whatever

A little bit of a spin off fro my North Vs South thread.

Those of you that live in the hotter states down south, do you wear suncream/sunblock on a daily basis???
Our son is really fair. Blond and freckly and I know whenever we have been on holiday, particularly to the caribbean we have had to cover him head to toe in factor 70 to protect him from burning. I have this image of him in my head of packing his school bag: 'School books, lunch, bottle of water and sunblock!'

Also, what about the midgies? When I get nipped by the mozzies I get the worst lumps that itch like a b'stard for days! Am I to resign myself to the fact that anytime I go out past sunset I'm to cover every inch of myself in repellent spray/cream? Do you think after you have lived there a while you toughen up to the weather and bugs?

snorkmaiden

Well, we've only had one summer here in DFW but the simple answer to your question is during the hottest time we didn't need to bother with the sunblock as it was too hot for us to go out

I've got red hair, pale skin, freckles - I don't tan I burn, I put on the factor 45 but it was just too hot in the summer to stand the heat for more than 20 minutes.

I did get quite a few mozzie bites but to be honest - my hubby got bitten by mozzies something rotten back in Bristol. They do advise you to wear the repellant because of West Nile.

We perfected a nice out the car, duck and roll movement from one lot of air con to the next - I am hoping this year we will have toughened up a bit

I did put the sun block on the kids when they were out but they did find the heat too oppressive a lot of the time. Maybe this year they will be more acclimatised.

Also, the kids get a lot less break time in school. I think our kids only get about 15 minutes outside after lunch. No other playtime or recess as they call it here. No windows in the classrooms - and the air con so cold they still need to wear a sweater in the classroom

Sophia_S

Don't want to make you (or anyone else)nervous,but have to tell what happened to me thanks(apparently)to a mozzie (although I'm VERY suspicious of the real cause!,but will never be able to prove my suspicions),kind of a long story but I'll be as brief as poss....
....back in November of 1987,I came down with what I treated as a VERY bad case of flu,but no amount of Vicks Medinite or anything could shift it,but after a couple of weeks I was feeling better,and we went for just an ordinary Sunday afternoon drive around Farnborough/Blackbush and Yately,in Surrey(where we were living at the time),when I suddenly got THE worse,as I thought,migraine,it came on in the blink of an eye.....anyway,I did everything I always did(and still do) to get rid of it, but nothing worked...it was SO bad I passed out the next morning right after I called the Air Base where my husband worked to get him to come home to get me to my local doctor's office,he got home half an hour later to find me in a pool of blood and vomit on the tiled floor!,to cut a long story short,I went back to my doctor,only to have him keep giving me stronger and stronger painkillers every day,none made any difference to the pain at all,finally on the thursday night (Thanksgiving)into friday morning my legs and arms suddenly started going numb,husband called the doctor out and by 4am I was in Frimley Park Hospital,Yately,by 4.30am,I started screaming and crying and trying to sit up in the hospital bed,I remember hearing the night nurse yelling to get the doctor because I was having a stroke......I woke up two weeks later in the Atkinson Morley Hospital in Wimbledon,London.....with a spinal tap still in my back,I couldn't move,speak or anything,I was told I'd been rushed on the hard shoulder all the way to A.M.H.at 9am the day I went into a coma,and the doctors had told my husband I had 24 hours to live....they were wrong!...however I was completely paralized,and the doctors had no idea what had caused it,but they had done every test they could think of including EEG's and an MRI, after I woke up, the one thing they were sure of was that it wasn't a stroke....still,luckily I started regaining movement in my left arm and leg and was then sent back to Frimley hos.,where they said I was never going to get any better and advised my husband,Don, to get me a place in a nursing home(I was 31yrs old at the time) as I would never be able to even sit up on my own again,at which point I managed to tell him to get in touch with the U.S.A.F. doctors,within two weeks I had been medivaced to Washington DC,firstly to Bethesda Naval Hos.,then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center,in the meantime all my records had got lost or not been sent,so they did all the tests again including the MRI,and said it had been a viral infection called Encephilitis, in the brainstem,caused by a bite from a mosquito infected with the virus.............
Good news!,after spending 2 months in hospital in England,followed by 6 months of intense physical, occupational and speech therapy in Walter Reed,they finally released my,although I was still so weak I couldn't even lift a gallon of milk out of the fridge!.......still,I'm an extremely determined person and within one month I got rid of the wheelchair altogether and now,although I can use a cane,I get around at least as fast as pre-illness,with a three wheeled walker....do everything exactly as before except for running etc.....and I even drive now (which I didn't before)and went to an 'Alternative'school and got a G.E.D. after two hours a day for 18 days!,and passed my Illinois Constitution,with just a quick glance through the book the night before the test!........the most frustrating thing????I've tried to get a job...the closest I've got to one was being told that I'm far too over qualified,for a simple factory packing type job(just to get my foot in the workforce door,so to speak).......still.....there's always plenty to do at home..so I'm not heart broken!!
.........Moral to the story????,NEVER,NEVER underestimate what a mosquito can do!!!!!,I plaster myself with Avon Skin-so-soft bug repellant whenever I go out of the house in the summer and I'm not as obsessed with bug bites as I was....I used to swell up to the size of an old English copper penny,with every bite,but I think I'm building up a bit of an immunity to them now...at last!!!,might even get a bit of a suntan this year!!!!!
Hope I haven't bored anyone too much,just REALLY hope no-one else has to go through the same thing......I wouldn't wish it on anyone,just make sure you use bug repellant,a bite isn't worth the risk!!!!!.........Sophia (Illinois)
p.s. I could never possibly thank the U.S. Air Force enough for literally giving me the chance to get my life back,they medivaced me over here although I had absolutely no valid passport or anything!

