Need Alternative Hydration Options?

Greetings, salutations and all that happy horseshit fellow ostimates, a question that hopefully some kind souls can help me with, concerning drinking all that water daily, well for the first couple of years I managed to put away the required amount, THEN, I got so damn sick of plain old water I started drinking copious amounts of iced orange juice but my doctor keeps insisting I drink lots of water. Hell I'm sure there is more water than orange juice in what I'm drinking. And so I ask you my friends for some feedback on this little problem if you can, if not, still I wish you all a good day/life. Ed

Ed,
Screw it. No matter what you drink, it has a base of water. Doctors tend to tell you what to do based on what they do. This guy is probably one of those water freaks that you see walking around with one of those plastic water bottles stuck in the pocket of his scrubs. Loves Bambi and hates anybody who cuts down a Christmas tree. Me? I preferred rum and coke.

I like your idea better than my doc Jack, gonna stick with the orange juice unless someone comes up with a real good reason to go back to water, Ed

Hello Ed,

I can relate to the fact that water gets old after a while. I have started drinking a G2 Gatorade each day. The only problem I see with Gatorade is that it is high in sugar. I have a juicer and one of the best sources of hydration is celery juice. Actually, the celery juice is not that bad. Rod

There's Mio or Crystal Light to jazz up plain old water.

Maybe vary up the juice(s)?

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I did nothing but pound water after I got out of the hospital, and a month later, I was back in there with clinical dehydration. Now, after I've lived and learned some from others who have "blazed a path" before me, so to say, I drink 2 quarts of Gatorade a day, and it has kept the doctor (and the hospital) away quite well.

Ever tried coconut water? It is pretty tasty and great for hydration. Don't think I could drink it all day because I like my iced tea, but it is a nice change every now and again.

Ed, be careful with what you drink. We all have our individual needs and requirements due to different body conditions, surgeries, and illnesses, etc. Getting enough water is always very important, for sure, especially when maintaining proper hydration. And the last thing you want to do is drink alcohol in certain situations.
Mrs. A, Miss Megan M, and Penguins7 seem to be on the same page with what I personally do and would suggest.
I must admit I also enjoy 7-Up mixed in with my icy glass of Gatorade on occasion and also squirt a tablespoon of natural cherry juice into it for extra flavor. It's a yummy mix. And as for drinking just water, sometimes something as simple as putting a few slices of fresh lime or lemon into the icy glass of water, just as a refreshing hint of flavor, is great.

Drinking large amounts of water can actually be harmful to your system and even cause dehydration. Hydration is controlled by a balance of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium.
Drinking water is important but it should be supplemented with drinks containing electrolytes as well. Sports drinks are good as are vegetable juice drinks such as V8.
Unfortunately, things like coffee and alcohol are bad.
I suggest doing a little research on this and reading labels on some different types of drinks to see levels of sodium, potassium, etc.
Ostomates are very prone to dehydration due to higher levels of fluid loss and decreased absorption. It is very easy to tip over into the realm of dehydration wherein the only way to get right again is a trip to the hospital for some IV fluids. I have been there many times!

I am assuming that your ostomy is an ileostomy rather than a colostomy. And since mine is a colostomy, how helpful could my suggestion possibly be! But, there was a time when I had an ileus and I did become dehydrated to the point of an ED visit and an infusion of two liters of normal saline. In the several weeks before the ileus was resolved (surgically), I drank what a friend, whose daughter with cystic fibrosis recommended. It's a sugar-free powder called ZipFizz. I used to order it online, but now my wife gets it at our local Sam's Club and it is also available from (or at) Wal*Mart.

The stuff is a lot like Gatorade but without the sugar. In fact, if you Google ZipFizz, you may learn exactly what is in it. If you don't like Google, use Bing or any other handy search engine.

Good luck,
Nick

Excellent and very helpful post TB Cat!

Hey Nick, thanks for the info on ZipFizz!  I am getting ready to leave for town and I'm going to try to hunt some down.  Days like today when it's hot and heavy, muggy, I really drag around and feel ill, and dehydration sets in quick. I love trying new ideas!

Ocean Spray makes a Lite Cran/Raspberry drink that is great by itself or mixes well with other stuff. Sometimes I will mix this 50/50 with diet ginger ale or lite grapefruit juice or even with both together. Try substituting quinine water for the ginger ale if you like tartness. Decaf iced tea 50/50 with lemonade is also very good. If all else fails, Dewars over ice won't disappoint.

PB

....Ha.....I'm still sitting here writing up a grocery list before I go, now you have me thirsty for the Cran/Raspberry drink and just wrote that down.     ......... Looks like this thread is producing lots of great ideas.........helpful for everybody on this site I bet.   In-between drinking, I still love to have    popsicles ....... and so many things I drink, I love adding that natural syrupy cherry juice, great for a bit of pain relief and antioxidant ...... Another thing I do is use a juicer, then pour some of the juice I make from fresh fruits into ice cube trays to knock 'em into cold drinks........yum!

