Playing softball in extreme heat

[softball_chic_12]

i once got really sick from heat exhaustion and just drinking gatorade the whole weekend. So for about every bottle of gatorade that i drink, i force myself to drink a bottle of water and force myself to eat some pretzels or fruit even if im not hungry. last weekend the temp was about 100 and there's not a whole lot of that around here in PA. We almost had two girls, two of our best and most expierenced players, drop from heat exhaustion. after each inning the catcher and pitcher got two bottles of water poured on their heads and faces and other distressed players got some water poured on them too. We also used wet rags and a sprayer to help keep us cool.

 

[PEPPERS]

My daughter’s team played out of the loser’s bracket to come back and win a tournament, the last day a Sunday they started playing at 8 AM played to 10 PM a total of 6 games, 98 and very humid. Her lips were swollen real big Monday morning and I took her to the doctor, he blamed a food reaction. Later I found that three other girls on the team also had swollen lips.

Anyone else seen swollen lips after a long weekend in the heat and sun?

We have the Frog-Tog rags, keep water ice and sport drinks (I don’t agree with the sport drinks but her and her mom), during games she eats she gets sick (I don’t mean during the game in between games), and once the last game is over she is fine to eat. We’ve tried fruit, crackers, pretzels, sandwich, everything makes her sick.

Anyone else have the same problem getting a kid to keep food down during games?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Has she had a battery of allergy tests? The results are read at the time of the tests.

Swollen lips would concern me, because the esophagus could also be swelling. My DD had that happen a couple of times. She has to carry an epi pen, now.

 

[jinjet95]

Swollen lips can be sunburnt lips. Are they applying sunscreen to their lips, as well as their faces?

 

[PEPPERS]

Has she had a battery of allergy tests? The results are read at the time of the tests.

Swollen lips would concern me, because the esophagus could also be swelling. My DD had that happen a couple of times. She has to carry an epi pen, now.

It concerned me also, that is the reason I took her to the doctor. We’re keeping a close eye on her and I hope it doesn’t happen again, it is puzzling why 3 other girls had the same symptoms.



Didn't have sun screen for the lips that day, we dop know. Doctor advised sun burn was not the problem.

 

[amanda_cake]

Were their lips sunburned/windburned? That could make them swell, maybe?

 

[lvtwft]

Electrolytes are a must for prolong exercise which is indicated as 60 to 90 min or more (PowerAde Gatorade etc). Increase your hydration days even a week before the event.
Day of:
Hydration before Exercise
•Drink about 15-20 fl oz, 2-3 hours before exercise
•Drink 8-10 fl oz 10-15 min before exercise

Hydration during Exercise
•Drink 8-10 fl oz every 10-15 min during exercise
•If exercising longer than 90 minutes, drink 8-10 fl oz of a sports drink (with no more than 8 percent carbohydrate) every 15 - 30 minutes.

Hydration after Exercise
•Drink 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost.
•Consume a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein within the 2 hours after exercise to replenish glycogen stores.

The above is a good list to use, but each person is different and may require adjustments to this list.

Don’t forget the more food you eat during the day the more water is used to digest it. Try to keep up with food with higher water content (fruit etc). Certain foods take more water to digest (breads etc) so be aware what is put into your DD's body. Giving only fruit during a tourney will only make her go to the rest room a lot.(lots of fiber) So introduce the fruit weeks before and her body will get use to it.

Causes of Dehydration
•Inadequate fluid intake
•Excessive sweating
•Failure to replace fluid losses during and after exercise
•Exercising in dry, hot weather
•Drinking only when thirsty

Also monitor their urine or have them do it.
Monitoring urine volume output and color. A large amount of light colored, diluted urine probably means you are hydrated; dark colored, concentrated urine probably means you are dehydrated.
Just some helpfull tips...

 

[Amy in AZ.]

We used to take salt tablets. They were in the dugout in a bottle. Yikes.

I must say that we never got dehydrated, but we weren't so used to sitting around in the A/C, then.

Electrolyte Replenishment - Why Its Important & How to Do It Right | Hammer Nutrition