Yesterday, I suffered my 2nd bout of severe dizziness. The first time, I was sitting in the passenger seat while Lynn drove to the butcher shop. Suddenly, I was overtaken with extreme dizziness and some nausea. She stopped the car and let me walk back and forth on the side of the road. That was about 7 months ago.
Yesterday, I was just standing still getting ready to go out and a very similar spell came over me. I went to see a nurse practitioner and described what happened. She gave me an EKG and questioned what I drank. After listing my usual routine, she recommended I up my water intake. Since age 20, I have been aware of the reports of the importance of drinking enough water. So, I am still surprised that my usual intake falls short. I used to follow the idea of 8 glasses of 8 oz. of water a day. Then, I read a report that such a quantity was more than needed. But I have also been aware of the dangers of dehydration. It is fairly common for older people to lose some of their sensitivity to needed water and I have been falling into the habit of drinking too little.
Lynn's stepdad was helicoptered to a hospital in a bad state of dehydration and I thought I was doing what I should to avoid the common older person's trouble. I am surprised that I have been traveling down a road I didn't realize I was following. The nurse recommended 50 oz of actual water a day and I certainly plan to meet that.
