If you’re 18ish stone

[Boooooot]

Do you sweat a lot? Like excessively all the time even if you haven’t done anything?

My sister suffers so badly with it that she doesn’t like to leave the house. She says it’s because of her weight which is possible but I think it’s quite extreme and that she should see a doctor. She drinks about 9-10 litres of water a day because of all the sweating.

I know doctors aren’t sympathetic to overweight people (I’m overweight too!) but I do think she should get it looked at.

Aibu to think it could be a sign of something more serious?

I am much heavier than your sister and the same height and do not sweat if I'm not exercising/moving around alot/it's hot and even then it isn't excessive.

I know mine is only one experience but it might be worth getting checked out. I know it's hard though.

IIRC it can cause DI that doesn’t recover on stopping the drug (but it would have started while she was on it). May be worth exploring. Either way, if she’s not had her electrolytes & osmolalities checked since starling to drink that much she probably should.

I also thought of water diabetes. Not sure you sweat with that. Also meant to say, I’m nudging up toward your dsis’s weight and I don’t sweat much.

I am 13.5 stone and I sweat ALL THE TIME when I'm anxious

I've lost weight but still weight in at 16st 11lbs. I sweat a lot in summer. Not so much these days.

But for the water drinking alone I'd press for more tests, like other pp have said. Easier said than done, but she should try and lose weight.

I agree with other commenters - she needs to see a GP. A much better GP than the last a-hole!! Would you be able to go with her as a support person to advocate for her?

At my highest weight (22st and I'm shorter than your sister) I did sweat a lot, but not excessively to the point I wouldn't go out. Drinking that amount of water daily is excessive and could be a red flag for something wrong.

Please encourage/help her to see a new GP and be FIRM that she needs to be tested to figure out what is wrong. This is affecting her life negatively, it needs to be addressed. I know what it's like to be fobbed off by a GP who says "Lose some weight and you'll get better" regardless of the problem. It erodes your confidence in yourself, AND in the ability of Drs to help you. She needs to be firm and not take no for an answer.

She’s just tested her blood and it’s 8.3. She has been eating chocolate. Is that high for a non diabetic?

Increased thirst and excessive sweating are signs of uncontrolled Diabetes.
Or could be other conditions

I hope your friend revisits a different GP who requests blood tests

9-10l a day is a lot to drink but it's dangerous to drink it too fast. No more than 1 litre an hour (that's maximum) as kidneys can't keep up and can cause all sorts of problems with bloods (eg increased sodium levels)

Of course it makes a difference, somebody weighing 18 stone who is 5ft is going to look hugely more over weigh then someone who is 6ft and 18 stone.

Its a little higher than the normal range, but not completely out of the ordinary. I doubt it would be high enough to warrant the excessive thirst, especially if she’s lower than that without having eaten chocolate or something high in sugar/carbs. I am not a doctor though!

I definitely agree with PP that she needs to be seen by a doctor and mention the excessive thirst.

I’ve been more than that in the past and didn’t sweat excessively. No more really than when I’ve been 12 stone.

@KitchiHuritAngeni exactly the same has happened to me. I was bigger than the OP's sister and was diagnosed by sheer fluke with aggressive thyroid and lymph node cancer.
I had no symptoms except for excessive sweating and trouble swallowing (which was very much put down to another problem)

I had a complete thyroidectomy and all my lymph nodes removed in March

And more surgery in august.

Start radio iodine treatment to Eradicate cancer next Monday.

Oh and I am now around 12 stone.

This is highly relevant. One of my acquaintances is bipolar and was recently admitted to hospital after losing consciousness. It took a while to diagnose but she has diabetes insipidus - different from the more common diabetes mellitus. It was caused by the lithium disrupting her sugar metabolism, a known toxic side effect. A key symptom is thirst and excessive drinking of water, but without the increased frequency of urination.

A lot of foot-soldier GPs, especially the locums that often patch the holes in GP practices, won’t be au fait with this relatively uncommon condition. But it is a dangerous one. Keep nagging the GP.

Diabetes insipidus has nothing to do with sugar metabolism. Fortunately most doctors do know that and it’s probably the first thing anyone thinks of when considering side effects of lithium.

Ah, OK, I’m not a doctor, just going by what I’ve been told secondhand. I see others have mentioned DI too. The lady I’m thinking of wasn’t diagnosed properly till she was in ICU.

I had trouble swallowing too, it was over covid when it was impossible to actually see a doctor, then I started to see the lump in my neck and got a biopsy, they confirmed cancer then left me too it for months as thyroid is a 'good' cancer to have apparently 🙄

I no longer have use of my arm because of various things to do with the delay and the operation.

Just waiting for the appointment for my next op, which I'm dreading, I didn't realise how much I used my neck until I couldn't use it for a couple of weeks 🤣

I really hope you're feeling OK and that the treatment goes well for you 💐

I very much doubt she’s drinking 9-10 LITRES of water a day

Does your friend pass a lot of urine? You say she drinks an awful lot but the main symptom of Diabetes Insipidus is passing a lot of urine - and I mean a LOT - day and night. It's relentless. Obviously this then increases thirst so excessive amounts of fluid are drunk and this can really can mess up your electrolyte balance. Your body just can't hold onto water without the diuretic hormone.

I've been diagnosed about 14 years and I do sweat a lot. I've asked my totally disinterested endocrinologist about the excessive sweating a few times at my annual-ish appointments but he's always said it's 'probably just one of those things'.

I hope your friend can get to see a doctor.

Sorry, sister.

Dreadful. Time for a new doctor. PCOS can be uncomfortable and problematic for lots of reasons unrelated to actually wanting to have another child!

Im jumping on the thyroid bandwagon as a possible reason. I sweat a lot, I hate it. Thyroid medication helped a bit.

Definitely not normal OP. I didn't sweat any more when my BMI was 36 compared to now at 27. No difference. Wasn't sweaty at all at 16 stone. It sounds hormonal so she definitely needs to be speak to her GP.

You say her GP was dismissive. Do you think your sister may have been minimizing her symptoms and concerns? People often do when they are afraid of what m8ght be found.

I think it is very important that she has a full set of fasting blood work done. All obese people should be monitored regularly as complications are very likely and can have very serious consequences.

@KitchiHuritAngeni I completely agree with you. I have had 26 bowel operations and bounce back pretty quick and yet I was traumatised by my neck surgery. I honestly felt like I had been assaulted and had been reassured that it would be very unlikely to be cancer.

Is your voice affected? I have to have some speech therapy as one of my vocal chords was knocked and it froze. It's odd not being able to sing and I sound 'odd'.

Anyway onwards and upwards. Sending hugs x

I don't believe she drinks that much. That's a lethal amount.

Might be confusing litres and gallons. 10 gallons a day is excessive but doable.