A woman of two from Indiana who complained to her loved ones that she couldn’t drink enough water to feel full later died of water poisoning, an unusual but potentially fatal effect of consuming large quantities of water rapidly. Over the Fourth of July holiday, Ashley Summers, 35, became seriously dehydrated while spending time at Lake Freeman with her husband and two small daughters.
The mother started feeling like she couldn’t drink enough water on the last day of the vacation. “Someone said she drank four bottles of water in 20 minutes,” her brother Devon Miller said to WRTV. In a matter of 20 minutes, she drank the equivalent of four 16-ounce water bottles. A half gallon of that. That’s the recommended amount of fluid intake for an entire day.
Family members reported that Summers often felt dizzy and complained of a constant headache. Holly, my sister, called me and she was a nervous wreck. She said, “Ashley has been admitted to the hospital.” Miller said, “She has brain swelling; they don’t know what’s causing it; they don’t know what we can do to get it down; and it’s not looking good.
Summers collapsed in her garage after returning from her trip and was subsequently brought to IU Health Arnett Hospital. Doctors then told her family that she had died of water intoxication because she never woke up. It came as a surprise to everyone. When concerns regarding water poisoning were initially raised. I mean, this actually exists? Miller thought back.
According to hospital toxicologist Dr. Blake Froberg, the rare cause of death is more common in the summer or for people who work outside or exercise often. “There are certain things that can make someone more at risk for it, but the overall thing that happens is that you have too much water and not enough sodium in your body,” Froberg explained, going on to stress the importance of consuming foods and beverages that contain electrolytes, sodium, and potassium. General malaise, aches and pains, nausea, and headaches are all signs of water toxicity. According to her family, Summers saved the lives of five other people by donating her heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and even some of her lengthy bone tissue.
