Okay, listen up people!
Salt deficiency. The idea never occurred to T or I until he picked up a half loaf of white bread so I could have dry toast. My reaction after my first bite? I never realised how salty bread is. All I could taste is salt. So I kept eating until the salty taste disappeared. It took 3 slices. T picked up some sports drinks for me, and I’ve been sipping them all the time. I’ve been able to eat small meals. Really small meals, but I can do it. All the things I didn’t know: salt deficiency can make you vomit, cause diarrhea, exhaustion, muscle weakness, and eventually death. Considering how much I’m bouncing back from everything now that I’m increasing my salt intake, I was pretty damned low. Glad I didn’t have to go to the doc to figure this out. Not that I could have; my exhaustion was so total I was breathless walking the 10 steps from my bed to my chair. Today I’ve been up and walking (slowly) up and down the hallway. No breathlessness or dizziness. Walking a few steps actually feels good.
But, yeah. Everyone is so damned concerned with too high of a salt intake we never hear the flip side. Let me tell you: the flip side is horrible. Painful. Exhausting.
T is now on the warpath, making sure he gives me more salt. I’ve had warnings to add salt to food at the table. But it was bad. I lost all my colour, all my strength, and it was like one big loop of pain and gas and bloating and exhaustion.
Found, too, I was actually at a pretty high risk level of low sodium levels. One: I’m older. Two: I take anti-depressants. Three: I take a lot of pain relief meds. Four: I usually drink water all day. By the time you add in the week of loose bowels, the vomiting and all the rest, it’s little wonder my salt levels fell so far.
I feel clearer in my brain. I can think better. My eyesight has improved. I’m feeling stronger. I actually have an appetite. And today was the first day since this began that I actually peed enough I could have given a urine sample. Up ’til this morning, it was just a few dark yellow drips. All in all, I think I’m finally on the mend.
But watch out for salt deficiency! If you make your food from scratch and purposefully do low salt meals (like me), you could be at risk. If you take anti-depressants and pain relief (like me), you could be at risk. Do NOT let it get out of control. My advice is to try drinking a sports drink every day to keep the salt deficiency symptoms away. It’s the minimum. But be very, very careful of this. Trust me: if it gets bad enough, you’ll end up in hospital. I probably should have gone. But I would have needed an ambulance, cause I couldn’t make it any other way. I know there are many people out there who eat that highly prepped food and are more at risk for high salt levels. Do not forget about low salt level problems!
Oh, man! I am SO happy to feel a bit better!
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