Staying safe in the sun with a chronic condition

IT’S great to be able to enjoy the bright days, warm weather and longer evenings of summer. However, for people with chronic health issues such as Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes or heart conditions, summer is a time to be cautious.

Lung Conditions (Asthma and COPD)

Heat and humidity in the summer can affect people with lung conditions such as asthma and COPD. Breathing in hot air can cause the airways to narrow, leading to coughing and shortness of breath. In addition, the higher levels of pollutants and pollen in the air can act as irritants. Here are some tips to look after your lungs:

Continue to take your medication as prescribed.

Make sure you know the warning signs that mean your asthma or COPD is getting worse.

Use a written asthma action plan, or COPD self-management plan, so you know what to do if changes in the weather trigger your symptoms. If you do not have a plan, ask your healthcare team for one.

Go for regular check-ups to make sure you are on the right medication for you

Check that you are using your inhalers the right way, whatever the weather.

Keep inhalers in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, so they continue to work well

Keep an eye on air quality reports and pollen forecasts.

Plan outdoor activities for earlier in the day when the air quality tends to be better and when it is cooler.

Diabetes

If you have diabetes, it can be harder to manage your blood glucose (sugar) levels in the hot weather. Hot weather can increase the risk of low blood glucose or hypos. Dehydration can further increase the risk.

Eimear Brosnan, Diabetes Nurse Specialist with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, says the body’s metabolism is higher in hot and humid weather: “If you take insulin, it might be absorbed more quickly during this weather. This may increase the risk of low blood glucose levels (hypo). Check your blood glucose levels more regularly during warm weather and be ready to adjust your insulin dose, as required.”

Sweating and tiredness may be symptoms of the heat but may also be symptoms of a hypo. If in doubt, check your blood glucose levels.

Fra Wiseman, Diabetes Nurse Specialist with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare advises: “Always carry fast-acting carbohydrate with you. Some options include LIFT (formally known as glucojuice), 5 Dextrose tablets, 4-5 jelly babies or 200mls of orange juice. If you plan to exercise, check your blood glucose levels beforehand. If your levels are below 5.5mmol/l, eat a carbohydrate-based snack first,” she said.

Heat can effect insulin, blood glucose monitors and test strips so make sure you keep your diabetes kit cool.

When damaged by heat, clear insulin generally becomes cloudy and grainy and sticks to the side of the glass. Insulin that has been exposed to bright sunlight sometimes has a brownish colour. Do not use insulin that looks like this. Speak to your GP or a healthcare professional if you are unsure.

Diabetes and your feet

In the summer heat, humidity, unsupportive shoes and time spent barefoot, can all cause problems. Nerve damage or neuropathy, a complication of diabetes, can mean poor sensation or feeling in your feet. Here are some tips from Jan Cumiskey, Clinical Specialist Podiatrist with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, to keep your feet safe this summer:

Remember to apply sunscreen all over your feet, especially the tops and fronts of ankles, but never between the toes. Do not forget to reapply after you have been in the water.

Check feet daily as they may swell in the heat. Look for redness, markings on the feet and change footwear if needed.

Never walk barefoot, it increases the risk of injury. Keep your feet protected by wearing footwear, especially if you are at the pool or the beach. Poolside tiles or sand can burn the soles of your feet. If you have poor sensation, you may not even realise this has happened. Take care if wearing flip-flops as they may cause friction in between the toes.

If you are swimming, remember you still need to protect your feet

Heart Conditions

When the weather is hot, you sweat to cool down and lose more fluid than usual. This can drop your blood pressure and make your heart beat faster. This is not a problem for most people, as long as they drink plenty of fluids. However, if you have a heart problem, extreme heat may place an extra burden on your heart.

Mairead Lehane, Advanced Nurse Practitioner Heart Failure with the HSE in Mallow, said: “Staying cool and hydrated is particularly important if you have heart failure – where your heart does not pump as well as it should. It is very important that you monitor your heart failure symptoms every day and take action when you notice any deterioration.”

Ask your healthcare team for a heart failure self-management plan.

“Do not restrict your fluids unless you have been advised to do so by your specialist heart failure team. Unnecessary fluid restriction can be harmful for some people with heart failure as it can worsen kidney function,” said Mairead.

As we get older, we feel less thirsty so it is particularly important to increase your usual fluid intake during hot weather.

“I’d especially advise people with heart failure that are taking diuretics (water tablets) not to restrict their fluid intake in warm weather,” said Mairead.

For more information and resources to help you manage your chronic condition go to:

www.hse.ie/selfmanagementsupport

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/

www.asthma.ie

www.copd.ie 

www.croi.ie

www.diabetes.ie 

www.irishheart.ie