HELP -- Horrible flare, need advice!!

[num1habsfan]

Ah I'm still having a flareup that started last thursday, and today is the WORST. It sent me to the washroom 12 times today, getting more and more painful each time.
HOW do you rehydrate yourself when the flareup is this bad?! I've already drank a whole bottle of water, and a big mug of tea, and i'm so dehydrated i'm still light headed and thirsty!
Also that "burning" area seems to be getting more sensative, do hot water bottles really work to help it, so a person can actually sleep?

~ Lisa ~

 

[BWS1982]

Well, how big was the bottle of water, you may still be dehyrdrated, I go through between 64 and 128 ounces of water a day if I can. The tea probably won't do you much good, especially with the caffeine in it....when I'm at my worst water was just making me nauseas and I actually needed sodium/potassium too, so I opted for Gatorade.

 

[Jeff D.]

Try gatorade like Benson suggested. Also tea is not very good for hydrating your body. Caffeine just sucks the water out. If you drink gatorade dilute it with water and it may not taste as good but the excess sugar won't be that great for you. Drink about half your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you use gatorade drink about 16 ounces of that and water after. You don't want to much of that stuff in you.

 

[num1habsfan]

I guess it's pretty contradictory then, the tea part. I have to drink a bunch of it every night to help my asthma out (otherwise I would cough all night from too much phlegm). But then it sucks if that makes dehydration worse... :/.
I drank half a bottle of gatorade, so i guess i'll go back to the plain water??

And what do you suggest food wise? Because I must say, I'm pretty darn hungry...
~ Lisa ~

 

[Mazen]

Try to drink Camomile tea instead of normal tea. It has no Caffeine and is soothing for the throat as well as the GI tract.... It's also supposed to be anti-inflammatory

 

[Jeff D.]

Yeah Camomile is a tea that you could drink. Or decaffinated.

My dad has always told me to drink until I pee. Actually, what color is your pee. The easy test to see how hydrated you are is how dark your pee is. If it is like lemonade then you are pretty hydrated but if it is a dark yellow then take in the fluids. Don't drink too much water at once though because when you get dehydrated and all of a sudden you introduce a lot fo water to your system then you may throw up. Just keep up with the liquids. I always carry those little 20oz bottle with me where ever I go and I try to finish three of those a day. Then I have a little gatorade with lunch and dinner. I drink about twice as much when I exercise although I wouldn't recomend exercising right now.

 

[num1habsfan]

Thanks guys...you'd think after 2 years i should know this stuff already, but I just usually don't get quite this bad.
I found some gluten-free tea (Celestial Seasonings), which is decaf too. So I'm having some of that..
My colour right now is somewhere in between. Most of the day though it was very dark yellow.
Good to know not to drink a lot of it at once!

~ Lisa ~

 

[Kev]

A minimum of 64 fluid ounces a day is a good starting point if one is stable. Thats' what I drink WHEN I'm not flaring... Avoid caffeine and alcohol. As for diarhea, a starchy diet MAY slow things down. Potassium can be obtained from banana's (if you tolerate them).. Gatorade does have a lot to be said for it, restoring vital salts, etc.. but, as a consequence, it is pretty hi in sodium and sugar. There was a link on here.. can't remember where.. that discussed the hi salt/water combo used in 3rd world countries for treating dehydration. anyone else recall reading that? Seemed a tested/proven simple N effective treatment

 

[num1habsfan]

too late to avoid the caffeine right now, just having my morning coffee. But I felt so sick I barely even got out of bed, just too exhausted, so I needed something to give me a boost. Plus if I didn't have my daily coffee I wouldn't function because of my extreme hypothyroidism :/.
If my ...trips to the bathroom stay consistent I'll keep you updated on the count for today.
By the way, what's the conversion from oz to ml?

~ Lisa ~

 

[D Bergy]

Pedialite or something spelled similarly is used to treat dehydrated infants. I am sure it could be used for adults as well.

It does work as it has a high sodium content, but it will also bloat you up if you take it too long.

Dan

 

[num1habsfan]

Pedialite or something spelled similarly is used to treat dehydrated infants. I am sure it could be used for adults as well.

It does work as it has a high sodium content, but it will also bloat you up if you take it too long.

Dan

...Isn't that dairy though?

~ Lisa ~

 

[BWS1982]

A certain amount of sodium actually helps in hydration processes, which is why it's added to Gatorade...too much though is counter productive, it's a balancing act. The salt helps draw in water into the cells at the proper amounts...

Ounces to Milliliters....well, 64 ounces is fairly close to 2 liters, which should mean that 1000 ml is about 32 ounces....thus, AROUND 30 ml to an ounce, or about...

