Lots of ways to die

Well that was interesting.

I got a call today from someone with Spike TV. She was doing research for an upcoming show and had a question for me. Apparently they will be doing a series about strange ways people die (1000 of them). The death she had questions about was a hyperthermia death while skin diving.

Apparently an individual made their own wetsuit (nothing like an amateur hobbyist). The plastic he used (salvaged from a waterbed) was too impervious to the loss of his body heat and he died of hyperthermia.

What she wanted was a list of stages he and his body would have gone through prior to his death for a graphic they are making to show during the broadcast. She said the graphic would be like they show on CSI, which didn't help me, because I don't watch the show. I laid them out for her: profuse sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea, loss of sweating and flushing, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, confusion, agitation, possible hallucination, seizure, coma, and then death. She wrote them down, read them back to me and thanked me. Goodbye.

Another day and another brush with fame (I doubt she will credit my contribution, but we will see; if I ever see the show). Fun none the less.

Update: Got called back. It seems the guy was not skin diving, but "jumping around" in this homemade plastic "suit" in relatively hot weather. That is not a good thing, as you can tell by this guy's outcome.