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Posted 10/21/2013 9:06 PM (GMT -5)
Ever since my surgery my thirst has NOT STOPPED! I can finish a huge glass of water or gatorade and it feels like I haven't had anything to drink all day. I'm constantly drinking throughout the day. Mostly Smart Water and Gatorade for the electrolytes. Has this happened to anyone or am I imagining things? It's been 8 weeks today since my surgery.

Gordon
Posted 10/21/2013 9:20 PM (GMT -5)
I know you drink Gatorade, but Gatorade doesn't have enough salt for optimum absorption. First, you need to drink G2 as Gatorade has so much sugar that it flushes out of your body more quickly. Then, either add 1/8 teaspoon of salt OR eat a salty snack (pretzels, chips) as you drink the G2. The alternative is a homemade World Health Organization hydration mix. I can give you the formula if you like, but I would have to search for it. I don't know it off the top of my head. Both are what the Cleveland Clinic recommends for their patients (even just their end ileostomy patients).

It tastes awful. Reminded me of preps. I much preferred to eat a slaty snack plus drink G2. Also, are you tracking the amount of your output still? I would also keep track of how much you are drinking. You should be going for under 1000 ml of output per day.

Another thing is to drink throughout the day. Don't wait until you are thirsty. If you drink it all in one go (gulping a huge glass), then your body can't process it fast enough and it flushes out.

Sugary drinks (juices) will also flush out of your system very fast, meaning you don't absorb enough water. Even worse, they can take extra water and food with them!

Any chance you are diabetic or pre-diabetic?

That's all I can think of.
Posted 10/21/2013 9:22 PM (GMT -5)
Too much sugar in those drinks. They can increase your utput and dehydrate you further. Try a true WHO oral rehydration solution. Jianas brothers, ceralyte, or even pedialyte. Switch to just drinkimg that for awhile and i bet you will notice a huge difference.
Posted 10/21/2013 9:25 PM (GMT -5)
ddd45 and I simulposted. Pedialyte is the WHO formula. I've heard from people that like to drink too much alcohol that the pedialyte ice pops are easier to handle. Although, this is coming from people who have them while drunk ;)
Posted 10/21/2013 9:43 PM (GMT -5)

ActiveUCer said...
I know you drink Gatorade, but Gatorade doesn't have enough salt for optimum absorption. First, you need to drink G2 as Gatorade has so much sugar that it flushes out of your body more quickly. Then, either add 1/8 teaspoon of salt OR eat a salty snack (pretzels, chips) as you drink the G2. The alternative is a homemade World Health Organization hydration mix. I can give you the formula if you like, but I would have to search for it. I don't know it off the top of my head. Both are what the Cleveland Clinic recommends for their patients (even just their end ileostomy patients).

It tastes awful. Reminded me of preps. I much preferred to eat a slaty snack plus drink G2. Also, are you tracking the amount of your output still? I would also keep track of how much you are drinking. You should be going for under 1000 ml of output per day.

Another thing is to drink throughout the day. Don't wait until you are thirsty. If you drink it all in one go (gulping a huge glass), then your body can't process it fast enough and it flushes out.

Sugary drinks (juices) will also flush out of your system very fast, meaning you don't absorb enough water. Even worse, they can take extra water and food with them!

Any chance you are diabetic or pre-diabetic?

That's all I can think of.

I'll check out the G2, I don't think I've tried that one yet. I'm a sucker for Saltine crackers so eating something salty won't be an issue :)

No longer tracking my output, I was instructed to stop at week 6. I still empty into the measuring container they gave me and it's still well in the normal ranges for output. I never broke the 1200 mark they told me to watch out for in a 24 hour period. Some output is more liquid, and some is thicker like I'm squeezing a pastry bag.

I usually try to sip on the Smart Water throughout the day, I keep a big bottle with me at work but sometimes I get side tracked and I don't stick with it. I drink that due to the electrolytes in the water. I should go to my local health food store and see if they have some electrolyte supplements to mix with water.

They measured my blood sugar the entire 13 days I was in the hospital after my surgery. I was always in the normal ranges. I can ask my GI the next time I see him about checking it again.
Posted 10/21/2013 10:06 PM (GMT -5)
Smart Water actually doesn't have that many electrolytes (you can see in the nutrition information). Plain G2 would be better (as in without added salt).

I've had electrolyte pills before but I'm not sure about their absorption level. I dehydrated BEFORE I had the ileo...lucky me ;). Running stores typically have good electrolyte mixes for water. I'm a fan of a type called "Nuun". But beware as some of these mixes will have added sugar. The thinking is that someone running a marathon, per se, would need energy from carbs/sugar.
Posted 10/22/2013 2:01 PM (GMT -5)
Pedialyte while drinking...wonderful idea! :)
Anyway, I don't think you need to keep tracking your output in the container, just make sure the ratio of what goes in equals what comes out.
As for being thirsty, I just drink plain water I think I'm the only one on the site who does. If I feel a bit dehydrated I have some chips or just some salt and I feel much better. That doesn't happen often though.
Good luck!
Posted 10/22/2013 2:58 PM (GMT -5)
Also, keep in mind that artificial sweeteners can work against hydration...and sneaky manufacturers put that in more foods than you think!

