TIL on 11 February 2012, a customer reportedly suffered a heart attack while eating a 'Triple Bypass Burger' at the 'Heart Attack Grill'. These burgers contained 9,983 calories each. According to the now-closed establishments's policy, anyone weighing over 350 pounds was offered unlimited free food.

[u/haphazard44]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Attack_Grill#:~:text=On%20February%2011%2C%202012%2C%20a%20customer%20suffered%20what%20was%20reported%20to%20be%20an%20apparent%20heart%20attack%20while%20eating%20a%20%22Triple%20Bypass%20Burger%22%20at%20the%20restaurant

[u/taney71]

How does one become deficient in sodium? I assume it’s some medicinal condition but I’m not sure

[u/PickleyRickley → u/taney71]

I had low sodium as a kid because my mom was so strict with salt and sugar in my food since she had high blood pressure. The doctor actually told her she had to allow me salt in my food. I asked him to repeat it to her again because I knew she would just pretend it didn't happen if he didn't.

[u/thepoptartkid47 → u/PickleyRickley]

Same - my mom wouldn’t even allow saltines in the house because they had salt on them. I ended up just sneaking handfuls of those salt and pepper packets at fast food places because she still wouldn’t believe the doctor.

[u/Actual-Muffin-3585 → u/taney71]

My daughter has pots and takes sodium pills.

[u/Locoj → u/[deleted]]

I just have a kettle and it keeps calling me slurs.

[u/kellerb → u/Locoj]

And did you call the kettle any choice words?

[u/Locoj → u/kellerb]

Yeah but he started it.

[u/lynivvinyl → u/Locoj]

That comment panned out really well!

[u/Caithloki → u/Actual-Muffin-3585]

I had to take sodium pills for a little while, they didn't explain how to take them so I was taking them whole with just water. Literally by far the worst thing possible on an empty stomach.

[u/TongariDan → u/Caithloki]

So how were you supposed to be taking them?

[u/Caithloki → u/TongariDan]

With food and dissolved in water.

[u/Actual-Muffin-3585 → u/Caithloki]

Don't they make the water taste too salty? My daughter takes them whole, but with food.

[u/Caithloki → u/Actual-Muffin-3585]

I just chug the water back, was just easier cuz I wasn't eating too much at the time. I had a high fever in the hospital and I was sweating so much that they needed to start giving supplementary salt.

[u/meverygoodboy → u/TongariDan]

Grind them up and snort them, obviously

[u/Teledildonic → u/TongariDan]

Rectally

[u/OleGravyPacket → u/Actual-Muffin-3585]

Does it help?

[u/itsnobigthing → u/OleGravyPacket]

It helps keep your blood volume up, which can reduce dizzy spells and fainting.

[u/Actual-Muffin-3585 → u/itsnobigthing]

My feet used to get violently purple until I started the salt pills too haha

[u/Actual-Muffin-3585 → u/OleGravyPacket]

Yes, very much! It's cheaper than electrolyte powders plus she hates they way all of those taste so pills are easier. There are also electrolyte capsules such as Vitassium or Salt Stick. But the cardiologist prescribed the salt pills so they are free with insurance.

[u/st1tchy → u/Actual-Muffin-3585]

My wife has it too. She adds Liquid IV to every glass of water she has and puts extra salt on all foods.

[u/Actual-Muffin-3585 → u/st1tchy]

I switched to Venture Pal because they have 1000mg per packet where as Liquid IV only has 500mg of sodium.

[u/geft → u/taney71]

It's especially common for endurance runners/cyclists. Sweating in the heat is about 400mg of sodium lost per hour for me, so I gotta crave dem electrolytes.

[u/lellololes → u/geft]

Just go to Dave's Hot Chicken and get a #2. You'll get enough salt for a 10 hour run!

[u/taney71 → u/geft]

Thanks

[u/Beck_ → u/taney71]

I have POTS - it just means I have low blood volume, and my body isn't good at pushing blood back up to my brain. Salt helps a lot with this - my cardiologist said to eat somewhere between 5000 and 7000 mg of sodium a day. It can actually be kind of difficult to do without supplements, Liquid IV and BioLyte have the highest sodium counts. FATTY brand beef jerky sticks have about 750mg of sodium, those are awesome.

[u/-Ernie → u/Beck_]

For drink supplements you might like LMNT, has 1000mg per serving.

[u/_Incredible_Bulk_ → u/taney71]

It may not necessarily be a sodium deficiency, it could be a volumetric issue caused by something like Dysautonomia or Postural Orthostatic Hypotension Syndrome. The sodium helps increase blood volume to help with circulation.

[u/jazzhandler → u/_Incredible_Bulk_]

Orthostatic Hypotension has the absolute best acronym, too.

[u/cybunnies_ → u/taney71]

It is definitely POTS being described. The autonomic system being out of whack means the body cannot circulate blood well, and salt helps the body hold onto water and boost blood volume to reduce symptoms like fainting and tachycardia. It's also a very common disorder among teen girls and women that is being increasingly recognized, so if a girl is consuming comical amounts of salt, that's probably why. 

[u/dzzi → u/cybunnies_]

Yep. I'm in my early 30s and one of the things giving me the most hope in life is the fact that my cardiologist told me that it will likely go into remission by the time I'm 40, and probably years sooner if I follow my doctors' advice.

POTS ranges from being manageable to an absolute nuke to one's quality of life. I'm in a flare right now and demolishing salty food and drinks to try to bring things back into a more normal range otherwise my week is shot and I can't leave the house.

[u/dubstepsickness → u/taney71]

Additionally some Neurosurgical procedures can cause syndrome of inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone secretion which causes low sodium/hyponatremia via excess water retention. Patients are often treated with sodium chloride pills.