Hydration

[Linnis]

Just got back from the ER for dehydration.

I've been drinking a gallon of water everyday during my waking hours plus juice and ice tea. I also get up 3-4 times a night to drink more, as I actually wake up due to thirst.

Still for about a week no matter what I do, I am so thirsty it's like I haven't drank in a week. I'm also not going to the bathroom anymore than normal. Saw an OB, not mine, last Tuesday, he simply said increase fluids.

Then the dizzy started today, I was very dizzy and out of it.

According to the ER doctor this is normal, both the being so thirsty and the dizzy.

So I need ideas to stay hydrated or even better that work better than what I'm doing now. I got some gatorade to see if it helps.

Thanks a bunch.

 

[InTheFlame]

Linnis - welcome to the club!!

I'm only 6 weeks along, but I've been overly thirsty for weeks - including the waking up in the middle of the night. One thing that SEEMS to help is to buy the electrolyte powder (the stuff made for people suffering gastro etc) and mix a sachet into a bottle of water once a day. It doesn't cut down on my thirst much, but I seem to be less dehydrated - make sense?

 

[tas25]

wow, in the heat you guys need to seriously stay up on your fluid and watch the tea it will do the opposite it and soda actually dehydrate you...

 

[katelyn]

Right, that's what I was going to say, is cut the tea.

I'm also having problems with hydration this time around since I am pregnant and nursing. Also being pregnant in the summer makes it a bigger issue I'm sure. Gatorade sounds like a good idea...

 

[llghoney]

ALso Pedialyte is another drink.

Keep a drink in your hands or nearby at all times.

 

[ufonium2]

You might want to suggest to them that they check your kidneys. With pregnant women, they seem to get so hung up on getting you rehydrated that they don't worry about why you're dehydrated in the first place. I had a kidney totally stop working in my fourth month, and it took three days of obvious kidney problem symptoms before they would do anything other than force fluids into me. Doctors are so frustrating sometimes; it's like they have a checklist and try to wedge everything into that.

 

[jgonz]

I was also going to say to stop all caffeinated teas and soda pop. Those actually Leech fluids from your body, as well as leeching calcium from your body. You don't need that...

If you're going to drink Gatorade or one of those, pick one WithOut food dyes. Food dyes are notorious for causing all sorts of problems, and have Never been tested for safeness during pregnancy.

HTH~

 

[Linnis]

My tea is caffiene free, I'll stop it anyway.

I got gatorade which seems to be helping so now I'm going to the bathroom more normally.

They checked out my kidneys and everything by testing my urine and bloodwork. According to those tests everything is completely normal - I'm just pregnant and need to drink this much. They didn't explain why I was so dizzy and weak or why I have low pain in my stomach - or at least I was told it's all "normal".

I'm going to take it easy today and see if this stuff helps. I have my regular OB appt Thursday I'm going to talk to him because I feel something is off and I'm not just being weird.

I hate feeling like somebody isn't telling me something. If anything this is why I should have gone to medical school.

 

[tas25]

How about your sugars, if they are to low you can have dizzy spells....

 

[Linnis]

My Sugar was good, on the low side of normal but okay. I tried to explain to the ER doc that my OB was worried about my sugars being too low. The ER doctor told me Gestational diabetes is only if the sugar is too high..I tried to explain that my doctor was worried because my glucose test came back VERY low.

Just another thing I get to speak to my doctor about Thursday.

 

[llghoney]

Will say a prayer for you!

 

[rainbowbright]

Decaf tea is the same as drinking water, it just has more flavor- my dr said drinking it is perfectly okay because I have trouble drinking water, so I wouldn't worry about giving it up. As someone mentioned, gaterade or pediatlyte is very good. My friend's mom who is a nurse, recommended the frozen pediatlyte pops.

 

[Singin4Him]

Something else to rememeber is that many fresh fruits and veggies contian water as well, so maybe you could try eating more of those.

 

[Leanna]

And cut out salt and extra sodium.

 

[Linnis]

I live on fresh veggies and fruit and I stay away from boxed meals so I should be okay.

I also drink, green ice tea, it's very good. Makes it a little different than glass after glass of water.

 

[Emma!]

I was going to say get checked for Gestational Diabetes but it sounds like they have already checked that...????

Did they do an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) or just a finger prick test? To be sure whether or not its GD you need to get an OGTT, in Australia they check you for gestational diabetes at 24-26wks.... thirst, dizziness and tiredness are all signs of GD so get it checked out if you havent...

 

[Linnis]

At 11 weeks I passed out in walmart, got to go to the ER all that fun stuff. They did the 3 hour glucose test then...with the really sweet thick drink, blood tests and urine samples every 30 minutes. According to that I was really low but not low enough. Although the ER doc said GD is only if you have high sugar.

They may be checking it again. I had an EKG in the doctor's office, along with urine & blood samples. They found some kind of bacterial infection which I start the antibiotics for today.

 

[Emma!]

At 11 weeks I passed out in walmart, got to go to the ER all that fun stuff. They did the 3 hour glucose test then...with the really sweet thick drink, blood tests and urine samples every 30 minutes. According to that I was really low but not low enough. Although the ER doc said GD is only if you have high sugar.

They may be checking it again. I had an EKG in the doctor's office, along with urine & blood samples. They found some kind of bacterial infection which I start the antibiotics for today.

That sounds like an OGTT (its done after a fast usually)... usually GD shows in the tests by a high glucose reading however if someone with GD is having a hypoglicemic event then their blood sugar levels will be very low. But it sounds like they are keeping an eye on your blood glucose levels which is good. How exciting having a baby, all the very best to you and your family!