05.15.26
The Hidden Danger of Hydration
It isn’t just about watching your A, B, and C’s; sometimes, it’s about your sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Even at 72, after seven years of full-time travel, I am still learning—often the hard way.
In warm regions like Southeast Asia, we all know the importance of staying hydrated. However, I recently rediscovered a dangerous truth: you can drink water the wrong way and it is entirely possible to flush out the very minerals that keep you safe.
While staying in Tam Coc/ Ninh Binh, Vietnam, we visited Mua Cave, which features a grueling 500-step climb to a “dragon statue” at the summit. We previewed videos of the narrow, unroped peak and felt concerned—not so much about the exertion, but because my balance isn’t what it used to be. I later recognized that for several days I was already depleted and after spending three hours on a sampan boat earlier that day, and being exposed to the elements, I was at risk. Without prepping or hydrating I started my climb. Kathleen wisely chose to stay below.
At the first landing where the path split a fellow hiker suggested the “Pagoda” peak was the easier route, though still strenuous due to the uneven steps. Fifteen minutes later, I reached that summit and enjoyed a spectacular view of the lotus fields below, and across the chasm I saw the surprisingly accessible dragon statue, so decided to do that, too. After returning back to the landing, I bought a water which was sorely needed, and began the second climb toward the Dragon. Two-thirds of the way up, I took a pause to survey my condition and what lay before me, and ego be damned, I decided to turn back. Not because I was winded, but more due to worry about my legs. For several days, I’d been experiencing night cramps along with a few bouts of lightheadedness—telltale signs of potassium deficiency.
Note to self: Cramps and dizziness are your body’s early warning system.
Back at the bottom I drank some coconut juice and felt fine, and since it was an overcast day, I really didn’t think I had perspired much. That was lesson number two: Clouds do not prevent overheating or fluid loss.
That night was restless and I woke frequently, my legs cramping a few times. When I got up and stood before the toilet along comes vertigo and dizziness and down I went. I was “gone,” and it scared Kathleen (and me) to death. Was it a heart attack? A TIA mini-stroke? Or something much more than that?
To be continued
