Ask HN: Have any of you ever had medical issues after leaving a server room? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Have any of you ever had medical issues after leaving a server room?

8 pointsjacquesm9 comments

I've had a bit of a scare about 3 weeks ago. I had just been in a very well air conditioned room (17 Celsius), and walked into 35 Celsius ambient (very hot day for where I live).

I felt nauseated immediately, a few minutes later one side of my face started twitching, my right hand started shaking, vision trouble and according to others my face was extremely red.

The neurologist I was seen by suspected a temporary blockage of an artery or vein and a whole slew of tests were ordered up.

After a checkup at the hospital, bloodworks and everything else they did (CT scan, x-rays, doppler checks on veins and arteries in my neck), everything came up as totally normal.

Today, on a road trip I discussed what happened to me with an old friend and former customer who immediately linked what happened to the quick temperature increase, and said he had had multiple instances of this over his (much longer than mine) career in the same situation.

Ask HN:

- do you guys experience this also?

- if so is there positive correlation with exiting server rooms on hot days?

- were you aware of the link between the two (assuming there is such a link)?

- do you have any work-arounds?

- if this is so strong an effect why don't I have the same when I go into a cold shower on a hot day, or the reverse?

Thanks to all reading this and those responding.

The situation you put your body in is not natural; you could have gotten some kind of heatstroke in so doing.

To limit this sort of reaction, continue wearing your coat as you exit the building for a few minutes; this will limit the rate at which your body has to change temperature management strategies.

I can't comment on the server room scenario specifically, but I have personally experienced related symptoms (dizziness, mostly) when faced with sudden and extreme temperature changes. It typically coincides with me already being in a "weakened" (read: tired) state.

For example, taking a cold shower after a long hot run or bike ride, or getting out of an outdoor hot tub at the ski resort of a day of snowboarding.

Were you particularly tired or stressed on that day?

Yes, the weeks leading up to that day were quite stressful to put it mildly.

I did once in an Atlanta July have the sensation that my visual field was starting to narrow. I stopped running at once, and walked back through as much shade as I could find to my friend's apartment, which was air conditioned to a very cool temperature

Generally I handle heat fairly well, though my face will get bright red when exercising in it. I know plenty of people who don't care for heat, but the symptoms tend to run toward general discomfort, maybe nausea.

This sounds akin to sitting in a sauna during the winter then hopping into ice cold water and back into the sauna.

I've always heard that could be bad for your heart but I have no proof beyond what people say. Rapid changes in temperature must be a well researched area though?

Was your heart pounding?

Not that I recall.

Well my heart always pounds in these situations. I hate going out because of heat. Always feel like fainting. The funny thing is I had 100s of these "about to faint" situations but it never actually happened.

It basically gets to ~110BPM, vision starts to get blurry, kind of white as if there was a very bright light. I just sit down an it slowly reverts back to normal. Buys me some time to get to an AC'd place lol. I kind of had it forever. Just a bit more severe in the last few years that I don't have to go out everyday, so probably heat is more of a shock.

I wish it was 17C everywhere.

I've had this experience once last year. This is called PVC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contracti... My doc says that a one-time is not dangerous, but if it starts happening more often it's cause for concern.

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