We often hear that we aren’t drinking enough water. Some say drinking water is one of the best ways to remain healthy. One mom thought that if she drank enough water, it would help her fight a cold more quickly. We’ve all likely heard this advice from doctors, but there are limits to everything. Instead of getting well quicker, the mom made herself so sick by drinking too much water that she ended up in the intensive care unit.
Nina Munro, 41, hopes to warn others about the dangers of drinking too much water and its adverse effects on our bodies. The Daily Mail reported via South West News Service that she drank approximately four liters of water daily and was effectively “slowly drowning” herself.
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Munro decided to drink the water while taking medication.
She explained to SWNS that she was trying to “flush out” the cold and flu “bugs” with medication and water. But instead, the combination caused the sodium level in her blood to drop dangerously low. An unexpected seizure sent her to the emergency room.
Doctors admitted her to the ICU.
The health scare occurred in June, and she ended up staying in the hospital for five days while doctors worked to stabilize her blood sodium level. Drinking too much water made her extremely sick, and her condition shocked doctors.
“Doctors later told me they didn’t know how I survived it,” Munro explained. “I was slowly drowning myself and I didn’t even know it.”
Drinking water seemed like a good choice.
She said, “My husband said I wouldn’t do anything without a glass of water by my side. I think someone was looking out for me. I thought I was a super-healthy person.”
Ultimately, the hospital would not let her leave until her sodium level sufficiently increased. “I didn’t see my daughter for five days which was so hard. I didn’t want her to see me in the state I was in,” she said.
While in the hospital, doctors ensured she wasn't drinking too much water.
Doctors told Munro to drink for thirst only because drinking too much water causes sodium levels in the blood to drop dangerously low. She explained to SWNS that about six weeks prior to her hospital stay, she’d been battling several illnesses. Her daughter was in kindergarten and often brought home germs. Between a cold, earache, and a sore throat, doctors had given her multiple medications to try.
“I had three lots of steroids, three lots of antibiotics, nasal sprays and Nurofen, which also lowers your sodium â it was a perfect storm to lower my sodium,” she explained.
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Now, Munro wants to warn others not to overdo it with water.
She said that she was OK, but after her seizure, she couldn’t drive for six months. Other than that, she feels great.
Munro said her condition could have been caught sooner. “There must be other people out there in the same boat. The blood test would have shown the sodium level as being very low, so it could have been caught earlier,” she explained.
She added that now she is cautious, saying, “I think it will take a while to trust that things will be OK. It was like my body had a hard reset and had to start up again.”
