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Staying safe during warmer weather and summer adventures

A wilderness medicine expert says more people suffering from falls, heat-related ailments and drownings start to arrive at the emergency room this time of year.

HICKORY, N.C. — With the change in weather and season comes a change in injuries and medical conditions.

A wilderness medicine expert, Dr. Seth Hawkins with Wake Forest Baptist Health says now is the time more people come into the emergency department drowning, falling and heat-related ailments.

Dr. Hawkins says drownings often result in death and are common among children. It only takes a few seconds and can happen without an obvious struggle. He says it's also the time of year when the idea of "dry drowning" circulates on social media but emphasizes that it is not real.

"The thought is that kids especially can have a fun day in the water splashing around and having a couple episodes where they choke a little bit and the next morning don't wake up and are found dead in their beds or their lungs are filling up quietly with fluid while they're on the playground or walking around the house," Hawkins said. "Neither of those outcomes are true and we haven't been able to find any cases where that actually happened."

Dr. Hawkins said falls increase around this time, too whether they are stumbles, major falls or falling from a high elevation.

"The only way we can do anything to control that situation is prevention," Hawkins said. "Particularly this season it's selfies, which is interesting and sort of a modern era thing, but you know getting right to the edge of that perfect shot or meandering past a railing to try to get an angle of the waterfall, it's never a good idea."

When it comes to the hot weather we are getting Dr. Hawkins said remember heat exhaustion makes you feel weak or lightheaded and you should get some rest and hydrate. Heat stroke presents itself a little differently and a person may be confused or lose consciousness. You should seek medical attention immediately.

"It’s an unprecedented summer because we’ve had an unprecedented winter with the pandemic. People will be out in large numbers and many are doing sports and activities that they’re not used to," Hawkins said. "Knowing your limitations, respecting the environment and remembering that the best days are the ones where you go home at night and talk with your friends and family and kids about the fun stuff that you did is much better than coming to visit me in the emergency department."

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