 

[num1habsfan]

A certain amount of sodium actually helps in hydration processes, which is why it's added to Gatorade...too much though is counter productive, it's a balancing act. The salt helps draw in water into the cells at the proper amounts...

Ounces to Milliliters....well, 64 ounces is fairly close to 2 liters, which should mean that 1000 ml is about 32 ounces....thus, AROUND 30 ml to an ounce, or about...

OK so then you suggest I drink 2+ L of water, huh?

(btw, bathroom count for the day at 1 so far..)

~ Lisa ~

 

[Guest]

here in the uk we have various rehydration preparations, all of which can be bought over the counter. i regularly use dioralyte, electrolade, and the supermarket own brands. they are designed for anyone who is losing fluids due to diarrhoea (i can never spell that word, sorry), and/or vomiting. children can take it too.

proper rehydration powders (mixed with water) give you exactly the balance of salts, electrolytes, pottasium, glucose, that you need. and they stop that faintness and headache you get with dehydration.

my own routine when i've been really dehydrated (as i will do anything to avoid going into hospital just because i need a drip) is to starve initially, just for a few hours, but drink at least 3 cups of dioralyte/electrolade in the first 24 hours, then 2 daily after, as long as the cause continues. add extra cups of water and other fluids into your day too. i reintroduce food slowly, starting off with soups etc, & soft bread.

i've been told a home-made rehydration remedy, which is good but doesnt give you entirely everything you find in the proper preparations: a bar of milk chocolate, a full glass of pure orange juice, and a packet of crisps. sounds weird, but it does help (if you can stomach it).

i do follow the urine colour test, and also skin elasticity test.. if you keep one hand flat, palm down, then pinch the skin with your other hand, just below the base of your middle finger, you can tell by the time the skin takes to go back down how hydrated you are. if it takes a while, or in fact stays pinched - you need fluids.

 

[num1habsfan]

The problem with most of those shakes, etc is that it's not easy to find one that's both gluten-free and lactose-free. I forgot to bring my gatorade with me tho :O.

Today hasn't been so bad, only 3 trips to the bathroom, but I did eat almost nothing...too afraid to!!

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

Another thing to do is buy gatorade powders and put only half or 1/3 powder to water. Do what you can handle because some people hate the taste of gatorade that's diluted. The salts are beneficial to hydration but you only need a little bit which is why most athletes dilute their gatorade. You won't see anyone in the Tour De France drinking pure gatorade, so I wouldn't either. If you must drink pure gatorade drink the gatorade rains as they come a little more diluted then regular gatorade.

 

[num1habsfan]

Another thing to do is buy gatorade powders and put only half or 1/3 powder to water. Do what you can handle because some people hate the taste of gatorade that's diluted. The salts are beneficial to hydration but you only need a little bit which is why most athletes dilute their gatorade. You won't see anyone in the Tour De France drinking pure gatorade, so I wouldn't either. If you must drink pure gatorade drink the gatorade rains as they come a little more diluted then regular gatorade.

Hmmm I didnt know you could buy gatorade powders!! :eek2:

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

Yep they come in a container that resembles a peanut tin. Except it has gatorade all over it and is made of plastic.

 

[num1habsfan]

Interesting Jeff...wonder if I can find that up here in Saskatchewan...?

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

If you have a walmart they should have it.

 

[drew_wymore]

I second gatorade and pedialite (which isn't dairy that I'm aware of). My doctor previously had told me to use both if I become dehydrated. At my worst when I couldn't stomach or keep fluids in I did end up going to my local clinic and get IV fluids so that I could start the process of hydrating myself. I'm not sure if thats an option but if you continue being dehydrated it might be worth doing.

 

[Kev]

Yeah, Gatorade is available in this part of Canada in powder form, in most stores.
Wal-mart, Zellers, most grocery stores... It's ususally with the other drink powders

 

[num1habsfan]

Yeah, Gatorade is available in this part of Canada in powder form, in most stores.
Wal-mart, Zellers, most grocery stores... It's ususally with the other drink powders

OK I'll have to try check when I'm back in the city. Right now I'm at home, which is a town with 2400 people and only 2 grocery stores...so there's no chance I'd find it here. I was going to to the ER Thurs. night, I just didn't have a way to get to the hospital .

I slept last night with a heating pad on the flared spot, on medium heat (sounds like i'm cooking myself in the oven :tongue: ) and surprisingly it helped me sleep!

I may just live on my fresh bread for the day since its just rice...shouldn't be TOO hard to stomach that, should it??

