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Intoxication can cause people to do a lot of dumb things.
But one wouldn’t usually think that going for a swim is such a terrible idea.
For this 24-year-old, maybe it wasn’t the best idea after all. This story contains some graphic details.
After a day full of beer and boating, he decided to take a swim in the lake.
When he did, he felt a weird pain in his abdomen. He quickly went to the ER, complaining of severe pain. His abdomen was swollen and tender.
The man was unable to urinate, so they used a catheter in his bladder. His urine was filled with blood.
After testing, they discovered what happened. When he jumped into the lake, he ruptured his bladder. The contents of his bladder then leaked into his abdomen. Luckily, the doctors were able to surgically drain it, and repair the rupture in the organ.
Dr. Bradley Gill, a resident in urology at the Cleveland clinic, called jumping into a lake with a full bladder “the equivalent of throwing a water balloon on the sidewalk.”
He said that when intoxicated, the body produces more urine than usual, which means the bladder gets fuller. Your brain also moves a bit slower, too, so you may not realize how much you need to use the facilities. This, he says, is the perfect recipe for a ruptured bladder.
This isn’t a problem most people need to worry about, however, it’s mostly caused by too much pressure on the bladder, which doesn’t often happen in normal situations. Even on a long road trip, you’re probably fine. Maybe just think twice before you drink and swim.
