The woman who died from drinking too much water!?

Question

I just posted this in another section and got a bunch of weird answers. I'm not sure if those people know what they're talking about! http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhSKBe4H6unjhB6hnD5dbNPsy6IX?qid=20070114151732AAh0kvs

I have a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) and am supposed to be drinking LARGE amounts of water throughout the day, which my nurse practitioner advised. (Yes, I'm also drinking unsweetened cranberry juice.) Some women advise to drink enough that you're peeing every 15-20 minutes. But I just heard about this horrible story: http://www.nbc11.com/news/10746017/detail.html?rss=bay&psp=news Scary stuff! Do you think she ran into problems because she was trying NOT to urinate?

Anyway, right now I'm chugging it out of these 1.5-liter bottles... I'm gulping down a bunch every 5 minutes or so, and peeing about every 15, i think. How much can I drink safely? (I'm hoping women who've had UTIs will reply, too!) Thanks everyone! :)

Answer 1

I usually start taking high grade Echinacea root pills when I feel one coming on, along with water and cranberry juice(not nearly as much as you though, I stick to making sure I have a glass of water or cranberry juice in front of me at all times...I drink at my leisure...my avg pee-1ce every 60 min). Its an immune booster, I personally take 600-1200 mg once in morning and once in evening. It knocks out all my symptoms, and I haven't had to go get the antibiotics from the Dr since I started taking it. Its good to take around flu season also, plus is all natural. But make sure you arn't allergic to it, its part of the daisy family.

Answer 2

Some of the advice that's been given here is dangerous. It wasn't the lack of urination that killed Jennifer Strange, it was most likely a condition called hyponatremia, which is also more commonly known as water intoxication. What happens when drinking large amounts of water, particularly in a very short period of time, is that the sodium and potassium levels in the blood drop off drastically. Other cells still contain normal levels of sodium and potassium, and the thinned plasma begins to pull these electrolytes out of the cells by osmosis. The osmosis causes the cells to swell and eventually burst. Headaches are a common symptom of water intoxication as the brain begins to swell, and if left untreated hyponatremia will result in eventual seizures and death. It happens more often to healthy young women who drink too much water than anyone else, but there has been at least one case of a fraternity pledge dying of water intoxication during a hazing incident.

It doesn't matter if you urinate or not; healthy human kidneys can process about 1.2 liters of water an hour. One liter of water is consumed prior to an ultrasound, but as little as 1.8 liters can be lethal. If you're drinking that much water, you need to replace electrolytes. Gatorade or other sports drinks contain sodium and potassium for a reason. Cynthia Lucero died after competing in the 2002 Boston Marathon due to water intoxication. Treatment of water intoxication once symptoms are noted is a high sodium intravenous solution. You can help to protect yourself by lowering your water intake and adding some type of drink that contains sodium and potassium, but really it's not a good idea to be consuming more than a gallon of water a day. The max fluid intake recommended for women in a day (including liquids other than water) is 91 ounces. One gallon is 128 ounces.

Answer 3

I do think she died because she had such a large quantity of urine that because she was not expelling it, became backed up in her system. As long as you use the bathroom you are safe to consume as much water as you would like.

However, I have had numerous UTI's and I too drank water and cranberry juice...but I didn't drink such a large quantity as your talking about.

I simply replaced the things I usually drink with water and drank a few extra glasses of water even when I wasn't thirsty...I didn't go out of my way to drink extremely large quantities, and it worked for me.

I hope you find some relief soon :)

Answer 4

I have almost the opposite problem that you have. I have a huge bladder that spasms. I was drinking more than 2 gallons of water per 24 hour period and my doctors told me that I drink too much of it. That I should cut back to no more than 1 gallon per day.
I saw that article too and I was shocked and I am waiting for more information to be released about that condition. That seems strange, but i guess because she was not going to the bathroom. Also, maybe she had some underlying problem that contributed toward her death. So sad, though...........

Answer 5

One of the things they teach us first off in the Army basic training is that hydration is very important. But overhydration can lead to a condition called hyponatremia, which is a shortage of essential; electrolytes and salts in the body which can kill you. The recommended maximum we were given was 12 quarts in a day. If you do need to drink lots of fluids, drink also gatorade or something similar.

Answer 6

Don't drink so much that it is uncomfortable and you should be fine. You have to drink massive amounts to have water intoxication problems. She was chugging water in massive amounts in a very short time for a competition....not smart! The problem with drinking that much water is it messes up the levels of electrolytes in your body. Just listen to your body....don't chug so much that it makes you feel bad!

Answer 7

I just read the article and that woman is idiotic. I think she drank LARGE amounts of water and stupidly tried to hold it all in. That is absurd. Why would someone purposely drink vast amounts of water and try to hold their pee in for a contest? Water is good! Drink lots and lots of it!

Answer 8

I believe her problem was in not urinating and letting the body follow its natural course

Answer 9

Water is good for you but when you drink alot it it's not that good as your suppose to drink gatorade to restore the electrolytes.

Answer 10

the news was about a competition to win a nintendo Wii