My Sunday Adventure

This past Sunday, December 13th, was an exceptional day. Sunny, with a high of sixty degrees. Possibly one of the last warm days before winter sets in. I had a full day planned. It started with a morning swim, then at noon, my wife Mary and I went to the beautiful Rockefeller State Park in Sleepy Hollow with our dog Sammy. We walked for over two hours (15,000 steps!). We came home and did some yard work. Had dinner, a glass of wine, sat on the couch and passed out. I mean PASSED OUT! Eyes rolled up, ghost white and sweating. PASSED OUT! Next thing I remember, two guys in my living room asking me if I’m ok. I lied and said yes. Truthfully, I felt terrible.

I recognized one of the EMTs as Bobby. A nice guy who works at the Hommocks Ice Rink. He said “we’re taking you to the hospital.” My
first thought was: How? On your Zamboni? I arrived at the emergency room by ambulance. There, I got every test imaginable: blood work, EKG, chest x-ray, CT of the head, Covid test, vitals… fortunately everything was normal. Shortly after I arrived, I was given an IV fluid and with the first bag, I felt better. By the second bag, like my old self again. At 1:30 am, they watched me walk around the emergency room and sent me home. My diagnosis: Dehydration.

I felt like an idiot. What about the advice I give patients all the time… “stay hydrated”, “drink half your body weight in ounces water”, “drink until your urine is clear.” I didn’t follow my own advice. I spent most of the day outside but it was cool enough that it didn’t trigger my thirst. No wonder just as many dehydrations occur in the winter as in the summer.

As I think about the past year, and all the events that have made it a challenging one, I want to wish all our patients a Happy Holiday Season and a Healthy 2021. Oh, and one last piece of advice… DRINK UP!!!