Heatwave coming to Wales.
This summer has been hotting up, and we’re not talking about Love Island. You may have noticed the temperature steadily rising and now the Met Office has extended an amber extreme heat warning for Wales and England.
Read more about the amber warning here: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/regional/wl
We all love to a enjoy gloriously hot summer day, particularly when we have taken the precautions to be safe in the heat. But some need to be more mindful in this extreme heat than others.
It’s important for kidney and transplant patients and their friends and families to have an understanding of some of the risks and know what to do in this weather. Hot weather makes managing fluid balance more complicated and individuals can become dehydrated more easily. For patients who take immunosuppression medication they need to be very cautious in the sun, taking extra care protecting their skin from strong sunlight.
For those of us with fully functioning kidneys, our bodies can adapt easily in these conditions, we simply pass less volume (but more concentrated) urine. But for kidney patients this can mean they are more susceptible to dehydration.
Consequences of dehydration in dialysis patients can be more serious. A potential result of dehydration in patients with fistulas is the fistula being much more likely to clot and stop working if the patient gets to that stage.
Our late Patient Information & Support Manager Brett used to share great tips with patients, one great suggestion was to suck on ice cubes. As a dialysis patient for many years Brett picked up some great tips and learnt what worked well for him.
- Drink slow and steadily throughout the day
- Use a cold flannel on your head or back to keep cool
- Consider what you are eating throughout the day. Will it make you thirsty
- Avoid long periods in direct sun at the hottest part of the day
- Wear a hat with a high UPF rating.
The NFK and Kidney Care UK have pulled together some great tips to help too.
You can check those out using the links below.
NKF: https://www.kidney.org.uk/tips-to-keeping-cool-in-hot-weather?fbclid=IwAR1RtoFRzG-kIWG7f9evs8IYGiW3eRZcBPxShr6c77nfXLWxfyc0AxAWHlQ
Kidney Care UK: https://www.kidneycareuk.org/news-and-campaigns/news/advice-risk-kidney-patients-during-heatwave/
If you are concerned at all about how to manage in the heat, you should speak to your dietician or renal team. They will be best placed to give you support
The information provided here is to act as a guide only. If you are a patient and have any concerns you should reach out to your consultant or renal teams.
Welsh Government urge public to take precautions
The Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales is urging people to take extra precautions and to plan ahead to keep themselves and others safe as the Met Office warns of extreme heat.
https://gov.wales/public-urged-take-precautions-temperatures-rise-wales
How can I support Kidney Wales?
- Host your own fundraiser – whether it’s a Facebook fundraiser, hosting a community bake sale or a charity football match we will support you.
- Book a Volunteer Ambassador talk – our volunteer will talk to your school, company, community group about kidney disease and their lived experience. Book today, Email [email protected]
- Run for us – Join #TeamKW for the Cardiff10k or the Cardiff Half Marathon