suzieque

As someone else said when it gets hot it is hard to go out for long. I wear a high factor sunlotion and have already got a tan this year (weather heated up in March) I am a sun worshipper but out here don't stay out long unless at the beach and then I stay in the shade a lot.

I do put lotion on my daughter but they don't have rescess(playtime) so go out very little anyway

I too am terrible with mossies but we have bought this new machine, runs on propane gas and is supposed to help much more. They mossies haven't arrived yet so am waiting to try it out and will let you know how good it is.
I have more worries about the other creatures here. e.g. black widows, brown recluse, rattle snakes to name but a few to worry so much about mossies....
Suzie

Yorkieabroad

Texas, just west of houston - it was hot and humid down here last year, but the sun wasn't actually that fierce compared to where we came from (Singapore). I'm sure the medical people would frown on it, but last sumnmer I didn't wear sunblock on a daily basis - only if I knew I was going to be out in it for any extended period of time (eg a round of golf) or if I was going to "expose" parts that didn't normally see the light of day (ooerr missus!)- normally working in the garden. I don't think I burned once, though I did get a pretty reasonable tan. I have 2 young toddlers, and make sure they have F50 on before we leave the house, even if its just for a quick walk to the shops. I also make sure they wear hats (which I also do) and the older one wears sunglasses most of the time. I find I wear the shades a lot more than I ever have before - rarely drive anywhere during the day without them.

Mossies are a different matter - they seem particularly aggressive, and oddly enough, seemed to be active all day - we wore repellent just about all day. We're looking into one of those propane thingies that Suzieque mentioned too - a few friends have them and swear by them, but obviously only any good if you are in one place - no use when you go for a walk. We use one of those electonic buzzer things, but I really don;t think its very effective.

Pimpbot

I only wear suntan lotion if I know I am going to be out in it for a long period of time. 99% of the time, there is no cloud cover here, as the sky is usually clear blue, so if you think that you're going to be out in it for more than 20 plus minutes, then its best to factor up!. The one thing I have caught myself out on a few times since being here, is checking the forecast and thinking "70 degrees, don't need the lotion". But thats because I'm use to the temps being in the 80's, 90's and 100's, but that 70 degree's was freakin hot back in the U.K. and its freakin hot here too, when its beating down on your neck all day. Caught myself out recently while watching a baseball game. Temps were in the high 60's, but the sun was shining, as was one half of my red face by the end of the game.

Most of the people in the south have to deal with terrible humidity levels as well. Where as we have a nice dry heat. Thats not to say that a 120 degree august day isnt flippin hot. Just make sure you have a bottle of water.

Taffyles

West coast of Florida here. In summer 1/2 an hour on the beach is about as much as you can stand anyway- standing in a pool with a glass of wine in the full shade is about the only way to feel comfortable. Florida is major sunburn country- even people who tan well can burn here if not careful. EG. In Africa I only used to use a factor 2- here, in summer, its factor 15 for me- hubby uses factor 30. My two sons are tanned all year round now, but they use a high factor in Summer, my daughter burns and uses complete sunblock- and gets a spray on tan LOL. We plaster my grandson with sunblock every time he pokes his nose outside from May to October- just use the baby factor 30 in the winter. They have started selling coverall swimsuits for children here now, supposedly protects them from the sun- don't know how effective they are. We don;t get the searing temps here that they get on t'other side of the country, but the sun is fierce and the humidity is something else! In mid summer, even with the air conditioning going full blast (24/7) I work up a sweat just peeling potatoes- I kid you not.
Repellant is a must- mosquitos are a year round problem, although much worse in summer. Every year there are a few cases of West Nile and Encephalitis here, but at least we don't have malaria carriers. Repellants come in all shapes, sizes, forms. Sprays, lotions, creams, wipes....and some sunscreens have repellant in them. Avon skin so soft is not very effective here- I can get away with that as I don't seem to get bitten much- but hubby uses the strong stuff, and mossies still get him.
We have mossie control though- and don't forget peoples, here in FL anyway, your property taxes pay for mosquito control, so if the nasties are getting really bad in your area, call them out to spray....it helps to keep the little buggers down a bit.

