I have had the good fortunate to bike in six "Maine MS Society 150" bicycle fund raisers. My first ride, of 100 miles divided into two days, was in 2002, when my first hip replacement was only nine months old. But I had my doctor's blessing, even though the ride, over the back country roads of York and Cumberland Counties in Maine had some fairly hilly terrain. I was reasonably well trained, albeit a slow rider, and my only problem was flying over my handlebars when I over-braked to avoid colliding with other bikers at the beginning of the ride. I had a little road rash but otherwise was fine, The hardest part of the day was not falling, but a hill at about mile 35. I call the "the hill from Hell," because just when you think you have crested it, you discover there's a left turn to take you up the other half of the hill.
We had so much fun we rode again the following four years, including one where my two daughters were stuck riding a rented tandem. But in 2009 and 2010 Karen, several co-workers, and I abandoned the bike ride in favor of walking a total of 50 miles over 2 days to raise a lot more money for the MS Society. For me the walking was harder. So I was happy when, in 2012, my biking friend Nancy suggested we use the MS 150 as training rides for our planned cross country bike ride the following spring. Not wanting to stress the third person in our biking trio-- a woman with MS in her 50s-- we decided to limit the ride to 50 miles each day, rather than the full 150, or for the truly crazy among us, two days of consecutive "century" rides of 100 miles each.
These days the MS 150 is held on the second weekend of August, but in 2012 the ride was scheduled for the first weekend in August, often the hottest weekend of the summer here in Maine.That Saturday and Sunday the temperatures were supposed to be in the mid 90s with humidity also in the mid 90s. I wanted to start early so I could get in as much riding as possible before it got really hot, but I was dissuaded by our team captain, who wanted team pictures. Yuck. I am a good 50 pounds overweight and posing for a picture in a typical biker's garb of lycra shorts and top was not exactly my idea of the best way to show off my astounding physique.
By the time we began riding it was already 90 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. In years past I'd ridden a hybrid bicycle with road tires, but my new cross country bike was a road bike with narrow tires. At the very least I hoped to be a little faster than in years past. Not so, I still biked at a steady 12 mph on the flat, and between 7 and 9 mph on hilly terrain. [I am now convinced my inability to ride much faster is related to having that artificial hip, but I digress.] I was wearing a pair of padded lycra bike shorts, a bra, and a sleeveless top. Oh, and lots of sunscreen. I also had a camel-back filled with 2 liters of cold water, and two water bottles filled with Gatorade.
Even though I was wearing next to nothing the heat was unbearable. By the time I reached the first rest stop at the 10 mile mark I had gone through a bottle of Gatorade and more than half the water in the camel-back. One is required to check-in with each rest stop, even if it is just a salute to point to the rider number on one's helmet. And boy was I glad to see that rest stop. Part of me--the part that hates the heat--was ready to throw in the towel. But the other part--the never wants to give up or give in part--wanted to continue.
I must have looked awful as I got off the bike because suddenly one of the volunteers was beside me asking if I was OK.
I started to say "yes," Then I fessed up. I was a little dizzy. Then I started to shiver. As a nurse I knew I was in trouble.
The body's first defense against overheating is to perspire. If you are still sweating but feel cold or are shivering you are definitely dehydrated. If you stop sweating, are nauseated, or have cramping you are suffering from some form of over-heating, and you must get out of the heat, cool off, and consume significant quantities of electrolyte rich fluids like Gatorade or Emergen-C, which has a similar quantity of electrolytes as Gatorade but also has vitamins and some minerals.Failure to recognize and respond to dehydration, whether it's from a stomach virus or the heat, can ultimately lead to death. And if you can not drink enough fluid fast enough you must have an I.V., even if only long enough to get a liter or two of fluid.
Fortunately the other person manning the rest stop that day was an EMT. He ran to his car, got his stethoscope and blood pressure cuff and took my blood pressure. It was 90/60, the blood pressure of someone in shock. Someone grabbed some ice packs and asked my to hold them under my arms. I started guzzling Gatorade. The EMT called for an ambulance. Fortunately my blood pressure was starting to rise so I did not have to go to the hospital for intravenous fluid. When we got back to my dorm room an EMT stayed with me until I had to pee--after consuming 32 ounces of cold water, and another 32 of Gatorade. At dinner that evening almost everyone knew I was the woman who had had to be rescued. It was a little embarrassing but at least I was at that dinner to get embarrassed.
I'd like to say I've never gotten a heat related illness again, but I came close this summer. It was mid July and Washington DC was in the midst of a terrible heat wave. Nevertheless my Danish friends were undeterred. They wanted to see our wonderful capital. We had te plane tickets in hand. What else were we to do? I stayed out of the sun as much as I could. I sat near a bubbler while my friends explored the Lincoln Memorial. We walked along the Wall. But when one of my young guests and I started to shiver, we found a cab and went to Union Station. By the time we finished lunch we'd had a great meal and lots of water. Everyone felt fine.
Heat exhaustion or heat stroke can happen to anyone at anytime or any place. Add pneumonia into the mix and it is amazing Hillary Clinton was able to go to the 9/11 ceremonies at all. But I guess, like me, she has a stubborn streak that won't let her give in, especially when the media has practically written her obituary.
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