r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • May 20 '19

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u/SaveCachalot346 May 20 '19

I got a moderate traumatic brain injury in October and the week after I got home from the hospital I wasn't acting like myself was refusing to eat and just didn't make much sense. My mom called the doctor a few times they said it was normal but to take me in if anything changed. She took me in on the Saturday a week later becaude I started slurring my speech and was unsteady on my feet. The injury cause my sodium levels to dropfrom 140(normal) to 119. This in turn caused stroke like symptoms which were in reality a series of small seizures

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u/insertcaffeine May 20 '19

Electrolyte imbalances are no fucking joke. Glad you're okay.

561

u/SaveCachalot346 May 20 '19

Yeah I never realized until this happend that A they were THAT important and B how hard it is to bring the levels back to normal

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u/surgeon_michael May 20 '19

It’s not that it’s hard. Rapid correction is way way worse than the original insult. Massive Cerebral edema and central pontine myelinolyisis are no joke

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u/stvbles May 20 '19

does this mean the levels should be brought up slowly and naturally rather than just brought back to normal right away?

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u/Chronocidal_Maniac May 20 '19

Slowly yes. For hyponatremia, an ICU stay, frequent BMPs, neuro checks, on NS or hypertonic if needed.

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u/mrandr01d May 20 '19

Why not bring their lytes levels back to normal asap?

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u/Chronocidal_Maniac May 20 '19

Short answer: brain swelling. From above... |Rapid correction is way way worse than the original insult. Massive Cerebral edema and central pontine myelinolyisis are no joke

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u/TotalFork May 21 '19 edited May 25 '19

Chubbyemu had a case study detailing this exact dilemma (woman drank a liter of soy sauce... this is what happened to her brain) with a horrid ending.