Horrible sunburns...
By lynnemg
@lynnemg (4529)
United States
June 28, 2009 12:55am CST
Not too long ago, I got horribly sunburnt. My husband and I decided to take the kids out on an all day fishing trip. Before we left, we stopped at the store and I looked directly at the sunblock thinking I would grab it on my way back out the door. Oops, I forgot.
Well, we went fishing and a few hours later, my skin was burning. I knew that if I could feel it at that point, I was burnt pretty badly. I put on my longer clothes to try to help protect me from getting any worse. About an hour later, my hubby and I decided to change spots and we moved to a different part of the pond we were at. I got really dizzy and even threw up. I told him I had to find some shade, and went to do just that. Within 20 minutes, I had to ask him to please start the car and turn on the air for me so i could cool off, I was way too hot and throwing up the little that was in my stomach.
We got home a couple of hours later and I decided to take a luke warm bath to help pull out the burn. This sent me into the beginning stages of shock, and now, I wasn't just burnt, I was also freezing. I went to bed, took ibuprofen to help relieve the swelling and I took a pain pill to help relieve the pain. I slept under three blankets and a comforter for a totall of 14 hours.
At that point, I got out of bed and it hurt so bad that I passed out on my couch, just a few feet away from my bedroom. I came to and tried to get to my front porch and passed out again. I tried to drink and got sick, I could no longer stand up, my husband put me back in bed.
Two hours later, I got back up, but I couldn't stand so he brought me my desk chair so I could move around. I still couldn't hold anything down and I was dizzy and just couldn't see straight.
I ended up going to the hospital that day and I had to be rehydrated and they prescribed silverdine lotion to help with the burn. After getting fluids in my system, I felt a lot better, but the burn still hurt like crazy. I was covered on my back, shoulders, and arms, and the fronts of my legs. It really hurt.
It took me a weel before I could get out of bed without the help of my chairr. Every time I stood up, the blood flow to my legs just made the pain unbearable.
Now, I am well over the burn, but I still have some effects that are lingering. For example, I can normally handle the heat, but now it is much more difficult. I also feel drained all of the time and feel like I just can't get enough sleep. I have tried everything I know of to do and even talked to my doctor. This is just something that will have to work itself out over time.
I apologize for the long post here, but I wanted every one who ever thought that a sunburn can't be all that bad to read this.
Now, on the flip side, have you ever been sunburnt? How bad was it?
1 person likes this
7 responses
@caver1 (1762)
• United States
28 Jun 09
I have had some bad sunburns in my day but nothing like yours. Of course, on top of the sunburn you also probably had heatstroke and dehydration. Sorry it got so bad for you.
My worst burns were as a child when we didn't have sunblock to help protect us, so any time we went swimming or fishing I would have a burn. Now I do a good job of using the sunblock most of the time and don't end up with bad burns.
@jujubeanie (4)
• United States
28 Jun 09
I have fair skin and I burn so easily. I have burned to the point of blistering. Ouch!! If you put honey over the burn and cover with a cool cloth (for comfort and to help prevent yourself sticking to things). It speeds up the healing process. Honey is good for all kinds of skin injuries. It helps pull infection out of wounds as well.
Sorry to hear about the burn. OUCH!!!
@lynnemg (4529)
• United States
29 Jun 09
I have never heard of using honey. I was told to wipe myself down with white vinegar to take the burn out right away. Of course, I was told this after the fact! I was also told to use witch hazel or noxema. Both are supposed to pull the burn out quick.
I am fais skinned also and that is one reason I never really go outside, that and I used to be working all the time during the day and most of the evening in the Summer months. That prevented a lot of burns too.
My kids are all fair skinned as well, but I think that they all have just enough Indian blood in them from their biological fathers that they don't burn like I do. As a matter of fact, they all tan very nicely!
@thyst07 (2079)
• United States
28 Jun 09
I'm thinking that you'll probably remember the sunblock in the future, eh? I've had a couple of really bad burns, too. One of my worst was when I was about three, so that one can be blamed on my parents. I got blisters, and I bled, but I don't remember much else. I also got a really bad burn in my teens when I went to an amusement park. I wore SPF 50, but I was also wearing a tank top and the sun reflecting off of all the metal and concrete was just too much. I ended up getting blisters all over my shoulders, chest, and back. I couldn't wear a shirt for a week, so of course I couldn't leave the house. I'm very careful about wearing sunscreen now. My facial moisturizer that I use every day has sunscreen in it, and if I know I'm going to be out for more than 20 minutes I will sunscreen the rest of me, too.
@lynnemg (4529)
• United States
29 Jun 09
That would be absolutely horrible! If that happened to any of my kids I would feel rotten.I am sure your parents did too. At 3 a kid barely even understands why they are hurting let alone being able to prevent it themselves.
Yes, I stocked up on the sunblock right after my experience!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
28 Jun 09
How horrible! It sounds as if you got heat stroke in addition to the burn. I've only burned once in my life and it was very mild, I spend all day in the hot Southwestern sun dredging for gold--I didn't get any but I did burn a bit. I usually don't burn, just tan, but it hurt badly enough that I can really sympathize with you!
I hope you feel better very soon!
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
28 Jun 09
Yes it definitely sounds like you had sunstroke. I live in a country with extremely hot summers and many people come out to holiday here and you can spot them everywhere with their bright red skin as they overindulge on the sunbathing, at the same time they don't take enough care to keep themselves hydrated which is really important. Knowing the climate we don't expose ourselves to the sun between 11 and 3 and wear sunblock all the time and always carry water everywhere. Many parents allow their children fizzy drinks which dehydrates them even more and I have known cases of holidaymakers having to have children hospitalised because of this.
For your case of burn you should probably have put milk on it as soon as you could to draw the burn out. Hope you are getting your energy back but sure it won't happen to you again after your memorable experience.
@lynnemg (4529)
• United States
29 Jun 09
Yeah, I know better than to frink a lot of pop and such, but that particular day, we had mostly pop for my husband and I and we reserved the water and such for the kids. The worst part of it is that I teach CPR and First Aid, including heat related problems. This was definately a learning experience for me.
@lovenish00111 (93)
• India
28 Jun 09
I am from india. In india large part of population sleeps is sunbath and me also sleep many times under sunbath but non of the sunburn case i have heard until now around me. This is the first case i read then others following this.
The only thing that hurt indians while sleeping is sun is houseflies so we take a light cloth to cover the body and face and i think that cloths saves us from sunburn unknowingly.
@lynnemg (4529)
• United States
29 Jun 09
Generally, I spend most of the hotter hours indoors, as a matter of fact, this is the first Summer in several years that I have really spent any time outdoors. I am sure that the fact that you are covered a lot helps to protect you, but remember that the sun rays that do the damage can still penetrate clothing. You may not get burned, but it can still cause damage.
@kitttenskysong (676)
• United States
28 Jun 09
Years ago when I was twelve I was at a family reunion at Bear Lake, I fell asleep on the beach, really really bad idea. I blistered badly, so bad infact that I couldn't bare to have anything touch my skin at all.
To top that off when I peeled I was still burnt underneath. Somehow I managed to get away with no scars (lucky me)
@lynnemg (4529)
• United States
29 Jun 09
Ouch! I can remember having a few milder burns when I was a kid, but this burnmade all others I have had seem like nothing at all. With kids, they seem to get sop involved with running around, they hardly ever think about the sun until well after they are burnt.
