimes it is better. I'm a night owl and have large spotlights I sometimes drag out whe the sun goes down. The problem is the humidity/dew point casuing moisture in the Oxygen lines. And of course sweating like an overcooked cheese hot dog.

I see people on tv work in miserable conditions. Those working in the awful heat/humidity on the clean-up in New Orleans etc. I just don't know how they do it. The fact I have health issues doesn't change the fact I want to do stuff regardless of how shitty I feel. In decent weather I power through intense pain - but heat/humidty does something I can't seem to cope with.

[Bullhajj]

You get used to it. Wear a wide brim straw hat.

[Mark Crump]

This may sound overly obvious, but what about simply keeping an eye on the weather forecasts and working when it's cool out? It sounds like waiting until today--when it's nicer--wouldn't have been so bad. Where do you live? Is it humid from now to September?

Ask for help. I can't remember if you're married, but have your wife help.

Keep the car running you're close to driveway and crank the AC.

Keep hydrated, which is what you are doing. Keep that up.

Stagger the workload. Do a half hour in the morning a half hour at night.

Maybe keep a sprinkler going with cold water might help. Not enough to drench you, but enough to give you that "oh, that felt good" feeling.

[John Merva]

Humidity is just one of those things that you are either able to cope with or you have to get used to gradually.

Don't try to do massive sessions in one go - that way lies madness. Do half an hour, or however long you feel you can and then take a break in the shade until you feel you can go on. Gradual acclimatization is the way forward.

You are on the right track with Gatorade - sports drinks like that are the way forward to replacing fluids when working but also remember to keep hydrated even when you think you are doing nothing.

Loose clothing may help, as well as the hat suggestion already posted.

Otherwise, working at night may well be your only option.

I really do hope you find a way to enjoy working in the garden and make the most of the summer days - I spent a summer working in my ex-in-laws garden and rice field in Japan and, whilst it was hot as hell and punishing work, there was an immense feeling of satisfaction in the evening. The first beer afterwards tastes great too!!

[wisefool]

How about keeping the garden hose around and having some fun. Every 20 mins or so sprinkle yourself and get drenched. The gentlest breeze will feel very soothing. Course, don't want to catch a cold so don't overdo it.

Since it's a garden and not powertools dripping water shouldn't be a problem.

[krayzkrok]

In terms of hydration alone, if you're going to be working outside in hot, humid conditions you should really start hydrating yourself a few hours in advance, as well as drink electrolytes and water when you're out there. For a normal person it's generally recommended that they drink a minimum of 6 litres in a 24 hour period when doing a lot of work outside in such conditions. In your situation this would certainly be higher.

[MatthewF]

I suppose you could try one of those personal coolers you wear around your neck. They actually do work. You won't sweat as much, at least.

[Euri]

You don't catch a cold by being cold. The hose idea is a good one.

Also, I think having CF gives you an automatic out when it comes to activities like that.

[CounterMeasure]

My grandmother was an avid gardner up until she had a stroke. But a few years before that, she was on oxygen, and used to tend to her garden with this little tank. This was in very south Texas where the humidity is over 80% almost all the damn time. She used to use what the doctor's called a "dry tank" which was specifically for prolonged use outside or in high humidty levels. I believe it had a higher amount of nitrogen in it. It didn't give her as much oxygen, but she used to use that and had no problems with humidity and so forth.

She also used to tote one of those normal house box fans outside with her on an extension cord to blow air around to help keep cool. Maybe you can try that to help evaporate the sweat faster and keep you cooler.

[jpinard]

Wow, you guys always come through. I had never thought of taking a fan outside and that is a great idea (we get very little breeze in our backyard).

Didn't realize I should hydrate before I get going. I thought I'd just be wasting my precious Gatorade if I did that.

A surprising problem I have in terms of getting doused (via sprinkler) is not being able to keep the concentrated sweat out of my eyes. Even wearing a sweatband I can't keep the sweat out, and it's about like pouring salt straight into your eyes - painful and blinding for short periods of time. But a box fan would help dry things out a bit. I can just buy a cheap one, keep in in the garage, and lug it out. I have extension cords strung all over my yard already.

CounterMeasure - I hate to ask as I don't know if your Grandmother is still around or how functional she might be... but I can't find any information on a dry tank with Nitrogen and it's not listed as an option with my pulmonary group. I've had no luck with Google yet, so if you have time sometime & can provide any direction that'd be great. My therapist told me, "You don't fit into the typical O2 using demographic. No one else goes outside." Also, with only 2-3 hot/humid months a year here, they may not be setup/familiar with it.

Scry - personal cooler-collars really work? I'll have to look into one.

