heat intolerance after suffering heat stroke

[matilde17]

Hello, I am a 21 year old female, I exercise regularly with biking, tae kwon do, and softball, and I have no serious health conditions.

About a year ago I was competing in a softball tournament, when halfway through our third game of the day I started to feel really sick. I didn't know what was wrong, but my coach realized right away that I was overheating. I took the rest of the day to rest and stay cool and the next day I felt fine. I began to continue playing the next day and in our second game I started feeling sick again. I ended up having heat stroke and passing out and being taken to the hospital by ambulance.

My problem is that ever since then I have had problems with heat intolerance. As soon as it starts to get warm outside, I become extremely uncomfortable and suffer from weakness, headaches, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting. Ever since the heat stroke I have become vigilant when it comes to keeping myself hydrated, and trying to stay cool. But it seems like no matter what I do, I still can't manage to handle the heat.

I'm worried because my coach and team can no longer depend on me to be able to finish a game if it is hot outside. And it has become increasingly frustrating that while I would love to be outside like before, I find that I have begun to stay in as much as possible in the summer.

I am wondering if this will eventually go away over time or if this will be long-term problem? Is there anything more I can do to make this go away or to make outside activities any easier? I love playing softball, but I'm worried I might not be able to continue playing outside, if I don't manage to find a way to make my heat intolerance go away.

[RachelWV]

Unfortunately at 47 I have never found a way to get rid of my higher heat intolerance after suffering from heat stroke as a child. I was in bed for days with it back then and ever since then I have to be very careful  how long I am out in full sun and/or heat in general. Humid heat is far worse than dry heat, but both are bad.  Frequent, short breaks when I am outside where I can get into FULL shade or indoors, with fans going and COLD WATER, preferably ice water. I have tried the towels you can wet and wrap around your neck and they DO help. I have also found that sun protection wear also helps; the UV protection is 50 and it does not wash off or out. A big hat that also has the same UV protection is also helpful. I wish I had a magic bullet answer but for me, it's lots of little things put together that help me be able to be in my garden from May through September. I will say though once it's 90F or above, all bets are off no matter what I do. I have to be VERY careful then. I hope that you find multiple things that help mitigate your problem.

[TayGH]

I have had this issue and wish there was a study that proved the correlation to be true :( I had heat stroke as a kid and am now 25 and LOVE winter in MN because it is the only time I dont feel sick from heat. Even in the winter sometime if the heat is on too high in the car I feel ill. Hopefully more medical studies will be done and we will all have an answer.

[JER59]

I just joined because I saw this topic and needed to comment! I got heat stroke twice in my 20's. It is now 25 yrs later and I am so intolerant of heat that I had to find an answer. Yes, if you have had heat stroke, you are more susceptible to it after that. Doctors may disagree with me but I feel that it does something to your internal "thermostat" in making you less tolerant to heat. I have combatted it this long with staying in the A/C and drinking not only fluids, but COLD fluids - everything on ice and even slushies and ice cream help if you have to be outside. Recently it got so bad that I called my Doc to ask her to do bloodwork. I was sure it was NOT menopause or hot flashes as it was constant and only related to the outside temperature. Meanwhile I happened upon an article in a ADHD magazine that said that Serotonin deficiencies can cause heat intolerance. Since I have been on anti-depressants for 15 yrs, and they do deplete serotonin levels after long term use, I figured that was the culprit. Not only do anti-d's cause it but stress, and a host of other things, lack of sunlight, poor diet, etc etc (Google serotonin deficiency)
I have also heard that even though thyroid tests come out fine, ask that they do a thyroid ultra-sound because you can have a nodule on your thyroid that could cause problems if it is big enough, and it also could be cancerous and you would still have normal thyroid function tests! I know this - a person I know had thyroid cancer. After she had her thyroid gland removed she was fine.
To all those who feel like climbing in a freezer and who aren't 50+ with other symptoms of menopause - make your doctor listen or change doctors!  I don't know how they expect us to function at work or anywhere when this happens! Who wants to be hauled off in an ambulance because you are passing out from the heat when it's only 70 degrees out, or when it's too hot in your building at work?  I have panic attacks even thinking of it, another symptom of serotonin deficiency!

[SassyLassie]

I have heard that once a person has had a heat stroke, they can not tolerate the heat anymore. It seems to do something to our body's chemistry.

I have not had a heat stroke, but, I am extremely heat intolerant. I am always hot, and I must be in the A/C or I get short of breath, PVC's and feel horrible. I am even hot in the winter.

One thing besides heat stroke that can cause heat intolerance is an over-active thyroid and also a lack of natural progesterone. Using natural remedies to help these conditions can sometimes help the problem with the heat as well.

[liquidorca]

I'm in the same boat as you.  I do triathlons and suffered severe heat exhaustion & dehydration while cycling for 2 hours in the blazing summer heat.  That was about a month and a half ago and I still cannot tolerate the heat.  Once I'm exposed to the heat for an extended period of time my heart rate begins to beat very rapidly, I get faint, lightheaded, and a few times nearly passed out.  The only way I feel better is to get out of the sun and into the A/C.  

It seems I too have become heat intolerant and it's extremely frustrating because I'm pretty much confined indoors during the heat of the day.  I don't experience these conditions at night when the sun is down.  I'm also very curious to know if this is a temporary condition that the body will eventually heal on its own or can this be permanent?  It's as if my body as become "allergic" to the sun & the heat.

I'm sure you're just as frustrated and bewildered as I am.