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Just want to throw this out there, this is a thing that happened to me on June 24. That's the Saturday I was doing a screening at Eyesore. I figured I'd get a haircut and Shain knew a place on Dundas that was cheap and good. So we got on our bikes and headed up to Dundas. Maybe a mile and a quarter, uphill. It was in the mid 70s and muggy that day; uncomfortable, but it didn't seem too extreme. Definitely didn't feel "hot."
Anyway, once I got up the hill to Dundas I had to sit down. I was feeling light headed, that kind of feeling you get when you've been squatting to dig through a longbox of comics at a comics show and then you stand up suddenly, that head rush sort of light-headedness. So I sat down for a bit and caught my breath, and then we went up and down Dundas trying to find this hair stylist.
We finally found the stylist and I locked my bike up. Feeling light headed again. While I was waiting for Shain to lock her bike up I went over and leaned against the wall to wait.
Next thing I know, I am on the ground, waking up from what seemed like a really nice nap, and three complete strangers are asking me if I'm OK. Yup, I passed out like a junkie, right there on the sidewalk. Shain was still locking up her bike so I couldn't have been out longer than a few seconds.
And no, I didn't bring water with me. I hadn't had any liquids other than that morning's coffee. So yeah. Dehydrated, exhausted, humid, hot - heat exhaustion.
I bumped the back of my head, kind of scraped my leg and my arm, but otherwise I was OK. I sat up, called "Hey Shain, I think I had a medical emergency just now." She finished locking up her bike and came over and we went inside the salon, I took a seat and she went out to get me some Gatorade.
The upside is that I got a really good haircut, only my second post-COVID cut (my first was a MagiCuts that was one of the worst haircuts I've ever had) and the salon lady sends everyone home with a bag full of boxes of Kleenex. No, I don't know why. But it's appreciated.
After the haircut and some hydration and some calm sitting down time, we got back on our bikes and made it home, and I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking water and taking it easy. The Eyesore show went well - still super hot and humid and their space isn't air conditioned, but we had a lot of cold drinks for everybody.
I've since done a lot more cycling through the city and so far I haven't had any more heat exhaustion episodes. I'm getting hydrated before we leave and I'm bringing water along and so far things are fine.
Still deeply disturbed at my body basically shutting down on me. It's absolutely unsettling in a way I've never experienced. And, of course, heat exhaustion has gone from being a thing that might happen maybe sometime, to a thing that has happened to me, and will happen in the future if I don't look out for it.
I'm told it's a thing we become more susceptible to as we age, so my warning to you all is, look out for that devil, keep him away with fluids, lots and lots of fluids.
Anyway, once I got up the hill to Dundas I had to sit down. I was feeling light headed, that kind of feeling you get when you've been squatting to dig through a longbox of comics at a comics show and then you stand up suddenly, that head rush sort of light-headedness. So I sat down for a bit and caught my breath, and then we went up and down Dundas trying to find this hair stylist.
We finally found the stylist and I locked my bike up. Feeling light headed again. While I was waiting for Shain to lock her bike up I went over and leaned against the wall to wait.
Next thing I know, I am on the ground, waking up from what seemed like a really nice nap, and three complete strangers are asking me if I'm OK. Yup, I passed out like a junkie, right there on the sidewalk. Shain was still locking up her bike so I couldn't have been out longer than a few seconds.
And no, I didn't bring water with me. I hadn't had any liquids other than that morning's coffee. So yeah. Dehydrated, exhausted, humid, hot - heat exhaustion.
I bumped the back of my head, kind of scraped my leg and my arm, but otherwise I was OK. I sat up, called "Hey Shain, I think I had a medical emergency just now." She finished locking up her bike and came over and we went inside the salon, I took a seat and she went out to get me some Gatorade.
The upside is that I got a really good haircut, only my second post-COVID cut (my first was a MagiCuts that was one of the worst haircuts I've ever had) and the salon lady sends everyone home with a bag full of boxes of Kleenex. No, I don't know why. But it's appreciated.
After the haircut and some hydration and some calm sitting down time, we got back on our bikes and made it home, and I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking water and taking it easy. The Eyesore show went well - still super hot and humid and their space isn't air conditioned, but we had a lot of cold drinks for everybody.
I've since done a lot more cycling through the city and so far I haven't had any more heat exhaustion episodes. I'm getting hydrated before we leave and I'm bringing water along and so far things are fine.
Still deeply disturbed at my body basically shutting down on me. It's absolutely unsettling in a way I've never experienced. And, of course, heat exhaustion has gone from being a thing that might happen maybe sometime, to a thing that has happened to me, and will happen in the future if I don't look out for it.
I'm told it's a thing we become more susceptible to as we age, so my warning to you all is, look out for that devil, keep him away with fluids, lots and lots of fluids.
