Sodium levels in blood warning

Yes, it's a good reminder that our doctors should be aware of "the big picture" rather than just giving piecemeal advice. Three litres of water every day is a LOT ! I'm amazed that the doc recommended so much. It is easy to become depleted of salt if you drink such huge amounts.

I also had a problem with recurrent UTI but have solved it by simply taking cranberry capsules each day. You might find this useful, OP.

Thank you, this lot has scared the life out of me always being quite fit

That is interesting. We are constantly told to keep our salt intake down and drink plenty of water. What is the right balance, moderation in everything I suppose. My Mom had low blood salt so adds salt to her meals and has been told to eat crisps. I do sometimes worry that she is having too much salt, she hasnt had her bloods checked for a little while. She drinks a normal amount of fluid, not too much and drinks cranberry juice as she has had urine infections in the past. She has had a couple of TIA's but she is almost 97 so is doing something right!

I was told to avoid salt at all costs years ago. Everything I cooked was missing that ingredient and I thought I was losing my sense of taste.
One day feeling so miserable and also having real doubts about this lack of salt in the diet I began fighting back and adding salt in the normal way. Besides giving me the lift I needed, my urine output was so much better and I'd finally got my body back to working order, didn't feel as " congested " as I'd obviously been because of not passing enough water/wastes, so the restriction didn't work for me.

Last blood test was fine, even the pre-diabetes had dropped a notch in number to 42 instead of 44 which it had been for years.

It could of course just be coincidence but returning to what my body had been used to did the trick ( fingers crossed )

My friend was also told her sodium levels were very low and told to eat a packet of crisps straightaway and add salt to her cooking.
She was very shocked as she was a "healthy" , I called it "faddy" eater.
To be frank, to me her food was always tasteless and never S&P on the table and I never dare ask!!

I was shocked to be told my sodium level was low. When I told the GP I have been following a low salt diet for years I was asked why. I replied that it has been drummed into us to cut back on salt plus I have high bp. The GP replied that unless specifically prescribed by a consultant, salt should be eaten in moderation. So I now don't worry so much about reading every label for salt, also sugar and fat. Moderation in all things is the key.

That must have been scary!

Who told you to drink 3 litres of water a day? I think that could have been the advise at one time, but it is no longer. A junior doctor once told me to drink that much water but the consultant, when I checked, said no.
Other fluids are now considered to be part of your required intake - and will contain various salts and minerals which the body needs.

If we perspire a lot in the hot weather, too, the body needs some salt and other minerals.

advice not advise!

I was told by a consultant urologist to help bacteria sticking to the bladder wall.

Oh!

We do need water, it's good - but I didn't think that much was advised now.
The weather has been very hot as well, we lose salt when we perspire.

My Mum who suffers from repeated urinary infections has been told to drink 4 litres of water per day by her consultant! She says it is absolutely impossible to drink more than 3 litres, she would never be able to leave her house as she also suffers from incontinence!

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

How about drinking sparkling mineral water? I'm sure some of them contain more sodium than tap water, you can almost taste it.

I think they do add some salt to sparkling water.

As far as i know if someone has low blood pressure as i have, they shouldn't cut back on salt,. i use a normal amount, i put salt in my cooking and salt on my meals,if needed
I think people with high blood pressure shouldn't use too much salt, but i could be wrong,it is only what i have read on health websites

Might I add that I drink very little water----only with tabs, yet I've only ever had one UTI which was caused by taking antibiotics for a chest infection plus a long-haul flight so it had to happen with no intake of water for all that time.