~ Lisa ~

 

[Kev]

Well, I'm allowed white rice, but not brown or wild. Whatsa difference? I dunno. I do know that starchy foods MAY be a problem if one is dealing with a restriction, a blockage.. or fighting off the big 'C'.. (as in Constipation, NOT cancer for us IBDers)...

As for your local grocery stores not stocking Gatorade in powdered form, given the size of your town, it's possible... I come from a place where the nearest towns were about 8,000 But if there is any sporting activity at all near you, it may be available... Lot's of folks opt for the powder, as it's cheaper and you can whip up a batch anytime... Course, theres' a competing brand called PowerAde... I don't know how well it compares nutritionally to GatorAde.

 

[BWS1982]

white rice is milled already, has no fiber or nutritional value compared to brown and wild....the brown and wild have a good amount of fiber too...basically the body has less work to do on the white rice, making it easier to process.

PowerAde's about the same, as far as stats on the label go, but I opt for Gatorade if possible because it contains more glucose instead of the not so great High Fructose Corn Syrup (the worst type of sugar).

There's a new version of GatorAde out called G2, it's half the sugar of the original.

 

[Jeff D.]

And G2 tastes pretty good as well.

 

[Kittee]

I drink straight up Gatoraid, makes me feel a hellova lot better when I'm flaring. I suppose I -should- dilute it because of the sugars / sodium in it but I do not.

I wish you luck!

 

[num1habsfan]

white rice is milled already, has no fiber or nutritional value compared to brown and wild....the brown and wild have a good amount of fiber too...basically the body has less work to do on the white rice, making it easier to process.

PowerAde's about the same, as far as stats on the label go, but I opt for Gatorade if possible because it contains more glucose instead of the not so great High Fructose Corn Syrup (the worst type of sugar).

There's a new version of GatorAde out called G2, it's half the sugar of the original.

the gluten-free foods do have other forms of flour and such to make them, but most of it is white rice flour. I've been tryin to stick on that and light foods still...and i'll have to try get to Safeway or a big grocery store chain like that to find the powered Gatorade.
I wonder when this flareup is going to end :confused2:

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

I hope you start feeling better soon.

 

[drew_wymore]

I hope you get to feeling better soon Lisa.

 

[num1habsfan]

Thanks Jeff and Drew...

It was easing off a bit, but last night I had a TERRIBLE nightmare, and at some point in my tossing and turning I ended up falling asleep on my SORE SIDE . I'm in so much pain it's not even funny!

Curious question, since I mention nightmares, do you guys get extremely clear and 'real' nightmares when you're having flareups??

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

I don't really get nightmares but I guess you would have to sleep to get them. Last night I had three hours of sleep. I did get some really vivid dreams though which are usually pretty cool.

 

[num1habsfan]

Oh gees, my flareup was slowly starting to flare down, finally...and what do you think happens now? I'm feeling fairly upset because I got ditched twice today..by the same person..once for drinking, once for another friend. I'm afraid if I can't calm down this flareup is going to go through the roof! :ybatty:

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

Just find that person and give them a nice whomp upside the head. Just think of that and then you can go to sleep and hopefully dream about whomping this person upside the head instead of having a bad dream. It was only a thought.

Start taking some deep breathes and try to focus on each breath. This should help you to relax.

 

[num1habsfan]

Just find that person and give them a nice whomp upside the head. Just think of that and then you can go to sleep and hopefully dream about whomping this person upside the head instead of having a bad dream. It was only a thought.

Start taking some deep breathes and try to focus on each breath. This should help you to relax.

Only wish it was that simple... and besides the negative effects on the stomach, I have to be careful because of my asthma as touchy as it is. I have a slight wheeze already..i'm having some tea now, hopefully that'll help me in both ways....
~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

Oh boy...asthma is a killer. I used to have asthma related to my allergies that whenever I fell on a specific type of grass, the grass of course I played soccer on five times a week, I would start the weeze. Enjoy the tea. Prayers are going out to you tonight.

 

[num1habsfan]

Oh boy...asthma is a killer. I used to have asthma related to my allergies that whenever I fell on a specific type of grass, the grass of course I played soccer on five times a week, I would start the weeze. Enjoy the tea. Prayers are going out to you tonight.

Thank you...I'll post again in this topic in the morning to say if things got worse or better...

~ Lisa ~

 

[soupdragon69]

Hi Lisa,

If it's any consolation I have brittle/unstable asthma and hypothyroidism. Was diagnosed with both in my mid twenties and am 39 next week. I see you are still awaiting a diagnosis on the IBD front too.

Just wanted to say am thinking of you honey.

Feel free to PM me any time or post to me too on a thread. Hope things settle for you soon.

