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← Return to Hot Weather for Old Folks
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I've had issues with the high heat and humidity for the past 10+ years, but it's much worse this year. I'm a 73 year old overweight man (6'3" and 240#). I have AFib and get tachycardia, PVCs and PACs if I start to get dehydrated. This year I've been diagnosed with PMR, which means I'm on prednisone, which put me up to 250#. Subsequently I was diagnosed with SMM, which means I have to taper off prednisone and switch to kevzara injections. I get tired and out of breath very easily this year, especially in the heat and humidity. I'm only able to work outside in the yard for 30-45 minutes at a time before coming in for hydration and rest. When the temperature went over 90 and eventually over 100, I could barely get to the car without losing my breath. I don't know if this is the new norm for me, but I hope not.
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@kjoed53
KJoed, you are sharing with us a very real example of how dangerous this new reality of higher temperatures can be. And I don't see any indication that it's going to revert back to a cooler climate. Please look for every little way you can reduce your stress.
We must work together to find ways to cope and survive!
I'm trying to reset my inner clock to be in bed by 9 PM and up at 5 PM. And I'm trying to change my daily schedule to do any outside activities between 6 AM and 9 AM. (Morning news and coffee is one of my favorite habits...poor me.)
I've rehung our south window sun sail to block more of the sunlight and am testing adjustments of the a/c ducts for better distribution of cooling. The next step would be adding little vent fans to increase airflow to selected ares as we move around the house. We are fortunate to have a house with geothermal cooling, but in June the heat average (and our electric bill) were 30% higher than our usual bill. I'm concerned that our house insulation and the capacity of our cooling system are at their maximum. I don't know the cost of painting our roof white!
The heat from asphalt parking lots is horrible, and continues well into the evening. My usual errands are repetitive (food stores, library and hardware), so I'm studying the parking lots for the best ways to park and get into the store. Many big box stores have little used side parking areas which are close to the arcades in front of the stores.
Good luck, stay cool!