Question:
Can you get too much water?
I am 13 wks post op and I consume 120 plus ounces of water daily, 18 ounces of protein drink, and 16 ounces of decaf coffee daily. I measure my water so I am certain of the amount I get. For the last week or so I've not been feeling well and I wonder if all the fluid intake could be causing an electolite imbalance. I know this is possible but I don't know how much it takes to cause it. Does anyone Know???? — Noreen M. (posted on August 13, 2003)
August 13, 2003
My surgeon said you can NEVER get too much water. Maybe you should call
your surgeon and ask???? 7 days post-op! Good luck in your weight loss
journey.
— Eleanore Davis
August 13, 2003
Yes, too much water can throw off your electrolyte balance. You're getting
in almost 200 ozs of fluid per day. I'd call my surgeon before I continued
with that:)
— kathy B.
August 13, 2003
— kathy B.
August 13, 2003
Nah! I don't think you can get too much water. You can get too much tea.
Diuretic drinks, like tea and coffee, can cause you to deplete the normal
balance of electrolytes. You are consuming a REALLY lot of water. How
come?
— Ginger M.
August 13, 2003
ABSOLUTELTY!
— bethybb
August 13, 2003
A doctor friend of mine says that while drinking enough water is important
for flushing out toxins (especially fat, in our case), drinking too much
water can also cause problems. Loads of excess water can flush out the
*good* stuff we also need in our bodies and puts a strain on kidneys. I
remember a story in the news last summer about a woman who died from
drinking too much water - it was like a couple of gallons or more. I don't
remember exactly WHY it caused her death but I think it had something to do
with the extra work it made for her kidneys and it also threw some other
stuff out of whack. I myself struggle to get in all of my water so I don't
think drinking too much water will ever be a problem for me *smile* but
just to be safe, I'd ask your doctor.
— MomBear2Cubs
August 13, 2003
My space bar somehow became an enter button so I didn't get to elaborate on
my answer. You can even die from too much water. Hyponatremia is the
medical term for too much water - it floods out your body's nutrients, and
too much water can cause death in some cases - usually in children but also
in others - from the brain swelling with the excess water causing brain
damage and death. You can look up "over hydration" or
"water intoxication" on search engines for more info on this as
well.
Talk to your surgeon or nutritionist to get the right amount for you, but
my nutritionist recommended 56-64 oz a day.
— bethybb
August 13, 2003
You have to drink an INCREDIBLE amount of water to fall victim to
hyonatremia...you would have to drink constantly all day and NIGHT! This
is an extremely rare disorder often characteristic in the mentally ill with
severe OCDs. Drinking 100-120ounces of water is good for you and is not
even a drop in the bucket ('scuse that) compared to hyponatremia.
(((hugs)))and smiles =)))
— DebPKansas
August 13, 2003
I was the victim of water intoxication when I was an anorexic teenager.
(Don't flame me, please--I was treated for the anorexia 19 years ago with
meds and counseling and had no subsequent problems of that type--just got
very fat from messing up my metabolism). I drank too much water because
someone told me that drinking water helped speed weight loss and like a
typical teenager figured if a little is good a whole lot is even better...I
drank 16 oz of water every fifteen minutes for several days and ended up in
the hospital extremely ill. Trust me, you do not want this to happen, but
it takes a LOT of water to do it. Please talk to your surgeon and make sure
he or she understands that you are not exaggerating your intake, and that
you are measuring precisely. I don't think you can get hyponatremia from
the amount you mentioned, but there are indeed other problems that you can
cause besides that.Best of luck!- Lisa Lap RNY 23-JAN-2003 246/175
— gamboge
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