Heat Exhaustion

First, as always, please let me remind you that I am not a medical professional. I’m a parent like you whose first concern is the safety of her children.

Yesterday, we had a scary experience that I wanted to share in hopes of preventing this in another child. My older daughter, who is 10, came home from a birthday party with heat exhaustion. The outdoor temperature was much warmer this weekend than it has been this year so far and the kids spent a lot of time playing outside at the party.

At first, she certainly did not seem like herself, but I thought she was just tired because she had an abnormally busy weekend with three activities, two of them birthday parties. However, as the evening progressed, it became apparent that her behavior was more than simple social activity overload.

All’s well that ends well and I’m happy to report that very early this morning her temperature dropped back into normal range and she is feeling much better. But before I file this experience away in my Parenting is not for the Faint of Heart chronicles, please let me share with you some important information.

First, here’s the recipe for Oral Rehydration Solution (click here for the SCD version). It’s easy to make with ingredients you have on hand—and saves valuable time over running to the store for Pedialyte.

Oral Rehydration Solution

1 Liter water, boiled
8 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Lemon or Lime juice (we added this to make it taste better)

Add all ingredients together. Cool before serving. (Or serve over ice.)

Second, here are the symptoms of heat exhaustion from AboutKidsHealth.com. Check out their site for helpful information about dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of water and salt, often as a result of exercise in hot weather. If it is not treated, it may progress to heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
• normal or elevated body temperature, although not as high as 40°C (104°F)
• profuse sweating
• pale skin
• skin may be cool and moist
• fast, shallow breathing
• fast, weak pulse
• headache
• nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• dizziness, weakness, or fainting
• heat cramps
• exhaustion

Third, the American Academy of Pediatrics states:

For morphologic and physiologic reasons, exercising children do not adapt as effectively as adults when exposed to a high climatic heat stress. This may affect their performance and well-being, as well as increase the risk for heat-related illness. This policy statement summarizes approaches for the prevention of the detrimental effects of children's activity in hot or humid climates, including the prevention of exercise-induced dehydration.

This is important information for all of us, especially now that summer is approaching.

SCD and the Stomach Flu

Remember, I am not a medical professional and I am not offering medical advice for you or your children; I’m just sharing with you the challenges of being an SCD mom ;)

For those of you who have kids on the SCD, especially those who can be severely behaviorally challenged, you know how an illness can put your whole family into a tailspin. This past weekend was one of those times for us. Actually, it continues to be.

My younger daughter, who although never diagnosed with ASD, has since birth exhibited some of the same sensory, behavioral, and digestive challenges.

Last Friday was her first-ever bout with the stomach flu, and we’re all still suffering. To some of you this may sound harsh, but if you have kids like this, you know exactly what I mean.

So, I’ll spare you an MP3 file of the countless hours of screaming and belligerence and simply tell you about how we dealt with the virus and still kept her on the SCD.

I should tell you that there was about 24 hours when we thought we may have to take her to the hospital for I.V. fluids. During that time I was in phone contact with the doctor’s office four times and was constantly monitoring her for dehydration.

Here’s the short story:

The violent vomiting started about 9 a.m. Friday—at which point she developed petechiae, a word I hadn’t stayed in medical school long enough to learn—and continued until almost 4 a.m. Saturday. Up until that point, she couldn’t keep down even a teaspoon of any fluid. The remainder of the night we gave her approximately 1-2 teaspoon sips of SCD electrolyte solution every few minutes. Scroll down to see the recipe.

On Saturday we continued to increase fluids slowly—again paying attention to her level of hydration. Check out this page by Dr. Sears for info about dehydration. We also slowly introduced soft foods like SCD gelatin made with legal grape juice, and homemade chicken broth, which she really wouldn’t eat.

We paid careful attention to how frequently she was urinating. By the way, if you’re not keeping a medial log for your child who’s following the SCD, I highly recommend it. At some point in the future, I hope to post one on this site for you to download. They’re invaluable when talking to the docs and for trying to determine what foods are causing what symptoms, etc.

And after discussion with the pediatrician’s office and pharmacy, we gave her one generic acetaminophen suppository (like FeverAll) for an increasing fever. Typically, I prefer to let one’s body utilize the fever to fight infection, but that’s a story for another blog. The take-home message is, “Moms, trust your instincts.”

She didn’t eat her first solid food until Sunday evening and then very little. As of Monday, she’s eating solids, but not as much as usual and is definitely not herself. Well, actually, she’s more like her pre-SCD self. And between you and me, I’m ready for my happy girl to come back!



This recipe is from the official Breaking the Vicious Cycle site.

Electrolyte Solution Recipe:

¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. honey
1 quart boiling water

I refrigerated it, and then to each individual serving I added fresh lemon juice and called it “lemonade” to get my daughter to try it. I also froze some as popsicles. (Thanks to a friend who recommended that when my mommy brain wasn’t functioning clearly.)

Please note that you have to remake the solution every 24 hours to maintain its effectiveness!