Sad case of desperation for Wii.

[Sankari]

Autopsy Finds Signs of Water Intoxication in Radio Contestant's Death

The results of a preliminary investigation released Saturday showed evidence "consistent with a water intoxication death" in the death of 28-year-old Jennifer Strange, Sacramento County assistant coroner Ed Smith said.

Strange, 28, was found dead inside her Astral Drive home in Rancho Cordova Friday afternoon. Her death came just hours after Strange participated in a radio station KDND 107.9 The End contest, testing contestants to drank as much water as they could without going to the bathroom.

The winner of the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest would take home a new Nintendo Wii video game system.

Strange's co-worker at Radiological Associates of Sacramento Laura Rios said Strange participated in the contest Friday morning, then was heading home when she reportedly called her supervisor in terrible pain.

"She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad," Rios said. "She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her."

"I was talking to her and she was a nice lady," Ybarra said. "She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for kids."

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=23350

I feel sorry for her and her family. I feel disgusted at the radio station for not being responsible enough to have any medical staff in place to look after the contestants!!!! Things like this can and will happen if people are desperately aiming to win for theyr kids, or for themselves.

SIMPLY DISGUSTING!!!! I hope the radio show gets cancelled and everyone fired.

R.I.P..

 

[thatdude90210]

There have been news stories about frat hazing gone wrong where a kid died from water intoxication. Don't people in the radio station read the fricking news? How the hell can they not pass a contest like this at least through a doctor, or a lawyer with a clue?

 

[SugarCoat]

wonder if she was on a low sodium diet

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Sure the radiostation did something stupid, but dont the people entering that contest have something called common sense? I dont know how much water you have to drink before you die but im sure that your body warns you multiple times that you are doing something wich you arnt supposed to. Your an idiot if you dont stop just because you want to win a Wii.

 

[Paul_G]

From what I understand, she went home complaining of a headache. That was the warning sign, not the most unusual of symptoms and not something you'd go to a doctor about or something, you'd probably try and sleep it off. I don't think you get much more warning than that to be honest.

Very sad and I too blame the radio station. This is not something that's never happened before, if you encourage people to drink that sort of amount, well you're asking for trouble.

 

[SugarCoat]

Sure the radiostation did something stupid, but dont the people entering that contest have something called common sense? I dont know how much water you have to drink before you die but im sure that your body warns you multiple times that you are doing something wich you arnt supposed to. Your an idiot if you dont stop just because you want to win a Wii.

Its like 70 Liquid Ounces or something crazy around there if i remember right. Basically over half a gallon in a short time span. It happens with a lower amount if you're on a low sodium diet.

I'm sure the fact that she wasnt allowed to take a piss per the contest rules didnt help either. Kidneys can only do so much.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sure the radiostation did something stupid, but dont the people entering that contest have something called common sense? I dont know how much water you have to drink before you die but im sure that your body warns you multiple times that you are doing something wich you arnt supposed to.

No. The water fills the intenstines before being absorbed, so you can drink too much water before your body is every aware there's too much inside you. The ill effects of water toxicity also can't obviously be attributed to too much water. It's not like alcohol where the alcohol is absorbed directly through the stomache, and you'll notice it's presence in the blood shortly after consuming a glass or two. You can drink enough water to kill you before it starts being absorbed in dangerous quantities.

The only warning against excessive water consumption is education, and not common sense.

 

[SugarCoat]

The only warning against excessive water consumption is education, and not common sense.

Dont agree, forcing over a half gallon of anything down your throat and into your body in a short amount of time goes totally against common sense. You ever try to chug water or beer for that matter? You know that thing in your brain that says thats enough? Thats common sense. When you ignore it thats your risk.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Common sense is that drinking water is harmless, and there's little reason to suspect otherwise unless you have an education. Consuming anything to excess isn't smart, but if you don't know the limit on what's safe to drink, it'd be easy to expect that limit to be too high. Another over-consumption tragedy was a fella who had a sponsored banana eat, and had a heart attack because of the potassium. Until the idea of chronic crash-consumption being dangerous is well taught, it'll remain an uncommon sense for those who know better.

