It is so hot in Los Angeles!
I shivered uncontrollably. It was 10:30 at night and I just couldn’t control the shiver. I thought I was sick so I struggled to the bathroom for some Advil. My hand shook as I tried to get the bottle open and I finally popped three pills into my mouth and downed a glass of cold water.
I struggled to get back under the sheets and I pulled a comforter over me. I tried desperately to stop shivering. But I couldn’t. Something was wrong.
The air conditioner was set at 78 degrees. I turned it off. The ceiling fan was on high. I turned that off. The weather outside… 90 plus degrees! So why was I shivering? I wasn’t running a fever. I had to figure it out or go to the Emergency Room.
So what happened in the past 12 hours to cause this?
It was Labor Day and I had to go to work. The building was supposed to provide air-conditioning for the holiday workers but it was not on at 7AM when I arrived. I walked into a sauna! Immediately I started to sweat. Immediately I knew this wasn’t going to be a good day. And immediately I decided to take a break and get an Iced Coffee at Starbucks. I had a lot of work to do and needed some relief from the heat.
Outside it was in the high 90s already. The Associate CFO called for an early lunch with hopes the air conditioning issue would be solved by the time we got back. It was 11:00 AM and we walked to CPK in triple digit heat!
After lunch there was no relief in sight as my office was still as hot as it was before lunch. Even my phone, my mouse and my chair were hot! It was absolutely poor working conditions but you know what… I was able to finish the one analysis I wanted to finish by 1:00 PM. I sent it off to my boss with the note: “As I sit here dripping in sweat… attached is the spreadsheet.” And I was - dripping in sweat!
When I got home I sat on the couch and watched Tiger come inches from catching Phil Mickelson at the Deutsche Bank Championships. It was a tough loss but he wasn’t putting well. Phil deserved it. After the game I took Isa with me to get her school supplies, then we went to Roger Dunn where she watched me hit a couple of balls as I searched for a used 5 wood. I didn’t find one.
The rest of the evening went fine. We had dinner. Jake practiced his putting in the living room and finally the kids got to bed by 7PM. I asked Donna if I could head out to the driving range to let out some work stress.
Scholl Canyon is normally jam-packed at 7PM but with the unbearable heat, there was just a mediocre turnout. I took two buckets of balls and had a great practice. The only problem: I was drenched in sweat and I didn’t have any water.
By 8:30 PM I was at the grocery store doing some shopping. I bought a large Gatorade and downed it before I even got to pay for it. The store was nice and cool and I was finally able to quench my thirst.
At home I took a shower – with some new shampoo I found that had a very nice mint freshness to it I might add… I prepared an awesome Apple Martini and I kicked back in bed with Donna.
Fifteen minutes after I had my last sip my hands and feet felt numb. I had an uneasy feeling sweep over my body. And then I started to shiver uncontrollably.
I took some Advil and lay in bed trying desperately to relax. I couldn’t get warm. I couldn’t get comfortable. And I couldn’t stop the shakes!
At midnight I woke up in a sweat but I wasn’t feverish. I felt nauseous so I rushed to the bathroom. I tried to throw up thinking it would help me feel better but it didn’t happen and I still felt sick.
I wandered into the kitchen for some salted crackers because I thought I may have water intoxication. But it couldn’t be water intoxication because I had a bottle of Gatorade which prevents it.
Immediately after I ate a cracker I felt a lot better! It was amazing! I sat in the living room and watched Die Hard on HBO. Fifteen minutes later I felt sick again but a couple of crackers later I was fine. This happened every fifteen minutes till the movie was over and by then I was dead tired but feeling a lot better!
So what was it? I have yet to figure it out. Was it heat stroke from the office and the driving range? Was it water intoxication? Maybe I had some bad Gatorade? Could it be all of the above combined with an Apple Martini? Or possibly – was it the new shampoo I used which caused an allergic reaction?
This morning there was no shampoo in the bathroom. Donna threw it away because she was scared it was my allergies and the reaction of the shampoo that caused the shivering.
Unless you’re a doctor and can assess my situation I guess I’ll never know.
Thanks for reading. Are you reading? Let me know!
