Hypothermia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
It was in late Jan-Early Feb and I was part of a military training exercise at Fort Polk LA. The weather was a consistent freezing temps and freezing rain or very cold rain for 8- of the 10 days I was there. I was posted on the perimeter of an airbase and my job was to guard that perimeter. I stayed on the perimeter for three days without any sleep... So I was exhausted already and had not had any relief or sleep. I remember just being very cold and tired at about midnight. Not wanting to swallow my pride and ask for help... I stayed on the post in a fox hole in the woods alone...l did not mean to fall asleep it just took me over. The next thing I remember is waking up in a Ft Polk hospital room with an IV sticking in my arm. The Doctor told me I was suffering from Hypothermia and exhaustion and my core body tempwas at 93 degrees when I was brought in. I was found by a young female troop named Jodi Dedecker who came and checked on me passed out in the hole, She sounded the alarm when she could not wake me up. She saved my life. It was a situation that I thought I was bigger than. But I wasn’t and it almost cost me my life.It happens all the time... in hunting and fishing we see situations we think we are bigger than... but the truth is we are not and it can become very dangerous, very quickly. If you hunt or fish for very long it is very likely you will become involved in one of these situations. Make sure you look at it very closely and make the smart move... so you don’t become a victim like I did in 1997. Tight Lines…