Monday, July 8, 2013

Its Monday ....... and that heat wave finally broke! yeay...(the crowd cheers)

Thank goodness for a break in the heat wave.  By this past Sunday, the heat wave that was originally supposed to be a five days long, lasted more like 10 days.  I was never so glad to spend money...my husband bought a small a/c unit for the bedroom.  It only was enough to cool down our room, but we have a slightly bigger one in the living room, and between the two, they kept the house tolerable.  The other bedrooms were completely cooled down, but they were at least livable.
But Then...
I spent the fourth of July in a blur of... I hate to admit this, but I ended up with heatstroke.  The kind where you stop sweating and end up with a fever.  We were at my brother's house, and had planned to go to a Walmart shopping center parking lot in the next town over (since our "wonderful" town outlawed fireworks) to set off our fireworks.  Walmart may be the "evil box store corporation" but they rope off a huge section of their parking lot for us poor displaced firework fans to set off our own fireworks...
Only this time I ended up having to go home.
It was the Great Independence Day Heat Stroke 2013
The last time I suffered like that from a heatstroke - complete with fever, the dry heaves, nausea, and lethargy - was when I was 13 years old.  Wow, that's almost forty years ago. same symptoms  - exact same symptoms.  That shit just sneaks up on you.  It's dangerous, people, so take care this summer.  If you or you notice that someone has stopped sweating....that's a clue.  If they are clammy OR feverish --- that's a clue.  If they seem to be sleepy or have a hard time with conversation - that's a clue ---- also of stroke, so be VERY careful (have them stick out their tongue, if it's crooked, or goes to one side, that's a strong sign of a stroke, a neurological stroke, not just heatstroke, and is very dangerous - go to HOSPITAL or rather, call 911).
I was sitting at my brother's house in the warm back yard where I had family around me, and NO ONE NOTICED what was happening.
I had just finished a shower, and even though I had drank a lot of fluids before hand, after the shower, while I was getting ready, I was sweating a lot - this is probably when the heatstroke began.  Then we drove to my brother's house, and I started getting nauseated on the way.  Big clue, but we were clueless.  Almost threw up, figured I needed to eat.  We sat in the back yard where it felt like I was sitting in front of a windstorm of hot air (fun, very fun...not) and drank two glasses of water.  By then I wasn't sweating but NO ONE SEEMED TO NOTICE, and by then I wasn't really thinking straight.  My husband on the other hand, couldn't stop sweating.
We ate, I felt a little better.  We're talking - when suddenly, I feel extremely nauseated again, and go to the bathroom where I do not throw up.
So we decide to leave, and end up leaving my grandson with my granddaughter and her parents (my daughter). 
By the time we get in the car, it's pretty obvious that I'm very sick, and we go straight home, I manage to get in the house, my husband turns on the a/c  and brings me a cup of water as well as an ice cold cup of pepsi - I drank both.  
By then I couldn't even keep my eyes open.
After a half hour, I was still feeling pretty shitty, but less lethargic, and my skin was a little cooler.
I drink more water and pepsi, and end up sleeping...and drank more and slept for about 14 hours.
The next day and Saturday, I was pretty wrecked.
And then we came to Sunday, with a break from the heatwave, and a very nice day.
But I relaxed and didn't do much at all.....
It's a little disheartening to realize that I was going into full bore heatstroke and no one noticed.  My husband knew I wasn't right, but he didn't realized til I got home exactly what was going on...

I survived the Great Independence Day Heat Stroke 2013
Thank goodness - and even though for about two days, I couldn't really think much, I did manage to read a book over the weekend, bring my book total to two whole books read in a week.  Which is about average for me lately.
:)


Hosted by Sheila of Book Journey;  by now, I'm pretty sure we all know the drill.  We visit each other's blogs, see what other books are going to leap onto our wanted pile, etc...

I managed to finish reading two novels.  One was my usual urban fantasy or SciFi - though it was a YA, and the other was a straight fiction novel....


Sleeping In Eden 
was a sad novel and a very  well written novel
It was two stories in one, the story of a young woman caught in a triangle of relationship; the other of a young doctor fighting for his marriage who is part of a team that finds a young body while conducting a run of the mill suicide investigation...  


After Sleeping in Eden I needed something lighthearted, and even though the subject matter is dark and intense, the writing reminds me of a typical teen the story and average teem both have a way of being intense and dark one moment and yet able to joke around, laugh and tell jokes the next.  If a person can't hang with that, than that person probably finds one-self at a loss with teens, also.  