[Ed Solomon]

I don't know if they work, but the cooling collars that use the Peltier effect look very cool in a Tony Stark kind of way. Sharper Image doesn't seem to make them anymore but there is always eBay. (http://cgi.ebay.com/SHARPER-IMAGE-PERSONAL-WARM-COOL-SYSTEM-PELTIER-NEW_W0QQitemZ280129079390QQihZ018QQcategoryZ294QQc mdZViewItem)

These kind of cooling vests (http://www.coolsport.net/index2.html), however, look more robust and effective. Though 136 bucks (http://69.20.87.87/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=13) hires a lot of hard-working Mexican immigrants to work in your yard.

[bloo]

http://www.crystalbay.net/solarworks/images/safari.jpg

My late grandfather got one of these 25 years ago or so and swore by it (he was a sports fisherman who spent 3 days a week on the lakes).

You can get them in various places, and some have a battery backup.
http://www.crystalbay.net/solarworks/solar-hat.html
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72808.asp?promo=new_items

[Hanzii]

Someone go do JP's garden allready.
He'll get the beer and pizza and you can play games after.


Actually I read a great article about a group of men my age that formed a club to help old/handicapped with garden work - not because the wanted to form a charity, but because they wanted a club and needed some activity to do together and weren't into sports.
They'd show up wearing tuxedos, do the gardening for a few hours, and only accept drinks as tips.

[John Merva]

Didn't realize I should hydrate before I get going. I thought I'd just be wasting my precious Gatorade if I did that.


You should be able to buy the sachets of drinks like Gatorade so that you can make your own. That way you can just make up massive batches and not have to worry about running out or wasting it.

[Mandrel]

The thing about hydration:
If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated, and it takes the body a while to absorb anything that you drink. Like others have said, the best approach is to drink copious amounts of fluids throughout the day to keep your levels up, even when you don't "feel thirsty".

[wisefool]

I know if I gulp down water my stomach flushes the stuff right to my bladder. If I drink slowly it starts going like, I better savor this stuff. If you munch on something (a cookie?) with water I think the water takes longer to absorb as well. That could be just me.

As for the colds. Getting a cold is a function of probability where as the immune system drops the chance of getting one increases. Being around
bogger-sharing kids (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9581792/) greatly increases chance as well.

Just make sure you don't have surprise thundershowers with the fan thought!

[magnet]

As for the colds. Getting a cold is a function of probability where as the immune system drops the chance of getting one increases.
A common layman's misconception, not supported by scientific evidence. For example, see:

Acute cooling of the body surface and the common cold.
Eccles R
Rhinology. 2002 Sep ; 40(3): 109-14

[jpinard]

If that solar hat keeps my head from sweating so much, that would be golden.

I got a cheap box fan from Lowes today (just $10) and it's great! Put it on the patio table, and when I take my breaks I get blasted with moving air. I didn't realize how little air movement we had back there.

[CounterMeasure]

CounterMeasure - I hate to ask as I don't know if your Grandmother is still around or how functional she might be... but I can't find any information on a dry tank with Nitrogen and it's not listed as an option with my pulmonary group. I've had no luck with Google yet, so if you have time sometime & can provide any direction that'd be great. My therapist told me, "You don't fit into the typical O2 using demographic. No one else goes outside." Also, with only 2-3 hot/humid months a year here, they may not be setup/familiar with it.


No worries, ask away. She's been dead for 7 or 8 years, so this was 8 or 9 years ago when she was still tilling away in her garden. The only other thing I remember was that it wasn't a continous feed system. It would give little buffs of air at certain intervals she set on the value. Unfortunately I can't give you much more information than that.

[Euri]

Yeah air movement is key. Air is a GREAT insulator when completely still, but it's a lousy insulator when moving.

[marxeil]

jpinard, I want to to ask something which is of course non of my business so you might want to tell me to go to hell or something if its rude - a friend of mine from high school has CF. His condition was deteriorating rapidly, and by his 18 birthday doctors gave him months at best. Anyway he got a heart and lungs transplant and his life was saved. That was almost 20 years ago.
Is that an option for you?
Again, sorry if this is rude.

[jpinard]

jpinard, I want to to ask something which is of course non of my business so you might want to tell me to go to hell or something if its rude - a friend of mine from high school has CF. His condition was deteriorating rapidly, and by his 18 birthday doctors gave him months at best. Anyway he got a heart and lungs transplant and his life was saved. That was almost 20 years ago.
Is that an option for you?
Again, sorry if this is rude.

Yes it certainly is, and at some point I will be going on the organ wait list. I'm putting off going on the list for as long as possible because being on a ventilator again scares the crap out of me. As for right now, there are probably other Cystics who need lungs worse than me, so I plan on waiting it out as long as I can before making the move.

CounterMeasure - If you can find out anything about the tank system she used. I can't find any information a dry Nitro-O2 mix (would that be Nitrous Oxide)? Or maybe even if you remember the name of the her supplier then I could call them. I know its asking a lot because it happened so long ago, but something little things stick with people

[marxeil]

Yes it certainly is, and at some point I will be going on the organ wait list. I'm putting off going on the list for as long as possible because being on a ventilator again scares the crap out of me. As for right now, there are probably other Cystics who need lungs worse than me, so I plan on waiting it out as long as I can before making the move.
I hope all will go well.
This friend was told after the surgery that he has to do sport. He took up swimming very seriously. I saw him after a few years and he was BIG. All mussles - I hope this will encourge you.

