Surviving a ball game in the heat?

[celloyogi]

I have tickets to a Tigers game this Saturday. The predicted high is 89F, and that's before they add in the heat index. Our seats are in the upper deck behind the 3rd base line (no roof = no shade).

I am trying to figure out how I will manage this in the heat. I have some neck coolers which I will bring, and a hat. I can't bring my water bottles of ice water because the stadium only allows people to bring in their unopened single-serve bottles.

I would consider not going, but 1) it's a White Sox game, 2) I don't get out much as it is a social thing and would be good for me, and 3) people bug me about canceling last-minute on other plans so canceling on this would add fuel to the fire. None of the people I'm going with know about my MS and there are reasons I am not going to tell them about it, so that complicates things. I don't drink booze but after a few hours in the heat I know I'll sound and walk like I'm drunk.

Any ideas?

[froggirl88]

what a pickel!

Hmmmm, I have never been to the tiger field, so Im not much help there. What about getting one of those misting fans that spit out mist on you? I have seen those at CVS and Kmarts. Little hand held fans. I don't know if they work, but worth a try. They also have hand held fans. Not much help...But I hope you have a great day and great game!

[heliotrope]

Feel free to ignore me if I've misread, but the stadium allows you to bring in sealed water bottles, right? I've sometimes succeeded in freezing the plastic bottles of water (sometimes the plastic breaks, but it's worth a try!). If it works, you'll have ice - and cold water, once it melts. Plus you've not broken stadium policy.

[cosake]

Can you take single serve sealed ice water and freeze them -- it may distort the shape of the bottle, but they should still let you in with them even if you can't keep them in a cooler.

If you need to, you could probably claim "heat stroke" to cover for any symptoms, or cooling efforts that you use.

Good luck - I hope you enjoy the game and don't have too many problems.

[Shashi]

I have a small fan that has a water squirt bottle on it. I got it at Walmart and it was $9. It's awesome and actually kept me cool when the power went out for two nights a couple of weeks ago. It runs on two AA batteries. Here's the link to it, if you're interested: http://www.walmart.com/ip/O2-Cool-De...g-Fan/15992437

[Sunflower214]

Baseball Game Cooling

I go to the Phillies games pretty frequently and have found the following to help me get through. I freeze my water bottles and put them in a little cooler with ice packs and frozen wash cloths. I use the water bottles, ice packs, and wash cloths to keep me cool. I also make frequent trips to a shaded area in between innings. A few times I have had to leave the game early, but luckily my husband understands!

Good luck - enjoy the game!

[Lendi]

If they won't let you bring in frozen bottles of water maybe ice pacs. Surely they don't sell those. It's awful how some places have you over the barrel and you have to buy from them. the frozen washcloths sound good, too. If nothing else drink lots and lots and lots (of overprices I'm sure) water. When I get really too hot and need to cool down quickly I put my wrists under cold water.

[wisconsin girl]

Pre-cool!!!!!!!

Hi This is my 1st post.
I have pre-cooled as recommended by the NatlMS Society. Take a cool bath--a few degrees below body temp-20 minutes-get chilly! It will keep your core temp from going too high. I didn't believe it until last summer when heat index often over 100, and I could garden for 2 or 3 hours, when just walking to mailbox not-pre-cooled wore me out.

[KatW]

Ball game

I go to the Texas Rangers games often. I have some cooling scarves from Shared Solutions that I refrigerate. I also bring ice packs and hold them on my chest and stomach. If it is not shaded, I take several breaks into the shade to cool off. Sometimes, I wet down my arms and face in the restroom. Most of all, I try to wear shorts and tank tops. Good luck!

[celloyogi]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions! I can't believe I didn't think of freezing the water bottles ahead of time... duh.

I've saved the styrofoam boxes from my Copaxone shipments, and I'm going to bring one of those. I'll put in the frozen water bottles, washcloths, neck coolers and some ice packs. A friend here with MS suggested getting a few of the instant ice packs, too, in case my pre-frozen ones wear out.

In the past, I've done something relatively sneaky and somewhat "bad"... I bought a medical alert bracelet (just the prestamped ones at the pharmacy, not the official registered kind) for peanut allergy. I always wear that to ball games, theme parks, etc, so I can get my own food in without a big argument/scene. I have celiac disease and this way I don't have to worry about finding GF food inside. The people I'm going with already know about that tactic. I think this time, if needed, I'll say the bracelet is for peanut allergy and maybe make up something else about having a "medical condition" that predisposes me to heat stroke.

I wouldn't say I hate my MS - it's part of me and I don't hate me, and I have to live with it. But it can be more than a little irritating and inconvenient.

[apple19]

Celloyogi, have fun at the ballgame. I'm sorry I don't have anything else to add. But I just wanted to say these ideas are some great. They really helped me because I'm going to the Phillies game week after next. I really don't want to back out because my oldest sister is treating me to this game. But do all you can to stay cool and have fun.

Take good care!

[celloyogi]

Update: I lived!



It was super-hot, not a cloud in the sky. The downside of the seats: sunset was opposite, so blared down the whole time. Upside: being in the 3rd deck we were high enough to get a pretty good breeze.

I took a Shared Solutions tote (so handy!) and filled it with supplies. When they searched me at the gate (they search everyone), the guy was very nice and even held my bag for me while I put stuff back in.

I froze four bottles of water, brought two from the fridge, and some snacks. I lined the bottom of the bag with two washcloths, which were drenched with cold sweat from the frozen bottles just about when I needed them.

I wore calf-length jeans. The whole game, I held a frozen water bottle, keeping my hands cool, and periodically dripped the ice-cold water on my jeans. Kept me surprisingly not-as-hot. I drank sips of cold water whenever I needed.

The only thing I bought was a frozen lemonade. Totally worth the $4.

Best part: while the people I went with razzed me for my bag 'o junk on the way in, by the 7th they all were noticing that I was the only one who a) wasn't shelling out lots of money for food/drink and b) wasn't completely burning up (at least not that they could notice). Hahaha.

Going down the stairs on the way out of the deck was a challenge - my eyes were a little fuzzy and my balance had gone a bit screwball. But all in all, a good day. Well, except that the White Sox won.

[cosake]

Glad you survived and had such a good time ! I think your tips will help some others here who will have similar situations. Did you have to tell anyone that you had heat stroke issues ?

I always think that it is funny that people pick on me for being such a planner, but it works for me and I'm always prepared ! For example, I always overpack for trips but then everyone else knows that and comes to me for whatever they need.