Scorch (Croak #2)

Lex is dealing with grief and the changes in the structure of the Afterlife biz, as well as learning - always learning- new things.  Things are getting mighty interesting in the world of the Grims, and Lex, Uncle Mort and co. are kept on their toes.  Yep - they are forever having to stay alert, and yet....

I've started these novels this week
One is brand new...
J.A. Campbell's newest novel - Sabaska's Tale has been released...

 Jennifer Niven's Velva Jean Learns to Drive, I've had this for over a year.






I've also had Laura Resnick's Disappearing Nightly around for a while - but not as long as I've had the second novel in this series.....




Well - That's all I have for now.  It's been a long strange night full of dozing, typing, trying to read, etc.  I think I'm still feeling the effects of that illfated fourth of july heatstoke edition. ;)


12 comments:

  1. Wow, sorry that you got heatstroke. Your lucky the heatwave broke, ours is back.

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    1. Oh - I feel for you, really I do. I did enjoy yesterday's weather very much - today wasn't bad either :)

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  2. Goodness me, I am glad you managed to recover on your own. My mother is prone to heat stroke and ends up on a drip in hospital at least once every summer

    Wishing you a great reading week

    Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

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    1. wow - it's entirely possible that we should have taken me to the hospital, but being kind of stubborn ("we don' need no stinkin' hospitals...") we just assume we'll be fine the next day. But I'm still feeling kind of...ugh. Well, hope your mom doesn't succumb to heatstroke this year, I'm sure every one is on the lookout for your mom now, but keep her cool. (y'know how you just have to say somthing like that? Kind of like "drive safe!" - who doesn't plan to drive safe?)

      I've been craving the bananas and potatoes, so I probably need more body stuff...electrolytes! going to get a strawberry fruit bar. I ate almost two baskets of strawberries by myself yesterday. :)

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  3. heatstroke is nasty, nasty, many people don't realise how quickly it can sneak up and how dangerous it can be especially if you have other health issues like thyroid or heart where temperature regulation is already a problem. So glad you're doing much better, it takes it out of you for a while so keep resting up.
    I think I'd like Sleeping in Eden ... adding it to my wishlist. Happy reading :)

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    1. I didn't expect it to bother me days later. I've been pretty wiped. But feeling a little better everyday. In fact, I'm pretty pretty good at the moment. :)

      Last time I was sick from the heat was about...40 years ago, when I was 13 years old. Had to cut a boating trip short and stay in my Aunt's airconditioned house. That part was pretty cool - I remember spending days lazing around, sleeping and being offered all kinds of juices and popsicles....I was treated like an indisposed princess. But I also remember that horrible feeling of heatstroke - worst feeling in the world....well, I've felt other things worse, but that's a pretty bad feeling.

      Sleeping in Eden definitely touches on some hard subjects - love, marriage in trouble, grief, etc. A very good, thought provoking read.

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  4. You read Sleeping in Eden! I'm so glad you found it well-written. It was a sad read though and I can understand you needing something lighter afterwards!
    I'm glad you are feeling better, but I'm so sorry your July 4th was ruined by the heat. :(

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    1. Oh yes - Baart really pulls you into the story and you find yourself feeling for the characters even while you're wanting to grab them and shake them (shaken character symdrome - it's not a good thing). Good read.

      We were in charge of my grandson, for fireworks and fun, but luckily my daughter (mom of my granddaughter) took him over and then they had a sleepover. He ended up having loads of fun anyway. My daughter loves my grandson so much - she's always excited to have him around. :) So it worked out great for them. :)

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  5. Omg! What an awful ordeal! I am glad that you are recovering, albeit it slowly.

    It has been hot here as well, but the humidity is what is terrible, it just feels swampy out.

    Scorch looks good!

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    1. Ugh- Humidity! We've had a few days in the winter when it's been raining, yet the temp is warm - and it feels humid. I'm always feeling hotter than others then, and it feels like I sweat more than "normal" people do (I rarely feel normal). I can just imagine what it's like living in a warm climate where the humidity is high, and the summer temps are rising....I probably wouldn't last very long, haha. I was lucky enough to visit my mom's country - Panama) a couple of times and the humidity just about did me in - so I feel for you.

      Scorch was good - I have a couple issues with some phrasing Lex uses, but overall the book is a very fun read.

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  6. How frightening is that???? This heat has been ridiculous that's for sure. I worried about my son who worked out in it all week long!!!

    Loving the new books that showed up for you!

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    1. I hear you - I am always amazed at people who do hard labor in this heat. They gotta be some tough individuals! :)

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