Beach Survival

[jeffcai]

My family is spending several days at a nearby beach. The house we are renting has no AC.

I have limited mobility but I'd still like to participate with the kids in the water. I am concerned that the heat will ruin the trip for me.

Does anyone have any simple suggestions for the beach days and the hot nights. I don't want to become the "Problem Child" that every focuses on.

Thanks, JeffC

[REG53]

Hi jeffcai, I just recently went to the beach. I took a battery operated fan and I went out early in the morning. I couldn't find my cooling vest but I would recommend you get one. My husband rolled me out in a beach wheelchair so I didn't generate any heat, that made a diff. for me.

I'm sure you will have fans in the house and hopefully ocean breezes.

Hope you and your family have a great time.

[jreagan70]

Hi Jeff:

How much time do you have to acquire things and prepare for your beach trip?

You can buy a portable (floor model) room air conditioner for about $300 you can pack and take with you to cool at least one room of the house. One cool room will take care of emergency cooling if you get overheated, give you a cool place to go in general when you need it, and keep a room cool enough overnight for you to sleep.

At a minimum you'll need a couple of big fans. Might be worthwhile to see if there's someplace near your vacation spot to rent an air conditioner or swamp cooler.

You can also use a cooling vest, cooling scarves, headband and wristbands.

Water temperature is cooler than air temperature, so being in the water will be cooler than sitting on the beach. That should give you some good water-playing time with the kids if your mobility, stamina and strength allow it.

When you're on the beach, stay out of the sun as much as possible. Just a hat won't be enough. Best to sit in full shade under one of those big beach umbrellas.

After that, the cooling information is pretty standard. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has a page of info about staying cool: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Cha...rvices/COOL-IT

Ice can be your best friend in the heat, so make sure you keep the freezer in the house full of it. Keep water cold in an ice chest on the beach, and drink cold water frequently to keep your core body temperature down. You can suck on ice cubes and popsicles. Be sure the ice chest is big enough for the whole family (get one with wheels), or have several smaller ones so they can be easily carried and placed where they're needed.

If you don't have a cooling vest or scarves, etc., you can keep damp towels in the ice chest to put on your head (gotta keep your brain cool!), neck and chest while you're lounging under that big beach umbrella.

Add lots of sunscreen and some cool shades, and you should be looking mighty fine on the beach. Hope you and the family have a great time.

[VikingKitty]

cooling vest

If you don't already have a cooling vest..check out the MSAA website to get one. It only took a little over a week for mine to be delivered. If you order it soon, hopefully you'll have it before you leave.

http://mymsaa.org/msaa-help/cooling-products/

stay cool

[22cyclist]

Depending on which state you are in:

In North Carolina, it is very hot this time of year to be out on the beach, even with the breeze the temperature can reach triple digits. My ex-husband and I share a home at one of the barrier islands. Last weekend when I went, even with the thunderstorms in the evening it was too hot for me to be out there for more than 10-20 minutes under an umbrella. I do have a cooling vest and that is what allowed me to stay the 20 minutes. We also have such terrible humidity that the one day they tried to take me for a ride down the beach on my beach wheelchair (rented from the town), I started having a "white out" in my vision it was so hot. It was too hot for others with me too. We all grew up here in NC and know how late July and August weather can be. Our ocean is like bath water.

I am just sending a cautionary tale as I am 95 lbs soaking wet and cold natured. I think that all of the above are really great suggestions if you are in an area that is not too humid and the heat index is not so high. The umbrella is the best one behind the cooling vest.

Please do take care and have a good time!

Lisa

[palmtree]

This is a treacherous endeavor. I hope can afford one of those portable room air conditioners. If you don't want to spend the money, think of it as insurance against a hospital bill. Being able to get sleep in a cool room will keep you stronger to handle the hot days at the beach.

Another option, although not quite as effective, would be to get an evaporative cooling fan. However, this is not useful if the humidity is high.

Last time I went to the beach I made a tent out of a beach umbrella and a sheet. That was 30 years ago because I got so sunburned nothing protected me from the sun's radiation. You might consider bringing a tent.

A wide brimmed hat is essential. One of my favorite strategies to battle the heat is to freeze little bottles of water and bring them in an ice chest. They serve as the ice for the ice chest. Then, when I feel hot I can put the frozen bottles on my temples and wrists. This helps to lower core body temperature. As the ice starts to melt it provides icy drinking water. Tastes very good and cools me off. If you have enough you can use some of that icy water to pour onto your scalp.

If you are able to swim going in the water helps. Although the Atlantic isn't as cool as the Pacific.

I hope you are prepared and have a wonderful holiday.

[Kimba22]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to MSWorld! Here's a thread about heat intolerance with tips you may find helpful: http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthr...-Month-of-June

Great suggestion to freeze water bottles! I've put ice in Ziploc bags and used that to help cool myself down on vacations. If you use a cooling vest, you might want to consider buying an extra set of the cooling inserts. They only stay cool an hour or two. Instant cold packs are another option. They get cold after you squeeze the package together and pop the bag of water inside. The water then mixes with either ammonium nitrate or urea and becomes cold. You can find them at various retail stores or on line [cheaper]. I've ordered them on line and had them delivered to my hotel room. Reusable gel cooling packs, which stay cold longer than ice, are also available. They can be found on line or at retail pharmacies this time of year (often used to keep food cold). A hand held water mister (some even have battery operated fans on top) can help keep you cool. Might be good idea to find out how far the beach is from the rental house and how handicapped accessible it is so you can be prepared.

Beach wheelchairs and walkers are specifically designed with wider tires to use on the beach. Some are also designed for use in the water. http://www.newmobility.com/2016/03/beach-wheelchairs/ Many beaches offer them for rent. Someone will have to push you unless you get one with the power option. Google 'beach wheelchair' along with the location of your destination to find out if these are available.

Renting a beach umbrella is a good idea, and stay hydrated (drink a minimum of 64 oz of non caffeinated fluids daily~ water is best. Remember to listen to your body and don't push it - if you even start to feel warm, do everything you can to cool off.

Good luck and have a great time!

[rdmc]

If you are able to swim going in the water helps. Although the Atlantic isn't as cool as the Pacific.

I hope you are prepared and have a wonderful holiday.

I was also going to chime in about water temps. I just checked our water temperature (we're near the Gulf and water temp is 88 degrees in the Gulf of Mexico. ) That's not much relief since air temp is 89 degrees. I am very sensitive to the heat, but I know that each MSer has their own tolerance level.

We live very close to the beach but evenings have been the only times I can tolerate the heat and humidity on milder temp days, but that's okay because we have remarkable sunsets.

In the summer I can always be seen with a big water bottle of iced water...heavy on the ice. This really helps me when I have to be out in the heat...like walking across a hot parking lot, etc. Even in the house in the summer I drink iced water all day because it's unrealistic to keep the ac at a temp low enough for me and still afford the power bill

Just pace yourself, use all the tools mentioned, and listen to your body.

[palmtree]

That is shocking the water temps are that high. They used to be very mild but 88? The Pacific is warmer now, too. You can go surfing at Chistmas time.

I agree about the sunsets. My favorite strategy is to stay inside all day and come out in the evening before sundown. It is such a magically time of day.