Does anyone make it through a whole summer without some medical mishap? From sunburned noses to itchy bug bites, summertime fun always brings just a touch of misery. Luckily, your primary care provider has probably seen it all. And they’ve got plenty of tips for dealing with your everyday summertime ailments and advice on when you should head to the doctor’s office or worse, the emergency room.
“Just today I saw a pretty bad sunburn with blisters,” says Liz Scharf, a physician’s assistant based in Hartford, Connecticut. She explains that the majority of health issues she sees in the summer involve heat exposure. But where you live can bring unique risks. (In 1996, for instance, I was the lucky recipient of a nasty jellyfish sting while vacationing on the Jersey Shore.)
We’ve compiled a handy guide of some of the most common summer ailments likely to disrupt your vacation. Grab a popsicle, and read on.
Heat-Related illnesses
There are several main forms of heat-related illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and the most serious, heat stroke. These heat-related issues are caused by prolonged or excessive exposure to heat and humidity, without any relief from hydration or shade. Heat stress can occur even on an overcast day, if the humidity is high enough.
Heat stress disrupts the body’s natural system of temperature regulation. In hotter temperatures, your body produces sweat to cool down your body, but this depletes your body’s store of water and essential minerals (hence your intense craving for Gatorade on a hot day). Without rehydration, your body starts to protest any continued heat exposure, which causes the symptoms of heat-related illness.
Kids and teens are more at risk of developing heat-related illnesses, because their bodies don’t regulate temperature as well as adults, and they may be less likely to remember to hydrate and seek shade on their own. Adults should also ensure kids in their care stay hydrated, and take frequent shade and water breaks on hot or humid days.
Heat cramps
If you’ve ever experienced a charley horse before, you know how terrible they can be. Heat stress, due to muscle fatigue and dehydration, can cause heat cramps, generally in the legs and abdomen. If you’re cramping in the heat, move to a cool place to rest, hydrate, and gently stretch your muscles to alleviate discomfort.
Heat exhaustion
If you’ve been out in the sun for hours, and develop a headache, nausea, dizziness or weakness, with an elevated temperature and thirst, you’ll want to stop all activity and move to a shaded area immediately. Heat exhaustion can get dangerous real quick. If left untreated, it can escalate to heat stroke. More on that below.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke is very dangerous; the CDC estimates about 1500 Americans die from it every year. Older adults are especially at risk. Heat stroke is marked by a high fever, rapid heart rate, nausea or vomiting, as well as fatigue or confusion. It can lead to seizures, coma and death, so it needs to be treated by trained medical professionals. If you or your child has symptoms of heat stroke, go into the shade, sponge or douse with cool water, and call 911 or your local emergency medical provider.
Severe sunburn
No sunburn is a good sunburn. But not all sunburns are the same, and some are serious enough to require medical attention. “If you’ve had a bad enough sunburn, it’s almost like you’re a burn victim,” says Scharf. “If it’s blistering and you have fevers and chills, then you probably need to get to the ER.”
Mild to moderate sunburns can be treated at home by avoiding further sun exposure, using soothing aloe vera lotion, cooling the skin with a clean damp towel and/or taking an over-the-counter pain medication.
Swimmer’s ear
If doing handstands in the swimming pool has your ears throbbing in pain, it’s time to hang up your goggles and get to the doctor. You might have a case of swimmer’s ear.
Swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infection in the outer ear canal, the tube that connects the ear opening to the inner ear. It can cause mild to moderate pain. While it’s more common in kids, adults can also develop it.
Scharf sees swimmer’s ear all summer long.“It’s usually characterized by mucus coming out of the ear,” she says. “Often the ear canal is very swollen, and it usually hurts to touch.” When severe, swimmer’s ear can cause a fever or swollen glands in the neck.
This issue doesn’t usually require an ER visit, but if you have these symptoms, it’s best to schedule a visit to your local urgent care clinic or doctor’s office. Untreated swimmer’s ear can lead to hearing loss or a more widespread infection. After diagnosing your condition, your provider may prescribe certain kinds of over-the-counter ear drops, or for more persistent cases, a combination of antibiotics and steroids.
To prevent swimmer’s ear, Scharf says it’s important to keep your ear canal dry. She recommends gently blow drying your ears after swimming and showering, and warns against putting in earbuds directly after a trip to the pool, as this can trap moisture.
Poison Ivy and other toxic plants
Poison ivy – like its less common relatives, poison oak and the poison sumac bush – causes an allergic reaction after brushing the skin. Each of these plants contains a unique oil called urushiol oil, which can be more toxic to some than others. About 70 to 85 percent of the population develops a reaction to these plants. Sensitivity depends on genetics and level of exposure.
A poison ivy rash typically develops 12 to 48 hours after exposure and lasts for two to three weeks. It’s typically extremely red and itchy, and often looks streaky, because people get it by brushing past a poisonous leaf, Sharf says. Since the rash is caused by the oil, it’s important to wash any clothing or gear that has touched the plant, and hose down pets that have come in contact with it, as it can spread.
For mild cases of poison ivy, doctors recommend anti-itch creams like hydrocortisone, or antihistamines, like Benadryl. Soothing oatmeal baths or cold compresses can also help soothe itchiness. But it’s important to visit your healthcare provider if the rash is covering a large area of your skin or sensitive parts of the body like your eyes, mouth or genitals. In those cases, says Scharf, your provider may prescribe an oral steroid to calm inflammation. If the rash is causing difficulty breathing, head to the ER. This could be a severe allergic reaction.
Infected bug bites
For every perfect summer night, there’s often a bug bite. Mosquitos, black flies, horse flies, sand fleas, no-see-ums, and many more, all plague humans with itchy or painful bites. Bugs rarely leave serious bites, though some, like horse flies, may leave an especially large and itchy or painful bump.
In some cases, if you get a bug bites that’s unbearably itchy or swollen, it might be worth visiting a doctor. They can assess the bite, make sure it’s not infected and prescribe treatment.
If you’re looking for a quick-fix at home, Scharf recommends hydrocortisone, classic allergy medicine or a bleach bath.
“Use a quarter cup of regular bleach (no fragrance or dyes) and draw up a large lukewarm bath,” she says. Soak for five minutes, and then pat dry and put some moisturizer on.”
This can cut down on the bacteria in the skin, making it an effective treatment for irritated bug bites. “It’s kind of like going into a swimming pool,” Scharf says. (Just avoid dipping your head into the water.)
Whatever bumps, bites or scratches you get this summer, know that you can always call your healthcare provider to ask about it: chances are, they’ve seen it before, season after season.