suzieque

Thats interesting, We only moved here in Oct. and I didn't know about that is it so in all areas of Florida? Sounds a good idea.
I wish they had it when we were in Arkansas, I was always bitten to death...
Suzie

effi

Not many mossies here in AZ, but that could change with all the people moving here and completely changing the environment with pools, man made lakes etc.

There are other factors depending on which part of the country you live in. For instance when I was in Philly I contracted Lymes disease whilst out playing golf. I had played the same golf course for years and never saw a single deer (supposedly where the ticks come from). My doc told me that they were doing tests as it had come to the attention of the medical community that mossies may be carrying lymes disease, something to think about.

Here in AZ we have a far more insidious disease going on that no-one in the medical community quite frankly seems to give a toss about. It is called Valley Fever and is very prevalent here. The disease is contracted from mold spores which grow in virgin desert soil. If the soil is disturbed by building etc, the spores get into the air and are breathed in. Depending on the amount of spores you inhale, seems to determine how sick you may get. Some people get it and do not know they have had it. It leaves tell tale scars on the lungs though.

The company I work for is based way out in the desert, because of the nature of our work (we blow things up). 2 years ago a new by-pass was started, part of which was being built about 100 yards from the doors of the plant. The law here in AZ states that if you are going to do any kind of construction in the desert you have to lay down water to keep the dust down, ostensibly to prevent Valley Fever.

Well, I got Valley Fever. It was diagnosed after many failed treatments for bronchitis, pneumonia, chest xrays, blood tests etc. Basically you have trouble breathing, feel weak, have a horrendous cough. I also lost 30lbs in weight. I had a lung biopsy done which confirmed the disease, this caused one of my lungs to collapse so I had a tube sticking out of my chest for 3 days. There is no cure for this disease. If it travels outside of your lungs it can cause meningitis and even death. It leaves scarring of the lung tissue, I have a scar about the size of my thumb, on an xray it looks like lung cancer. Infact the disease in every respect mimics lung cancer, I know this because a workmate of mine a woman who was 56 and a non smoker had the same symptoms as myself. We both assumed we had the same thing, she died 2 weeks after diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. It took me a year to get over this disease. It is not something that is heard about here though, I would have thought that the news media would have put out warnings, what with all the building going on here in AZ.

I know a couple of years ago one of the professional golfers who took part in the Tucson open contracted this disease. He want home to Idaho or wherever he came from and got sick. His doctors diagnosed him with lung cancer. It was only after they did further testing that Valley Fever was diagnosed and he could not play again for over a year. I guess it is something that visitors here to the valley need to know about, because if they go home with the disease no-one it seems outside of AZ knows much about it. Apparently you can contract it in some parts of CA as well, the San Joachim valley (spelling) is one place where it is prevalent. So beware, if you are planning on visiting AZ and go home sick with flu like symptoms that will not go away, then you will know what it is, or at least ask your doc to test for it.

Leslie

Mosquitoes should only be bad if you live near water. In Texas they spray regularly so I almost never get bitten. If it is a particularly bad summer for insects, and you know will be outside, spray with Off.

Put sunscreen on at the beach or lake. On a normal day you won't need it. Home----> car-----> work-----> car------> home. If you like to walk/jog/bicycle a baseball cap and a little sunscreen is all you need.

Most cars, houses, and businesses, down here come with really good air conditioners. We are not into suffering .

As others have said, when it's really hot, you won't go outside much anyway. It's all about making adjustments. I've lived in very cold, snowy climates and found I was actually inconvenienced more often in those climates.

Ray

What a bunch of wimps ..I walk to the mailbox every day summer and winter and have never used sunscreen or block ever...

Never buy a florida property near water.. they are built for the tourists.