 

[inefficient]

Worst Wii injury ever!

 

[SugarCoat]

Common sense is that drinking water is harmless, and there's little reason to suspect otherwise unless you have an education. Consuming anything to excess isn't smart, but if you don't know the limit on what's safe to drink, it'd be easy to expect that limit to be too high. Another over-consumption tragedy was a fella who had a sponsored banana eat, and had a heart attack because of the potassium. Until the idea of chronic crash-consumption being dangerous is well taught, it'll remain an uncommon sense for those who know better.

Its not my fault if common sense isnt too common. I dont think she was an idiot considering where she worked. Naturally we all know when enough is enough, your body tells you! When we push past that point that is a decision we make consciously. From how you sound its like you're saying its not her fault she dumped in inane amount of water down her gullet.

I have minor hearing loss in my right ear from listening to very loud music, is that not my fault or...nobodies? Every creature on earth is equiped with basic functions and feelings in this respect, we know what our limit are. The only exceptions in the case of food and drink are starving and dehydrated people who cannot control themselves and eat/drink themselves to death because the body is such a wreck, this is hardly the case here.

 

[Carl B]

I agree with Shifty; common sense is that water is harmless - *no one* should be expected to think otherwise. It goes against what the common person understands a key premise of biology to be. Hell, I'm a very engaged individual, but I am only aware of water toxicity myself because when I was young (like 8th grade) I remember my girfriend informing me that her aunt died of such; that strange dichotomy has of course been etched forever into my mind, but novel as it is, would I ever stop to think about the amount of water I'm drinking?

This is utterly tragic... but it's simply the case that the radio station could not be expected to know that drinking water could kill you when they dreamt this up. Who in that boardroom would have thought to consult a doctor before suggesting a contest about drinking water?

 

[Moonblade]

No. The water fills the intenstines before being absorbed, so you can drink too much water before your body is every aware there's too much inside you.

A certain percentage of the water you drink is absorbed in the stomache.

 

[SugarCoat]

I agree with Shifty; common sense is that water is harmless - *no one* should be expected to think otherwise. It goes against what the common person understands a key premise of biology to be. Hell, I'm a very engaged individual, but I am only aware of water toxicity myself because when I was young (like 8th grade) I remember my girfriend informing me that her aunt died of such.

This is utterly tragic... but it's simply the case that the radio station could not be expected to know that drinking water could kill you when they dreamt this up. Who in that boardroom would have thought to consult a doctor before suggesting a contest about drinking water?

once again, if you're FORCING your body to do something its telling you not to, thats going against common senses. Seriously, try drinking a half gallon of water in about 10 minutes, you'll problably want to vomit IF you can even get it all down. Are you honestly telling me you think that those who dont know that these are bad feelings shouldnt be held responsible for the risk or action they take?

This holds about as much water (no pun intended) as the people who complain its fastfood that made them obese and try to hold the foodchain responsible. Well its cheap, its huge, its dripping in grease and fat....hmmm. I can expect to eat as much as i want with no ill effects!

How about forcing yourself to stay awake, same thing. Sleep deprivation can kill. What you would consider common knowledge? No. Common sense that its bad to go without sleep for long periods? Yes. Yet someone who dies from it while forcing themselves to do it, isnt at fault....i think thats a little strange.

on that note Zz.

 

[Carl B]

once again, if you're FORCING your body to do something its telling you not to, thats going against common senses. Seriously, try drinking a half gallon of water in about 10 minutes, you'll problably want to vomit IF you can even get it all down. Are you honestly telling me you think that those who dont know that these are bad feelings shouldnt be held responsible for the risk or action they take?

Dude, I swear to you I've probably come close. I like water!

You try drinking a lot of water when you're very thirsty one day; do it quickly and you'll find the messages your body sends aren't anything alarming or negative... it truly just feels like what you'd expect drinking a lot of water to feel like.

If you were dying of carbon monoxide you probably wouldn't be able to recognize the symptoms until it was too late... I have little doubt that water is equally subtle in the way it conveys it's message.

