It happened to my mom on only a bit more than a gallon daily (spread out through the day), but she was on sodium lowering high blood pressure meds, she eats a low sodium diet (doesn't like the taste of much salt) and her blood sodium levels were normally at the lowest end of normal, so those factors together put her at greater risk.
I share the same risks, so I've read up on water intoxication, and at least know the symptoms to look for (if I would experience them, I'd eat something very salty or even add salt to a glass of water and drink it on my way to the emergency room). I don't usually drink much more than a gallon of water a day, or if I do, try to remember to add in a little extra salt in my diet. I don't think it's a precaution everyone needs to take, because most people eat enough salt and have relatively high or at least moderate normal levels of sodium in the blood. Even though I'm on high blood pressure medications, I tend towards low blood sodium and my doctor actually sometimes (when the levels get too low about once a year or so) encourages me to eat a little extra salt (but like my mom, I don't like the taste of salt in most things, so don't eat alot of high sodium foods). Chinese food is my one high-sodium weakness, so I consider it preventative medicine to eat oriental at least once a month (haven't had the doc tell me I need to up the sodium since, though my blood levels are still just barely above normal). However, if I'm going to ever have any surgery, I'm supposed to remind the surgeon to check my sodium levels (they usually don't check because it's so uncommon), as I needed sodium supplements for a couple weeks before my last surgery.
The problem with the water poisoning is that the symptoms are rather generic, though extreme and sudden. Nausea, dizziness, sweating, feeling weak... and disorientation and confusion (though if it gets to the confusion part, it's already probably life threatening) and passing out. You could easily misttake the early symptoms for flu (as my mother did) or food poisoning, or for severe cramps after exercising. However, salt wouldn't hurt you if you had any of those things, and could save your life if it is water poisoning.
For my mom, she seemed to have a bad flu and Dad only realized it was something serious when she became disoriented and confused. And even then, he thought it was probably the flu, but realized that if she got any sicker he would not be able to help her up if she fell, or needed to help getting to the bathroom, so he called the ambulance.
I think it's something to know about, but not be overly paranoid about, especially if you've talked to your doctor about your personal risk. If your bloodwork shows that you're sodium levels are well within the normal range, then it's likely that your normal water intake, whatever that is, is fine. If your levels are low, or if you're on potassium sparing high blood pressure meds, even a low dose, or if you're running marathons, you should probably talk to your doctor about water limits and when or if sodium supplements are needed.
Last edited by kaplods; 10-24-2008 at 11:26 PM.
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