Big Gulp

I am not a big drinker. Sipper mostly. My favorite beverages with coffee at the top of the list, followed by a nice glass of red wine perhaps. On a long bike ride you should drink a water bottle an hour..... how much do they hold? About 500 mL, I imagine.

The day of my surgery and the night after I was wicked thirsty. Our hospital issues every patient a pitcher for water, with a huge straw that sits on the bedside table. Our heart failure patients have one. Four liters of water. I drank 4L of water in under 8 hours. I think it is the straw. It got me thinking, how much do our patients drink while they are in the hospital?

Water retention is a big problem in heart failure. Decreased pumping function of the heart, decreased blood flow to the kidneys. Kidneys see less blood, and therefore are unable to filter out excess water. At the same time they secrete hormones that increase blood pressure and stimulate thirst.

These measures are the body's way to stay alive. It backfires as the the weak heart is overwhelmed by the excess water. Handfuls of pills are issued to the patient with a failing heart- all to counteract this cascade. When swelling fills the legs and lungs patients are admitted for even more drugs, directly in the veins. An now as I am aware, a large pitcher of water with a mack daddy straw. Interesting what you can learn about medicine from a hospital bed.