How about forcing yourself to stay awake, same thing. Sleep deprivation can kill. What you would consider common knowledge? No. Common sense that its bad to go without sleep for long periods? Yes. Yet someone who dies from it while forcing themselves to do it, isnt at fault....i think thats a little strange.

This reminds me of that dude that died playing World of Warcraft. You know what... he died, but I don't think at any point would he have felt something he could equate with a sensation of "I'm dying." He was astute (after a fashion) and playing his game, y'know? Just like some people are running, forced march, etc... and then they die. You feel tired, as tired as you would doing that activity normally; and then very subtley, just a little more exhausted. But there's no alarm bell that goes off saying you can't go one more step; your body just falls off that cliff in an instant.

PS - I'm not saying it's not their fault, or that they're not stupid... just that they can't be expected to have known *how* stupid it was. Those extreme consequences simply lie outside the realm of the average decision tree; they're simply not known by many average people to exist.

 

[Bohdy]

I agree with Shifty; the common sense is that Water = Good, and from the sound of it the warning signs came too late. It's a matter of already knowing about the danger, which is something that this sad story will at least help with.

 

[Paul_G]

once again, if you're FORCING your body to do something its telling you not to, thats going against common senses. Seriously, try drinking a half gallon of water in about 10 minutes, you'll problably want to vomit IF you can even get it all down. Are you honestly telling me you think that those who dont know that these are bad feelings shouldnt be held responsible for the risk or action they take?

This holds about as much water (no pun intended) as the people who complain its fastfood that made them obese and try to hold the foodchain responsible. Well its cheap, its huge, its dripping in grease and fat....hmmm. I can expect to eat as much as i want with no ill effects!

How about forcing yourself to stay awake, same thing. Sleep deprivation can kill. What you would consider common knowledge? No. Common sense that its bad to go without sleep for long periods? Yes. Yet someone who dies from it while forcing themselves to do it, isnt at fault....i think thats a little strange.

on that note Zz.

Sugarcoat, look it up

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

Most patients with chronic water intoxication are asymptomatic, but may have symptoms related to the underlying cause.

There are symptoms, but like shifty says, you can have drunk too much before you're even aware of it. I agree btw that education is what's needed, i have similar experience to xbd, only coming across it by chance on daytime TV (yes i know, daytime TV served a purpose!) and looking it up afterwards. It goes against accepted logic when the cure for many problems is "drink plenty of water", in fact that was the exact circumstances of what i saw, the woman was told by her doctor to drink a lot of water to help cure an ailment, and took it a little too seriously.

I just think it's really tragic and should be a stark warning to any other company running a promotion or event, that even the most seemingly harmless event should be put to a doctor first.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Sugarcoat said exactly whats on my mind. You DO notice it when you drink way to much water. Just rty to drink 1liter of water in 5 minutes. You probably cant even get it in (warning 1) and when you do you definitly feel that you have drunk more than enough (warning 2). Besides that I do think its common sense that to much of anything isnt good for you.

 

[bRoNx]

WOW

I had no idea I could die from drinking water! Aren't our bodies like 75% liquid or something like that? In all my years, no one has ever told me that drinking too much water would kill me. In fact, doctors have recommended the opposite! Drink as much water as you like! Sheesh, that's scary. Poor lady!

 

[Paul_G]

Sugarcoat said exactly whats on my mind. You DO notice it when you drink way to much water. Just rty to drink 1liter of water in 5 minutes. You probably cant even get it in (warning 1) and when you do you definitly feel that you have drunk more than enough (warning 2). Besides that I do think its common sense that to much of anything isnt good for you.

First off, these people were challenged to drink smaller amounts every 15 minutes, so warning 1 did not apply to her, and she probably did feel like she had drunk enough, but then these people who do eating challenges probably feel full and like they've eaten enough too, but it's a competition, they're pushing themselves.

I think the point we're trying to make is that the warnings you get (and you're not wrong, you do feel it) do not indicate the magnitude of the problem. You may well think 'yeah i shouldn't do it, i feel full' but you might also think 'meh, it's water, what's the worst that can happen? I throw up?' This, and bRoNx's response is exactly why people need to know the dangers.