 

[num1habsfan]

Oh no...I had to miss one class this morning because I would have been 20 minutes late. I haven't eaten or drank anything, but since I woke up I had to go to the bathroom twice in 20 minutes time :angry-banghead: . And might as well make things worse--falling asleep on my sore side. This looks to be a LONG day of living in the bathroom

~ Lisa ~

 

[Jeff D.]

Thats terrible. I always hate those days that I have to use an entire roll of toilet paper. Good luck

 

[num1habsfan]

Thank you, Jeff. Send me your luck if you have any to spare. Thankfully this class I have next (which I wont miss, I hope anyways) is my only remaining one of the day...

~ Lisa ~

 

[num1habsfan]

Oh great, I just got a whole pile of stress added to me and i can feel that burning creeping up...I handed in my 10-page report for a class on Celiac and how there isn't enough supplies and not enough knowledge. I worked on it for 2 months and had all the confidence in the world that I did a good job--until I shared it on that forum and was told all my information is wrong (even though I got it out of books and newsletters, not websites!) and it was too hard to read (and even accused me of stereotyping). If I don't get close to the 30% this report is worth, I may as well not register for classes because I'll fail out of university. This is the only class that I can use to bring my mark up. I'm freaking out now because what if the teacher feels the same??
Man this is going to be so much fun studying for a midterm tomorrow when I'm feeling this sick (NOT).

~ Lisa ~

 

[Kev]

Welll, makes me wonder how supportive the celiac site really is... and in hindsight IF it may have been more beneficial for you to run it by the celiac site before turning it in. Has it been read by your prof or his/her TA yet? Can you maybe approach them, say you've come up with some more/new info that you'd like to add/edit in as a footnote... see what their response is? It isn't like you've been late submitting it, or asked for an extension. There may be a hope that they haven't read it, graded it just yet. It never hurts to ask... worse they can say is no.... And even if they did, if you go to them before marks are posted you may be able to add/change it via a verbal defense... tell them that, despite the info acquired from published sources that you've noted, you came across 'conflicting' info that now causes you to rethink your original positions. And, keep in mind, that tho many of us consider ourselves experts/educated in our own 'personal' form of IBD, in many cases it's all anecdotal N subjective; it really doesn't make us sources of 'expert' knowledge, just 1st hand opinions.
Those folks on the celiac site could be the ones who are wrong,wrong, wrong.

Just a thought... like, if you were doing one on IBD, and qualified it by quoting a respected publication like JAMA or NEJM, whatever... and someone argued it by quoting 'me'... which do you think would carry more weight with your profs?

 

[num1habsfan]

Welll, makes me wonder how supportive the celiac site really is... and in hindsight IF it may have been more beneficial for you to run it by the celiac site before turning it in. Has it been read by your prof or his/her TA yet? Can you maybe approach them, say you've come up with some more/new info that you'd like to add/edit in as a footnote... see what their response is? It isn't like you've been late submitting it, or asked for an extension. There may be a hope that they haven't read it, graded it just yet. It never hurts to ask... worse they can say is no.... And even if they did, if you go to them before marks are posted you may be able to add/change it via a verbal defense... tell them that, despite the info acquired from published sources that you've noted, you came across 'conflicting' info that now causes you to rethink your original positions. And, keep in mind, that tho many of us consider ourselves experts/educated in our own 'personal' form of IBD, in many cases it's all anecdotal N subjective; it really doesn't make us sources of 'expert' knowledge, just 1st hand opinions.
Those folks on the celiac site could be the ones who are wrong,wrong, wrong.

Just a thought... like, if you were doing one on IBD, and qualified it by quoting a respected publication like JAMA or NEJM, whatever... and someone argued it by quoting 'me'... which do you think would carry more weight with your profs?

Too late to correct it now. I'm sure she's already marked most of them (or all of them?). I'll find out tonight during class...makes me nervous, that's for sure!
I'm definitely no professional writer(except for maybe when it comes to writing hockey articles haha). I kinda regret sharing it now, but I wanted people to say if that sounded like it was a personal to social issue (which was the whole point of writing it). I also put a lot of personal examples in there to show just how bad it is. If you want to see it ask and I can email it to someone..
And the person who gave me heck deleted her part of the post, guess that was a nice enough thing to do...

P.S.: I still have my flareup

~ Lisa ~

 

[Kev]

A person gave you heck, and then deleted it? And you're basing your upheaval on that? what if that person was just having a bad day, took it out on you; and then when calmer heads prevailed; deleted her comments as a form of quiet retraction?

Sometimes, WE have to put the brakes on our own personal pendulums to keep things on a more even keel. I know I'm mixing methaphors here, but its something that has merit. our reaction to life's up N downs can have hidden interactions...