Mum almost dies after drinking four litres of water a day to 'flush out' a cold

Nina Munro, 41, from Australia, drank around four litres of water a day in an attempt to 'flush out' what she thought was a cold - but it nearly killed her

A mum has issued a stark warning after binge-drinking water left her with dangerously low sodium levels, causing a seizure.

Government officer Nina Munro, 41, from Queensland, Australia, was desperately trying to cure what she thought was a cold by downing four litres of water a day.

Unfortunately, the water intake, mixed with cold and flu medications, led to catastrophic consequences. She spent five days fighting for life in intensive care as doctors scrambled to correct her sodium balance.

Now recovered, Nina looks back in shock, saying: "All the doctors didn't know how I survived it. I was slowing drowning myself and I didn't even know it!"

Reflecting on her habits, she added: "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.

"They wouldn't let me leave [hospital] until my sodium level began to increase."

The frightful experience kept her away from her children. Nina added: "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.

"The first few days in ICU I couldn't drink anything and when I left hospital I was on a restricted 1.5ltr diet and naturally now drink less."

Taking advice from the medical professionals, she remarked, "They told me to drink for thirst only. They were investigating whilst I was in ICU for five days."

Six weeks before her hospital admission, Nina started experiencing minor coughs and colds, feeling generally unwell. She explained: "Our daughter is at kindergarten and she's always coming home with little bugs. She got laryngitis and lost her voice in May, and her daughter had pneumonia - which I unknowingly also caught a mycoplasma from.

"I also had a cold, earache and a sore throat which I kept going to doctors for," she added. "I never felt like I had time to rest with the constant demands of parenting and work."

Over this six-week period, Nina consulted five different doctors, receiving various medications and advice to hydrate more.

"I had three lots of steroids, three lots of antibiotics, nasal sprays and Nurofen, which also lowers your sodium - it was a perfect storm to lower my sodium," she revealed.

Nina's condition worsened in the days leading up to her June 15 admission. "I left a gym class as I felt I wasn't moving right," she recalled.

"I went to a local hospital and they said 'drink lots of water' as they thought I was having withdrawals from the steroids."

The following day, she developed a "haze" in front of her eyes and was again advised to drink more water. By June 15, she had been vomiting for three days, consuming around four litres of water that day without any food. "I just kept thinking I needed to drink all this water to flush it out," she said. "I've always tried to drink at least two litres a day, if not more."

That night, her husband frantically dialled 999, which resulted in an ambulance whisking her off to the hospital. Her sodium levels were alarmingly low at 100 milliequivalents per litre, a stark contrast to the minimum safe level of 135, with any figure below this threshold considered dangerously low.

Nina was informed by medics that her critically low sodium was due to excessive water intake, exacerbated by medications she had been taking for recent minor colds and a mycoplasma infection. Recalling her time in ICU, Nina admits her memory is hazy, but she's acutely aware of how fortunate she is to have survived.

Following a brief observation period, Nina bounced back to full health, though she's barred from driving for half a year due to her seizure. She reflected: "I know a blood test would have showed it up straight away. There must be other people out there in the same boat.

"I think it will take a while to trust that things will be okay. It was like my body had a hard reset and had to start up again."

The NHS advises individuals to consume six to eight glasses of fluids daily to maintain hydration, aiming for urine that's a pale, clear yellow.