Sophia_S

Wow! I'd never heard of that either,I must tell Don,he was out in Arizona last year with his National Guard unit,and they were using the big earth mover vehicles to lay new plumbing lines,luckily he seems to have no bad effects, but I think it is definately something he should've been aware of....as for my Encephilitis,I've always been very suspicious of it being a mozzie bite because we'd had several hard frosts before I got sick....and the thing is Don had ,had a mandatory flu shot at the Base at the end of October,usually never bothered him,but that one gave him the sniffles,and about two weeks later was when I REALLY came down with the 'flu',I've always wondered if the Military were testing a vaccine,or it was a tainted flu shot,and it had such a dreadful effect on me because I had never had a flu shot in my life, before or since,who knows?,there's no way to find out if my suspicions are right.....but I'll always have that doubt in the back of my mind....still,I don't dwell on it,as far as I'm concerned it was just one of those things,and no amount of dwelling on it will change things....I'm just VERY thankful to have survived it,many more people have died of it,at the time one of my docs in the U.S. did some research and told me I was one of only three woman who'd survived it in the whole of the U.K.and I had made the most progress,the fastest,and I was still in a wheelchair at the time.....I didn't tell this story for sympathy,I CAN'T STAND PITY and NEVER feel sorry for myself,I consider myself to be incredibly lucky,things could've turned out a lot worse.....every day is fantastic!,no matter what the weather!.......Sophia
p.s. I wish you all the best!!!

Yosser

I have not been burned once in Texas, but we go to Destin in Florida alot, last summer, I'm noncing around in the thong squirting bananna boat oil eveywhere, laying out, swimming drinking plenty of the golden liquid, decided to call it quits late afternoon, went back to the condo for a shower, walked past the hallway mirror, noticed my gut and chest were redder than a lobster and spent 4 days feeling miserable.

Also last summer, I built a terra cotta brick wall around the flower bed in 110 deg heat, the only thing that I had to do was drink plenty of fluids (I get more dehydated than anything), didnt get burnt or anything.

We live 1/2 mile from the lake, very rarely get bitten by anything and bugs only come out at night, if a spider does make it inside, my size 11 shoe soon takes care of it. One shot, One kill

effi

I agree, you have to make the most of every day and just enjoy.

I used to get a flu shot every year, and always got flu. My husband does not believe in them and never has one, never gets flu either, go figure.

I think mossies are the most disgusting things ever, they serve absolutely no purpose, I wish they could just find a way to get rid of them for good. We have had a couple of cases of West Nile here in AZ, but like I said, with all the man made lakes they are building here, it won't be long before we are invaded.

I live on a golf course and there is one lake on it. Also there are a couple of holes where the drainage is not so good, and you just know to stay out of the long grass on those holes cause they chow down on your ankles. I am one of the people who suffers from their bites, I usually end up covered in bruises with an itch that will not go away. My husband on the other hand has no effects from them.

I am glad you are recovering so well, you were extremely lucky, like you said not many people survive this illness. I know on a couple of occasions I just thought I was going to die. I could not sleep lying down for over 6 months, I could not breathe and made so much noise it sounded like a train was coming thru the bedroom. I am just really surprised with the amount of visitors coming to AZ that more of them are not aware of VF. I have been monitored for the last couple of years, I have my last apt with the specialist in May, then hopefully I can put it behind me.
Good luck with your recovery, it certainly is an eye opener.

Sophia_S

The thing that really bothers me most is how many other people have had the same illness as me,or any other illness,who were never given the opportunity to have all the physical therapy etc.,that I was,just by fortune of being married to a U.S.A.F. guy,lucky enough to get,and were just shoved off to a nursing home,that thought really breaks my heart..........

I'm SO glad you're doing SO well as well...

In my case it's been nearly 17 years since my 'adventure'!,the really good thing is that,although I still get migraines,they are nowhere near as severe as they used to be,and nowhere near as often!,I used to be extremely shy,but have a lot more confidence in myself now,and I know how far I can push myself,so at least some of it had a positive outcome!,but I've always been 'the glass is half full' type of person,and I'm sure that made a huge difference! My husband was really great as well,we'd only been married 19 months when it happened,and had a 15 month old son,as well as my 9 year old from my previous marriage,all the time I was in the hospital,the 9 yr old put him through absolute hell,and the baby sobbed the whole time he was out of sight!!!!......Still,all's well that ends well,if we could deal with all that,we can deal with anything!

When you've been ill,it makes all the other problems of life seem SO trivial,don't you think?,I know the other things matter,but what's more important than your health?

Well,I better go and start the dinner,take lots of care, have a lovely Easter,don't eat too much chocolate!........Sophia