Ok friends in the same line of question, if one were say borderline state, of becoming dehydrated, are there any early symptoms that one should be aware of. In the past, maybe five years ago I became dehydrated but if I remember correctly this seemed to hit me all at once, no warning that I was aware of just felt like a bowl of jello and all the energy of a sloth, but no recollection of this coming down on me, just back in the hospital for a refill but still couldn't feel this coming on, any ideas folks, Ed

Ed, my early warning symptoms are a hoarse voice and bad posture. The safest prevention of dehydration, however, is to be proactive by drinking early and often, not just when you are thirsty. Try to remember that old Mario Lanza tune from The Student Prince: Drink, Drink, Drink!
    PB

Gutenberg,
I like you have had dehydration problems over the years.
When I fly to the States, no matter how much water I drink, I get dehydrated on the flight over. It might be something to do with the time zones one can go through on a direct flight.
I have ended up once in the E.R. I got a bug and needed to get there fast as I was getting weaker really quickly. I knew my body salts were all messed up and said all I need is to be put on a drip to get my electrolytes right. Which they did and I was more or less back to normal but made sure I drank loads of the American Pedialyte thereafter. When it gets bad, I get cramps and can taste salt on my skin around my mouth. Let's face it, having an ileostomy is a disadvantage in itself because it always has a more watery output, plus it's frequent. So when the workings get upset, we lose our salts quicker and can't stop the output from becoming more watery and greater in volume, making us dehydrate.
I tend to eat salty crackers and drink as much as I can when I feel I'm not doing too well. I must admit, Gutenberg, when it happens, there are very few warning signs.
In all the years I have lived with a stoma (40 odd), I have never heard that you can drink too much water. I keep off cranberry juice as this makes my output even more watery, only good if I have pancaking. Orange juice can give you wind. I drink a lot of flavored water in England, plus decaf tea and coffee.
Gee07

Hiya Ed... well, when I am becoming dehydrated, which is a constant battle, my first symptoms are dizziness, I urinate less, I get a very dry mouth, and major tiredness and fatigue.    Exceptionally hot and muggy days are hard on me, and in fact, I had one heck of a dizzy spell while hanging clothes on my clothesline that happened so quick I found myself sitting in the grass for a few before I could make it back to the house.    Sometimes a person can feel it coming on slowly, and other times it can hit you like an ocean wave.

Be careful Ed... xoxo

Hi Ed,

I'm one of those people that always has a 'fluid' going. Water (lots of it), G2, Powerade, Nestea, Nestle Flavored Water. I was having juice as well... but the high sugar content wasn't something I needed.

First sign of dehydration for me is feeling shaky/jittery.

I've found that having some water at room temp makes it seem different... and it almost feels like it's easier to drink.

Best of luck!

Hello Ed,
From my own experience, I would have to agree with the doctor. Two liters is a good average to drink per day. Water is the purest and best drink for you, no doubt. For my height and weight, I need an average of two and a half liters per day, and this is based on a normal, healthy person. Us ostomates need a better rehydration kick, and for myself, I drink Powerade (electrolyte) drink when I feel I need it. Not ideal due to the sugar intake involved, but it does work well.

Those electrolyte sachets might work too, but not sure how healthy it is to keep taking them. More research is required. Water, though, is the safest and best way. Sure, it tastes dull. It's all in our heads though. It doesn't take long to gulp down a pint of water. I have had plenty of practice back in the day necking stinky alcoholic beverages fast, so just do the same and get it over with, and the rehydration benefits will show throughout the day.

So, to avoid dehydration (headaches, dry mouth, etc.), I would say just drink the water quickly throughout the day. Then relax with a pint of Guinness and Bushmills Whiskey to reward yourself. Then water, then whiskey. Then water, then whiskey. Then water, then whiskey. Then water, then whiskey. Then water, then whiskey. Then water, then whiskey.

Hi Ed... I've had my ileostomy for the past 4 years, and this was the first summer I haven't made a stop into emerge for a bag or two of saline simply because I got my fluids out of whack. Here in NS, we have two kinds of Gatorade products available in the supermarkets... one is called G2 Thirst Quencher, and it has 35 g of sugar per 250 ml. However, we also have a second G2 product called Electrolyte Beverage. It has only 5 g of sugar per 250 ml, i.e., 20 calories per 250 ml. It has both potassium (30 mg) and sodium (115 mg) per 250 ml. Along with drinking a couple of liters of water on a sticky day, I find the G2 seems to have been helpful... and so far this year, no trips to emerge... knock on wood!! It's brought me around a couple of times when you get that feeling on a warm day that you're dragging your butt!!!!! Good luck.

I really want to thank all you folks who pitched in and gave me some ideas I'll be putting to use shortly, I hate those saline infusions, a little whisky would do wonders for them otherwise I'd prefer to stay away from hospitals, Ed

Hi, I have had my ileo for a year now and I cannot drink water as I gag on it. I drink grape juice, apple juice, orange juice, prune juice in the AM and PM and have had no problems.