Dehydration After Emergency Colectomy and Ileostomy

Ok, so I wasn't told to measure output or what exactly to be drinking to keep hydrated, but I have had to come back into the ER because I am so weak and dehydrated. Now I understand I should be measuring my output and drinking Pedialyte. Any extra tips? I don't want to end up back in the hospital. I am 9 days post-op from emergency colectomy and ileostomy placement. Thank you.

Ostomy 101 has an app with great information. This link to 'Vegan Ostomate' might be helpful for what you're wanting to know.

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They recommended Gatorade Zero for me, but I reached a point where I just couldn't drink another one. I prefer Propel. I also found some electrolyte drops to put into drinks (tasteless), and there are a lot of drink mixes for bottled water that contain electrolytes. Dehydration makes you feel awful. I also have Addison's disease, which dehydrates you as well. Just keep drinking! Best wishes for a quick recovery to you - - -

I highly recommend that you get on board with a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and have periodic blood work done to keep a check on your kidney function, at least in the beginning.  Your ostomy flow will naturally tend to dehydrate you and you'll have to discover by trial and error how much to drink daily to maintain stability.  Typically, about 60 to 80 oz per day should do it, but everyone is different.  Also, your choice as to WHAT to drink.  Everyone on here has a unique perspective, depending upon their own experience.  My own current regimen includes both filtered water and PowerAid sports drink.  

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As a newbie and a very young newbie at that, you will need to learn to be your own advocate, and we here can help you become a better advocate. The first thing is you have to ask... speak up for yourself since you now know the effects of dehydration. There are several.

Many of us ostomates left the hospital without proper know-how. You aren't alone in that. Dehydration and chronic kidney disease are very real factors with an ileostomy.

On the top menu bar, there are four headers. One says "Collections." Click for the drop-down bar. Where it says "Ask Ostomy I.A."? Click and ask. This is the fastest way to get an answer for drinks and keeping hydrated. It's a quick tool, very satisfying. Welcome and stay with us. Take notes if you have to because you're at the start of a long journey. These folks know their stuff.

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Agree with all the above...after getting off TPN...I thought the regular 68 oz was enough fluid a day...WRONG....my kidney doctor has me at 90 to 100 oz a day and low caffeine (love coffee)..so I only count half of it towards intake if I have any and NO more than a 20 oz cup ....It will also depend on your situation...some people will need more electrolytes than others.....If they run a blood test on you, they can tell you if you're drinking enough electrolytes....Gatorade is good...even the packets when you're on the go.....Body Armor...and milk..even almond are great for hydration as well as cucumbers...just warning they will make your output more liquid but do help...you can take Imodium to help with it...but since you're newer to the game .....it's good to keep track of how certain foods respond to you personally....be aware of red foods and dye...it comes out looking like blood sometimes...learned the hard way and freaked out at first...and unfortunately, everyone is different; you have to get to learn your body...but what has been already said is definitely a good start...I had no idea about all this until it was beyond the point and my kidneys started failing...unfortunately common with ileostomies...and diabetes..BUT if you get on it, your chances of staying healthy are better and DON'T let that scare you..not everyone will get kidney problems BUT it is a higher risk now because you're not absorbing what a healthy person would normally.

You've been given great advice so far. I'm posting so it will alert me if more people respond. We are all learning. 🤣

My suggestion is no caffeine, and I find drinking herbal teas an easy way to stay hydrated. The warmth is comforting and helps, as there is only so much water I can drink in a day.

Coconut water is very good for you as well.

IGGIE

Hi B, welcome to the site. I would say stay away from the sugary drinks or the ones with corn syrup. I use powdered Gatorade that I mix in a 28 oz. bottle, and also a powder called Liquid IV that I get from Walmart. But I also drink a variety of liquids: milk, green tea with some honey in it, lemon water, etc.

I echo everything everyone else said with the added caution that you don't want to get acute kidney injury from dehydration. That happened to me, and now I have stage 3 kidney disease—all from dehydration. No one told me about the risk of dehydration with an ileostomy, and I found out the hard way, being in the hospital several times for dehydration. Drink electrolyte drinks often. Sip them throughout the day. Don't chug them; it will just go right through you and into your bag. You should measure your output and consider Imodium if you have very high output. Tell your doctor you are having high output; they can prescribe Imodium for you to take 2 or 3 times a day to slow down the transit of food and liquids.

I am suffering from dehydration; trust me, it causes my severe kidney issues. Every two weeks, I land in the hospital for dehydration, and my kidney numbers keep going up and down. So please drink and try all kinds of hydration liquids; there are a lot of brands out there. I tried the DripDrop and Liquid IV, but for me, they do not work since I don't like the taste of them.

Re: the taste of the liquid

I.V. powder mix? I drink the tropical fruit powder mix.

Have you tried the other flavors?

Hi Warrior, have you tried the bomb pop flavor? It's like the red, white, and blue popsicles.

Hey Ron. Sup?  I have seen them...but no... haven't tried it. 

Have you tried Pedialyte? The flavors are less strong. They have one with 3x the electrolytes in it. I think it's called Pedialyte Advanced or something like that. The label is black.