Extreme Heat and Activism

It has been brutal weather here as in many places around the US. We have curtailed outdoor activities. There were 3 opportunities to protest this week in this area – Good Trouble protests in honor of John Lewis. There was 1 on Thursday, 11 AM-1PM or 5PM-7PM and the Annual John Lewis March in Nashville on Saturday. I thought the evening one would be more tolerable on Thursday. I went with a woman from the Robertson County Democratic Party RCDP deciding to leave our men at home as neither were feeling tip-top. The protest was on a pedestrian overpass in Clarksville. There was a breeze for most of the time and it was tolerable.

We ran into 3 other women from RCDP. At peak there were probably 80 protesters – not bad for a small community and a miserable day. We were glad we made the effort.

Craig and I decided to attend the March in Nashville yesterday. It started at 8 AM and we thought it would be tolerable. We parked about half-way along the march route so there would be less walking to get back to car at the end when it was hotter. The event seemed well organized and while we would have loved to have seen thousands of protestors, there were more than 500. They had a series of speakers which started about 8:45 and we kept moving around the crowd and looking at displays until it started. It was overcast and there was a breeze. I was pretty comfortable.

About 30 minutes into the talks, Craig said he was going to go into the shade and sit down. After about 10 minutes I went to check on him and someone had provided him with cold water. A protester had noticed him and brought him some grapes thinking he might need sugar. He was hot and it was clear we would not be able to march so I left the lovely protester watching over Craig and went to get the car. I talked to a police officer on the way and he called to the officers closer to where Craig was and said they would let me by the barriers so I could pick him up. Very helpful.

I got the car and as I was approaching I texted Craig and then he called. I could hear lots of commotion around him and he wasn’t making much sense. I got easily by the barriers and by the time I got to Craig there was a event volunteer medical professional with Craig as well as a ER nurse attending the protest and the the original protester and her partner attending to Craig. I was gone about 15 minutes getting the car and he had rapidly deteriorated. One woman was fanning him with her poster. They had cold water bottles on his neck and an iced lumbar support to cool off his back. His blood pressure was low and he had stopped sweating. They had already called the ambulance which I was grateful for. He did not fully lose consciousness but he said he was almost there. I am so grateful for the volunteers and protesters that looked after him and missed the march.

I suggested the ambulance take him to the VA ER because that is where he gets most of his care and it would be less busy than Vanderbilt ER. As soon as the EMTs arrived and gave him a liter of IV fluids, they said he was conscious and oriented. BIG sigh of relief. There was no need for sirens on the way to the ER and the driver drove so I could follow – also VERY nice. As I had to park the car, I could not go in with him and ended up in the waiting room for about an hour before I got to go back and see him. He was sitting up and wondering where I was. I had his phone and he didn’t know my phone number.

As I was getting out of the car, I grabbed his cap because I figured his head would be cold. Sure enough, when I walked in he had the blanket up over his head and gratefully put on his cap. He received a total of 3 liters of fluids before he was discharged. He was so dehydrated that he had a bit of injury to his kidneys. His creatinine had improved with hydration or they would have kept him overnight.

He received EXCELLENT care at the VA ER. The doctor suggested he get support stockings to wear at future events to help keep the blood circulating. At our previous protests, we had done a lot more walking around and this was certainly the hottest protest. In addition, it is hard to be as hydrated for an event first thing in the morning. When he is working outdoors, he is always hydrating with electrolyte solution. As we had been indoors all week, he may have been less hydrated with less tolerance to the heat. It was the perfect set of circumstances that led to pretty rapid onset of severe heat exhaustion.

When we got home he slept 3 hours and he says he feels fine this morning. It is fortuitous that he has an appointment with his PCP on Tuesday so we can recheck his kidney function.

Lesson learned. .