Confusion Regarding Dehydration and Solutions for Ileostomy Owners

I have major issues with dehydration since my ileostomy ownership. Water has always been my least favorite beverage even before my ostomy journey.

Researching information to solve my dehydration issues has resulted in even more confusion. I can hear my hubby saying, "Hmm, not surprised her middle name should be Analyze-tte, pronounced with a long A."

Researching many product options, suggestions, or solutions to combat dehydration to perfect the ultimate balance of electrolytes and all those pesky little bazillion thingys as relates to our innards has been frustrating.

I try my darndest to drink water - in fact, for a whole month I drank four 16+ oz bottles of water each day and the end result was my doctor saying too much water skewed my sodium levels and I should cut back - say what??!!

Reading a post by Mysterious Mose today on a product, I went to Amazon to decide if I should give it a try. Before ordering, I went to my favorite encyclopedia Britannica, (that I never utilized in my youth because boys were more important) today I call it Google and use it on a daily basis (because boys are now no longer a priority). Imagine my surprise at reading this.

I googled "what is the best drink for dehydration" and this is what popped up:

MILK!!! - my all-time favorite beverage (except for Captain Morgan Rum). Who wrote this - the American Dairy Association? I gave up drinking milk because (they - whoever they are) claimed milk is a huge no-no for adults. Who said this to begin with? Probably the same "they" that said we should all be eating fat-free items such as margarine for butter, artificial sweeteners for sugar - and just about everything I have ever loved.

So now I shall be having a couple of big servings of whole milk every day when the mood strikes me... and closely monitor the results. Thanks, Mysterious Mose, for the incentive to do some more research and to all members of MAO for shared information.

Now, I shall get off my high horse and probably end up like my favorite saying

"That first step off your high horse is gonna be a bitch, honey... tuck and roll."

jb

Look at some of my older posts on this subject and I mentioned it, duh. 😁 Yes, milk is one of the best hydrating things to drink, especially skim. I, like you, don't really care for plain water that much even though I'm getting help with drinking more of it now.

I am glad you found a solution that works for you. I never think of milk. It is something I have not had in a glass since I was maybe 12 or 14. For years now, my drink of choice has been water. I easily drink 2-3 liters a day and have for maybe the last 15 years. I will say that one of the benefits of having the ileostomy is that I don't have to pee quite as often as I did pre-bag. Of course, that is a double-edged sword. :-)

Daniel

Hmmm. I've been doing the 'eating/drinking whatever I crave' in a given moment for almost a year. When I spent a couple of hours kayaking in South Florida, I had a yogurt beforehand, water and Saltstick chews during, and French fries and ice cream after. I'm sure some would argue milk is healthier than my ice cream... but I'm just saying it worked for me 😁

Hello JB.
Thanks for this information and I wish you well with your hydration issues.

I tend to inwardly (and sarcastically) smile when articles include the term 'research shows', as I would be much more interested in who funded the research.

It takes me back to the days when I was conducting research on relationships between humans and their pets. My research was self-funded and I felt was probably less biased for that fact. However, these feelings were heightened when several manufacturers of pet foods offered to fund more of my research, with the (sometimes hidden) proviso that the results were in favour of keeping pets.
It was even more interesting that these offers of funding dried up after I published my research into animal abuse, which indicated clearly that there was a correlation between abuse of pets and abuse of humans within the families studied.
  
Best wishes
Bill

I also don't enjoy drinking water, and until I had my ileostomy, I lived off coffee and milk. I found the orange squash (maybe called something different in your countries) worked for me. I purchased a large 2.5L bottle which I sit on my desk, and I just make sure I have drunk the whole bottle by the end of the day. Hope that helps.

G-Day Justbreath, I would say get used to water or buy a cow. Good finger exercise first thing in the morning. Regards, Iggie

Funny, Iggie - however, I don't think a cow is allowed in our community - the pies, you know...

You'll have to forgive Iggy. In Australia, cow pies are kept in cow pans. It's the accent, you know... :-)

I drink Gatorade (zero sugar) and Gatorade FIT. I have a colostomy, so my hydration requirements are less.

I started drinking this stuff because I passed out at work last April. Hit my head on a machine on the way down. No major damage (though I do feel a little smarter). Woke up as paramedics were wheeling me away. My co-workers waved. Spent nearly 2 days in the hospital getting hydrated via IV. Caught hell from my wife.

I think we figured out with someone else from the UK that the orange squash you all like is nothing like squash here in the US. It wasn't even close to pumpkin juice (which does anyone drink that outside of Harry Potter?).

V-8 Juice is an excellent source of potassium and sodium. Powerade Zero is also a good general electrolyte replacement that is sugar-free.

Wow. Who knew milk would be better than water! I am always so dehydrated. Leg cramps every time I lie down. I have tried to drink Pedialyte, but it is sweetened with some chemical. I'll try the Gatorade Zero... and milk. Thanks.