I am a fan of salty snacks while drinking water tongue
Posted 10/22/2013 5:50 PM (GMT -5)

summerstorm said...
Pedialyte while drinking...wonderful idea! :)
Anyway, I don't think you need to keep tracking your output in the container, just make sure the ratio of what goes in equals what comes out.
As for being thirsty, I just drink plain water I think I'm the only one on the site who does. If I feel a bit dehydrated I have some chips or just some salt and I feel much better. That doesn't happen often though.
Good luck!

I'm not actually keeping track of it, It's just handy sometimes to use the container when I go to empty my bag. I do like to see the amount coming out on occasion measure wise and it's still been consistent over the last 8 weeks.
Posted 10/22/2013 5:53 PM (GMT -5)
I did pick up some of the Gatorade G2 as recommended. It has 7g of sugar per serving compared to the 21 in regular Gatorade. Doesn't taste much different...maybe the same as drinking a diet version of any drink. Sodium is 160 in both so I'll munch on some saltine crackers with it.

I got back on my Remicade today finally and I used to have nice plump veins before surgery and they are just flat now. You can see them and the nurse can get the needle in but getting a blood return has been difficult. First stick gave an initial blood return then stopped. The second stick in my other arm blew out the vein and we finally had to go into the back of my hand. I have a good bruise on the vein that blew.
Posted 10/22/2013 6:17 PM (GMT -5)
Ugh, back of the hand hurts. I think many people with chronic diseases get vein "problems" - as in we're a horrible stick.

I don't know if the constant stick, the toll the diseases take on our body, or the inactivity. I used to have nice veins too.

I can't weight to work out again in general. But to help make my veins bigger for blood draws!
Posted 10/22/2013 6:39 PM (GMT -5)

ActiveUCer said...
Ugh, back of the hand hurts. I think many people with chronic diseases get vein "problems" - as in we're a horrible stick.

I don't know if the constant stick, the toll the diseases take on our body, or the inactivity. I used to have nice veins too.

I can't weight to work out again in general. But to help make my veins bigger for blood draws!

I'm itching to start working out again as well. My muscles have become mush more or less. I did gain 2lbs back according to the nurse today. I have a small home gym that I don't dare go near yet outside of light cardio. Everything has been running smoothly so I'm hesitant about taking a chance on weights. My nurses have always LOVED my veins as I'm so easy...today, not the case
Posted 10/23/2013 6:32 AM (GMT -5)
Gordon, do you get up in the night to drink too?

Sounds like what you have is probably dehydration, but there are also some separate things that can go on due to hormonal problems.... I had a friend who had to get up all night long to keep drinking.... she needed a nasal spray of vasopressin (a hormone) ... wasn't getting signals that she was hydrated, and that fixed the problem.

Just wanted to mention that there are other issues like this..... so if adjusting your fluids doesn't work, you might need to get some bloodwork.

Ugh, the hand is nasty for an IV.... especially if it's in the hospital for a while.... I was on vancomyacin for a while, and it used to blow out a vein every two sticks.... so after a week or so, I had serious junkie arms.... would have had a port soon, if I hadn't have finally gotten better.
Posted 10/23/2013 7:23 AM (GMT -5)

blueglass said...
Gordon, do you get up in the night to drink too?

Sounds like what you have is probably dehydration, but there are also some separate things that can go on due to hormonal problems.... I had a friend who had to get up all night long to keep drinking.... she needed a nasal spray of vasopressin (a hormone) ... wasn't getting signals that she was hydrated, and that fixed the problem.

Just wanted to mention that there are other issues like this..... so if adjusting your fluids doesn't work, you might need to get some bloodwork.

Ugh, the hand is nasty for an IV.... especially if it's in the hospital for a while.... I was on vancomyacin for a while, and it used to blow out a vein every two sticks.... so after a week or so, I had serious junkie arms.... would have had a port soon, if I hadn't have finally gotten better.

if I wake in the middle of the night (usually due to a bathroom rush) I'll find myself thirsty as usual and get something to drink and back to bed but each time I do get up I am drinking.

Oddly my hand IV's usually bruise bad but this one barely left a mark. They do suck tho! The blown vein on my forearm is sore as heck this morning and bruised tho.

When I was in for surgery, I had 5 IV's in one arm. Eventually that arm swelled bad and they had to move them all over to the other arm....and then that one swelled and moved back to the original arm. At one point when they moved them, they pulled the IV out and you saw the fluid come out the IV hole.
Posted 10/24/2013 6:19 PM (GMT -5)
My veins are awful too. All the years of ivs with phenogren and potassium burned them up. The worse place for an iv is your wrist on the back. I have a good vein there and that's where I always got my remicade stick.
Posted 10/24/2013 7:57 PM (GMT -5)
speaking of veins, when I was in the hospital a few weeks ago for my lung fluid, they did an "arterial blood draw" which I have NEVER had in the 12 years of my colitis. He had to stick me SIX times and those dam things hurt like hell! If you've never had one, they take a needle and pretty much stick it in at almost a 90 degree angle to get down into your main arteries. He couldn't find mine and stuck me in several different places and proceeded to move the needle around to try and get it right. Finally on the last one he got the blood he needed.
Posted 10/26/2013 3:30 AM (GMT -5)
Ouch! I remember having that test done and yes it really hurt luckily they found mine straight away. My veins are rubbish they are very thin. I ask the nurses now to use a butterfly needle which they use for babies to draw blood x.
Posted 10/26/2013 10:41 PM (GMT -5)
Ouch, I hope I never get the arterial draw. Normal ones are bad enough!

They just default to butterfly needles with me. I don't even ask :(
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