Marylanders Cautious Of Heat-Related Illnesses With 90-Degree Temps For Third Day
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- As temperatures climb into the 90s for the third straight day, the heat is taking a toll on some people's health.
Gigi Barnett has more.
The three-day stretch of high heat hovering above 90 degrees has taken its toll.
Emergency Room doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center say heat illness symptoms sneak up on patients who don't know what they're feeling.
"Sometimes by the time you have signs and symptoms, it may be a little too late," Dr. Benjamin Lawner at the University of Maryland Medical Center said.
Lawner says those symptoms include fatigue and muscle cramps and heavy sweating. And most people, especially elderly and younger patients, don't take in enough fluid to replace what they've lost.
"I think it's just not routine for people to be aware of how much they sweat and when the fluid loses happen. They're already behind that hydration eight ball," Lawner said.
For some longtime Southwest Baltimore neighbors, staying out of the heat takes a little coordination. When the sun moves, they do too.
"We stay over here and when the sun comes over here, we move over there," Darlene Holiday said.
While they stick to water, it doesn't hurt that they're neighbor owns a snowball table right across the street.
Customers flowed in during Thursday's near record-breaking temperatures.
He says there's a small trick to working in heat-- he adjusts.
"Once I get out in the heat, I'm good. As long as I've got a little shade and a little bit of heat, I'm good," Eric Jones said.