Be careful drinking milk. If you are lactose intolerant, it could make your dehydration worse. The best drinks to rehydrate are: Pedialyte (my favorite), Gatorade, sports drinks, fruit juices. Perhaps you might try flavored waters? Water alone in large quantities can affect your serum electrolytes.

I try to add electrolytes (Liquid IV) to all or most of my water, and I have Costco organic sipping broth ready to go in bulk.

Also, my doctor told me this: Don't chug your drink of choice. Only take lots of medium sips. Otherwise, you will pee much of the liquid out and absorb little.

Some folks need some salt too.

Thanks, mate, I needed that explanation.

Especially skim, yuk-yuk-yuk! I now wonder if you have stock in margarine? Thanks for bursting my best drink bubbles, Alex.

Sorry to hear you banged your head in a fall due to dehydration. Actually, this is one of my fears now - just what I needed, yet another fear. I am waiting for a drive-thru hydration station to appear in our area. I'll be the first in line. Actually, I am practicing now for announcing my order: "I'll have a liter to go with 1 oz. Captain Morgan, please." - JB

My favorite is the Clamato and Clamato Spicy juice for the salt, but probably not a good choice of beverages for my dehydration.

• It seems most, if not all, dehydration products have "no sugar or no added sugar" on their ingredients labels. The taste of the chemical sweeteners stated or disguised in the ingredients is something I find difficult to tolerate.

I have a terrible penchant for bad jokes. And it wasn't even you who mentioned cow pies. The accent thing comes from me watching Aussie and Kiwi television shows lately. I think I am finally ready to ditch the closed captioning. :-)

And speaking of cow pies, I have a story about that. But, best left for another time. :-))

Daniel

Will give this a try! Thanks.

Ha, no. I actually drink 1% because fat boy needs some flavor.

Chocolate milk, yes, please. I started drinking this after workouts.
All things considered, I also "measure" output more than input depending on the color and clarity (I'm not a diamond expert) of my urine. A light wheat color is the goal to gauge hydration. "Eat your water" is a new term to research - even in our fascia. Basically, some fruits and fibers hydrate at a different rate.

I too have dehydration. I've had my ileostomy for 3 years. At first, I would drink 2 packs of Liquid IV from Costco (you add 1 pack to a bottle of water). I have slowly gone down to 1/2 a water bottle a day of the Liquid IV. I drink most of my water before 6:00 PM so I only have to get up once in the night to empty.
Sometimes, if I lose too much water in my pouch, I have to drink more electrolytes.
You just have to find what works best for you.
I hope this helps.

I also have had serious dehydration problems since getting my ileostomy in 2008, as it's high-output. I lose a lot of liquid through it. For the first few years, despite drinking several litres of water a day, I'd wake up at night to drink more because I was so incredibly thirsty. Eventually I learned I was worsening my dehydration by diluting/washing out the electrolytes that you need to actually absorb the liquid, with all that water. I couldn't believe it had been so hard to sort out this problem, and that I ended up reading about it on a discussion board like this one rather than from a knowledgeable healthcare provider! 

A ton of reading and researching finally led me to oral rehydration solutions. They were developed for use in saving lives of people dying of dysentery in Africa and elsewhere. Most of what I drink is a homemade oral rehydration solution, which keeps my dehydration under control. There are lots of variations out there. Try Googling "oral rehydration solution recipe"; here's one reputable source: https://albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-ors-recipes.pdf. You can doctor low-sugar sports drinks like G2 (not full-sugar Gatorades), or make it at home with a specific ratio of sugar, salt, baking soda, and salt substitute (a form of potassium). The taste takes some getting used to, but I'm fine now with the recipe I use. Most importantly, I'm no longer chronically dehydrated.

Hope this info helps.

P.S. I just love getting tested for explosives in airports when I travel with my homemade-Gatorade mix, a big ziplock bag of white powder! Lol. Good thing I'm a middle-aged woman or they'd suspect me of drug smuggling, I'm sure. 

Very helpful - Thanks

At last! Someone who has an ileostomy who doesn't urinate as much as they did pre-ileostomy. I am exactly the same. Thank you for sharing. I drink gallons of various fluids and don't urinate nearly as much as I did. I guess it all comes out via the ileostomy?

My sister recently turned me on to Celtic salt. Having minerals we need in it like magnesium and potassium I figured why not. It's said to help the cells absorb water better. Just a little, like a crystal or so, dissolved on the tongue is supposedly all you need. The crystals are much larger than a regular grain of salt. After my crystal dissolves on my tongue I drink some water. Not sure if it helps or not but I figure it won't hurt and I at least feel good thinking I'm doing something to help myself. Lol. Another drink I've recently incorporated is Body Armor, it has electrolytes, coconut water and other vitamins in it. I started with the regular but am switching to the "lyte" because of the sugar content in the regular. I was feeling a little worn down the other day so I drank some of that and I swear it wasn't long at all before I felt better. And I don't think it was all in my head, I think I was in need of hydration and that helped quickly, for me anyway.