It’s another hot weather panicker, please be kind.

[Em308]

Please talk me down from my extreme state of anxiety…. Yes I am one of the many who are very worried about the impending weather, we are predicted 37 Monday and 39 Tuesday. I am an insulin dependent diabetic and suffer badly with coping with the heat anyway. I also have a heart issue. I’ve been trying to think logically, it’s only 3 days, I have preparations in place (even an air con unit but the talk of power outrages is terrifying me!). But something popped into my mind this morning and it’s overwhelming me. Hot tubs are usually set to 38/40 degrees aren’t they? I have to set ours to 36/37 as I can’t sit in the higher temp, I feel faint. The air is going to be the temperature of a hot tub….wtf?? How do I cope? Please calm me down and yes getting a grip is exactly what I need to do, I know this already!

So who makes the final decision about the child and what's safest for them? The parent, or the school?

@alphapie 😂😂😂 should I keep to myself that I’m educated to Masters degree level in a science…. I guess peri menopause has a lot to answer for.

This could be just like the extreme storms they kept predicting; non existant

What, apart from the massive amount of damage and the people who died in February?!

They definitely existed here! We had villages without power for over a week, roads closed for weeks and several deaths.

I have two T1's at home. One will be still going to school and DH work.
Do you run high/ low with heat. One of mine will have a reduced basal running and the other will likely have a increased basal. Just keep the insulin cool in a frio pouch or similar lots to drink and snacks handy if needed.
You'll be fine switch the news off and keep calm as poss

@thisismee I seem to run high then I drop very fast into a hypo! I’m actually T2 but started insulin a year ago and still haven’t got great control. The limited experience I’ve had with hot days and my insulin it seems to take me low - I wonder if this is affected by also drinking a lot more water?

I have not read any answers and I imagine this might have been mentioned, but you can put your tshirt in cold water and wear it or wrap yourself in a cool bedsheet.

The heat can make the insulin work faster than the carbs you're eating being absorbed. Obviously it's recommended to drink plenty when high to flush the excess glucose out of your system, I've not noticed either of mine go low from drinking plenty. My DS drinks crazy amounts.

Do you have a libre or dexcom? They help manage levels so much better than finger pricking as you can watch for patterns and adjust as needed.
T2 is completely different to type one, and I don't have any experience of that. Definitely speak to your diabetic nurse to see any help available, you must feel rubbish if your swing high / low as your doses sound like they need some tweaking.

All good suggestions , I’ve just bought a white brolly to use as a sunshade, can’t do anything about my hot workplace, fans banned since Covid. Just try to keep cool, and endure.

We have done two things to prep, buy a couple washing up bowls for a quid each to stick our feet in and spend £6 on white wallpaper which is now lining the outside of our big bay window and bedroom window stuck down with some hardy looking tape that DH had already. Not quite the same as shutters but it will do.

I despise heat and am not looking forward to these two days but we are just staying indoors apart from DS who has to go to a meeting about his degree apprenticeship. He works a night shift so in that respect it’s lucky.

Hating the heat too and have two diabetics who I am worried about. One has a husband (both retired) so she has at least someone there if it is awful and she cannot cope (also has a heart condition). But my other friend lives alone in a sheltered housing complex (her Son is her carer, lives around the corner next to me, but very rarely gets up before 12pm!).

I just keep the put your feet in cold water, ice pops, fan and shading when the sun is shining through.

Also worried about myself. When it got to 32 in my flat last year I (either passed out or went to sleep) was out for about an hour with no memory, cold and clammy sweat when I woke up and then made it to the bathroom to throw up like the damn exorcist! Left feeling shaky and weak after. I am 37 but live alone, basically nobody checks on me. I am worried about passing out and choking on my own vomit. Nobody would find me for a few days!

Sounds a bit dangerous, can you take a sick day?

Wow, that sounds horrible Vates! Can you ask a friend or family member to phone you to check how you are on Tuesday night?

My air con in my car has broken and I need to do a fair bit of driving tomorrow and Tuesday. I'm going to put a coolbox in the footwear, filled with bottles of water and wet cloths and I bought this amazing hand held fan from home bargains today , which sprays water and fans at the same time. I also bought a dog cooling mat which I'm going to sit on in the car! Just a few tips for you.

I live aboard and we have hot summers. 39C is 102F and we often have temps that high, sometimes higher. If you don't have AC try the following:

Keep a bath tub full of cool water and lie about in it to cool down your core. Lie down naked and damp with a fan on you between cooling soaks. You can get shivery cold and it feels so good. Keep doing this until the weather becomes sensible again.

When it gets over 110F (43C) I leave sprinklers going in the shady shrubbery for the birds to keep cool. Poor things sit there with their beaks open looking pathetic otherwise. I also put a little sprinkler in my duck pen for the ducks to play under and let the hens out so they can find the best spots in the shade. We even put large irrigation sprinklers out for the cattle to stand under.

@Ameliarosethistle my Sister is home working that day so will text me probably at least twice (intense job i.e. phone calls and emails). Also following advice: fans, ice lollies, hot showers (I know these work when you come out feel so cool!), feet in cold water, etc. Trust me I'm not trying to die on purpose (anymore). But still wouldn't be found for at least 24 hours.

But definitely putting it out there for people who are vulnerable and live alone as they are actually at risk too. Please check up on those who are vulnerable.

Saying ambulances will catch fire / thousands of deaths is not reporting facts - it is scare mongering and ridiculous

@Ignoranceisbliss44

I assume your DC has to go to school?

Otherwise take an umbrella for the walk?

Shade yourself from the sun ☀️.

Frozen bottles of water..

P.S. obviously would love to have the privilege of a bath tub or garden!! @BlodynGwyn

@LargeBadSwanCollider

Fabulous post, thank you 😂

Vates obviously a garden is better than no garden,but I'm not going in the garden except to grab washing.

A good trick is filling a washing up bowl or similar with cold water and sit with your feet in it.

Yes, this. @thisismee is spot on, the heat increases the speed at which insulin works. The other possible factor is that we generally eat less in the heat, even if we don't realise we are, so you may need less insulin for that reason.

Heat in itself isn't bad for diabetics, though, and it's nothing to do with the amount you drink.

I tried calling NHS and BHF and got very little info.

Take less insulin than usual because its more sensitive in the heat. Make sure you keep it somewhere coolish. Keep an eye on your sugar levels.

On the heart front, try to stay in the coolest place you can. I'm indoors as it's only 26C. Drink lots of cool drinks and do have a little bit of salt or a lolly. A wet flannel on the feet or a wipe down with one can help too. It's useful to keep an eye on your pulse and blood pressure if you can as the heat can affect your heart drugs. If you feel dizzy and ill, it's best to be checked out for safety.

Just don't sit outside in the hot sun ☺️. Watch a boxset with the curtains closed.

Contrary to what every other Brit is doing, I definitely don't think we should be leaving the house unless necessary and sunbathing in this heat is just asking for trouble.

Draw the curtains/blinds, get the fans on the go, drink lots of water, eat tons of ice cream, don't cook (canned tuna with salads are a dream in this weather) and only open the windows in the evening to let the hot air out. Also don't exercise.

Hope that helps, I've done all this today and I've survived 😊