- Joacim Osterstam nearly lost his life last month because of extra salty liquorice
A nurse has been rushed to hospital fearing a stroke but was shocked to discover that he had accidentally poisoned himself with a popular treat.
Joacim Osterstam, 56, nearly lost his life last month – because he couldn’t get enough of extra salty black liquorice.
The Swede from Böste near Trelleborg, in the south of the country about seven hours away from Stockholm, had been eating different liquorice treats for a month when he started feeling unwell on March 8.
‘The first thing was that my vision changed. I had difficulty focusing at a distance and thought at first that it was time to change glasses,’ he told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet.
To make himself feel better, Joacim kept snacking on his favourite treat – but his symptoms kept getting worse.
Joacim Osterstam (pictured in hospital after his ordeal), 56, nearly lost his life last month – because he couldn’t get enough of extra salty black liquorice
The Swede from Böste near Trelleborg, in the south of the country about seven hours away from Stockholm, had been eating different liquorice treats for a month when he started feeling unwell (file image of salty liquorice)
He got a head- and stomach ache, before he started to feel wobbly on his feet due to recurring muscle cramps in both legs.
‘In the end, I couldn’t even go out with the dog and that’s when my partner wanted me to contact the health centre,’ he said. Once there, a doctor sent him to A&E in a taxi.
But even the walk into A&E on March 11 was difficult and painful for Joacim, making him feel ‘like 86’ rather than 56.
He was quickly scanned to rule out a stroke, but blood tests soon revealed the real cause of his symptoms.
Joacim had a severe potassium deficiency with a low and ‘life-threatening’ value of 1.8 – the normal level is around 3.5.
Doctors were uncertain what had caused this massive drop in his potassium level, until one asked Joacim whether he liked the sweet treat – and quickly determined that his symptoms were caused by the huge amounts of salty liquorice he consumed.
The liquorice-lover had to remain in hospital for a week, where he was put on a potassium drip and his heart rate was monitored.
When he was finally released from hospital, he was still quite wobbly on his legs and signed himself up for physical therapy. He also needs to use walking sticks.
Another liquorice-induced health episode seems unlikely, however, as Joacim said he now can’t think about the candy without feeling sick.
‘If I imagine taking licorice in my mouth now, I feel like crap. I will probably never eat licorice again. Now, there is zero tolerance,’ he said.
Even without eating more liquorice, Joacim still has a long recovery ahead of him.
Just last week he had to postpone a planned trip with motorcycle to go to hospital, telling German outlet Bild: ‘My potassium level had dropped again and I had to be treated again.’