[MikeJ]

CounterMeasure - If you can find out anything about the tank system she used. I can't find any information a dry Nitro-O2 mix (would that be Nitrous Oxide)?

I think the point of adding Nitrogren back in is to move it back towards the composition of the regular atmosphere. So it makes it a mix of N2 and O2. Nitrous Oxide is N2O (laughing gas) in the oxygen line would probably not have the effect you're looking for.

[dannimal]

But the humidity might bother him less.

[secretary]

Loose clothing may help, as well as the hat suggestion already posted.

Also pay attention to what kind of clothing you wear. Anything with high amounts of nylon or rayon is the textile equivalent of wearing a plastic bag. Try to wear natural fibers like cotton or linen, fabrics that "breathe." It seems like a little thing, but it makes a big difference!

[Squirrel Killer]

You should be able to buy the sachets of drinks like Gatorade so that you can make your own. That way you can just make up massive batches and not have to worry about running out or wasting it.
Pardon the tangent, but I'm an idiot and can't keep my fool mouth shut.

Anyway, have you ever had the experience where you hear/see something for the first time ever (at least so you think), and then you hear it all over the place? I remember in high school, an English teacher said, "... and more power to them." I joked that he used such a bizarre phrase. And then I started to hear that phrase everywhere, casual conversations, TV, books, etc...

So anyway, last night I'm reading The Stand and run across the word "sachet." Never heard it before, sounds from context like something someone would have with them, maybe I'll look it up tomorrow if I remember to. And here it is again. So now I'm sitting here expected Fox to announce a hilarious new sitcom called "Sachets" for the fall.

So now I have to ask... have y'all been using this word behind my back, and it just now leaked to me, have I just been blind to this everyday word for the last thirty some odd years, or are Merva and Stephen King just weird?

[John Merva]

Pardon the tangent, but I'm an idiot and can't keep my fool mouth shut.

Anyway, have you ever had the experience where you hear/see something for the first time ever (at least so you think), and then you hear it all over the place? I remember in high school, an English teacher said, "... and more power to them." I joked that he used such a bizarre phrase. And then I started to hear that phrase everywhere, casual conversations, TV, books, etc...

So anyway, last night I'm reading The Stand and run across the word "sachet." Never heard it before, sounds from context like something someone would have with them, maybe I'll look it up tomorrow if I remember to. And here it is again. So now I'm sitting here expected Fox to announce a hilarious new sitcom called "Sachets" for the fall.

So now I have to ask... have y'all been using this word behind my back, and it just now leaked to me, have I just been blind to this everyday word for the last thirty some odd years, or are Merva and Stephen King just weird?

sachet [ˈsӕʃei, (American) sӕˈʃei] noun

a (small) sealed packet containing a product in liquid or powder form
Example: a sachet of shampoo

Arabic: كيس صَغير
Chinese (Simplified): 小包装袋
Chinese (Traditional): 小包裝袋
Czech: balíček, polštářek
Danish: brev
Dutch: sachet
Estonian: kotike
Finnish: pussi
French: sachet
German: das Duftkissen
Greek: σακουλάκι
Hungarian: zacskó
Icelandic: smápoki
Italian: sacchetto, bustina
Japanese: 小袋
Korean: (향수·향 가루를 넣은) 주머니
Latvian: maisiņš
Lithuanian: maišelis
Norwegian: porsjonspakning
Polish: torebeczka, saszetka
Portuguese (Brazil): sachê
Portuguese (Portugal): saquinho
Romanian: pliculeţ
Russian: саше; пакетик
Slovak: vrecúško
Slovenian: vrečica
Spanish: saquito, bolsita
Swedish: påse, kudde
Turkish: torba, poşet



Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.


I think it is a fairly normal word, used by most people.Of course, I could be wrong about that! :)

If it helps, what I was referring to were the powdered concentrates that you just add water to in order to make a number of energy drinks such as Pocari Sweat. I would assume Gatorade makes them as well. Saves buying the bottles and I believe they are cheaper too.

[Nellie]

or are Merva and Stephen King just weird

I'm thinking the weirdness isn't with Merva or King.


SACHET!

[dannimal]

Also pay attention to what kind of clothing you wear. Anything with high amounts of nylon or rayon is the textile equivalent of wearing a plastic bag. Try to wear natural fibers like cotton or linen, fabrics that "breathe." It seems like a little thing, but it makes a big difference!

If you're sweating a lot, stay away from cotton. It does a poor job of letting the moisture it does absorb evaporate, so you end up wearing a heavy, soaked shirt.

Instead, look for running shirts (microfiber). They're much better feeling if you're sweating a lot.