When do you know you're dehydrated enough for IV fluids?

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I might be flaring. I've been having some d the past few days but nothing major. Felt fine otherwise until a few hours ago. At around 10 PM, the d got way worse ("pee out your butt" type of d) and I was hit with awful nausea and abdo pains. Slowly got more pale, weak, a bit dizzy, and shaky. Just now, about 2 hours after the onset of bad symptoms, I vomited. That's a bit worrying because I usually don't vomit even when I flare - bad nausea yes, but vomiting not often. The nausea is a little better now that I've vomited, but I'm worried that I've lost too many fluids in between the d and the vomiting. I'm trying to get some pedialyte down but it's slow going as I'm still somewhat nauseous and I can feel it creeping back in again. You know how when you vomit you feel okay for like 10 minutes and after that you start to feel barfy again? I'm right at that threshold right now.

How do you guys know when it's time to go get IV fluids? I know, I know - the general saying around here is that if you're questioning whether to go to the ER, you should just go. I can't really afford the ER, though. It costs more to go to the ER than it does to go to urgent care. Urgent care doesn't open until 9 AM though (it's going on 12:30 AM here right now). I think I can make it until 9 AM, but in case I can't I want to be aware of warning signs of bad dehydration. I've had occassions where I felt awful and times where I didn't feel all that bad, and both times I was told I'm too dehydrated and was given IV fluids (I wonder if that's just a typical thing they do in urgent care though if you're having d/vomiting, even if you're not really all that dehydrated). If I vomit again I will definitely go to the ER. My brother already offered to drive me to the ER (he stays up late - he actually even held my hair back when I vomited a little while ago!). Anyway, I feel like I'm really unfocused and rambling more than usual. My main concern is financial. When I've gone to urgent care for IV fluids in the past, the bill was about $300 each time. When I took my hubby to the ER a couple months ago, the bill was $5000! They did a CT and a few xrays on him and that was about it. I can't afford another bill like that, even with insurance. So I'm just wondering what you guys think. What are the warning signs of being too dehydrated?

 

[mayhavecrohn's]

cat if your feeling that bad i would go i feel the same way but i dont want to go to the er because how i have been treated there and i was told never to come back the name of the er i was going to is called saint joseph they are a joke of a hospital

 

[mayhavecrohn's]

and i have heard bad things about the er i go to so i may have to find a other one to go to

 

[mayhavecrohn's]

i am also feeling dizzy to and also when your dehydrated your mouth will feel dry you will also feel really tired and if you check your plause how ever you spell it and its above 100 that mean your dehydrated mine is running between 122 to 129 but i am not going to the er this late and i am atleast trying to wait till tomorrow to go to my reg doc or Urgent care or a other er

 

[Rebecca85]

Sounds like you might have a tummy bug, with it coming on so quick and having both d and v.

You've only been really ill for a few hours, yes? In which case you should be OK to wait for urgent care, personally I would give it 12-24 hours before I became really concerned.

Keep an eye on your urine. The more dehydrated you are, the darker it gets. If you stop weeing completely then you're in trouble. Having said that, I had a bug a few weeks ago, and didn't wee for the best part of a night and day, and suffered no lasting ill effects. (I was just considering whether to go for fluids when I weed!)

The other thing is your skin, pinch the back of your hand and let go, see how long it takes to go back. You're quite young, aren't you? So it should ping back like an elastic band. If it doesn't ping straight back then you're probably dehydrated.

And ask your brother to keep a close eye on you- if you become confused or dizzy or fall asleep and are difficult to wake, it's time to go straight to ER.

As for the IV fluids, I think that is fairly standard when you're having d or v. I guess it's a quick, easy and cheap thing to do that can relieve some symptoms almost immediately. I don't know if it's strictly necessary though, I was given fluids after vomiting even though I could drink and keep it down- it was just food I was struggling with!

Now for the disclaimer- I'm not a doctor blah blah, well intentioned advice blah blah, consult your own doctor blah blah.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Rebecca, I'm 31, so somewhat young still. I just did the skin pinch test and it's fine, so I guess I'm not too badly dehydrated yet. Still somewhat nauseous, Zofran isn't helping at all which is frustrating because it's usually great, so I'm thinking you're right - this may just be a stomach bug. I'm going to attempt to sleep now, see how I feel when I wake up (assuming I am actually able to sleep) and go from there. I'm a bit dizzy which I think means dehydration too so I'll keep an eye on that and will have my husband or brother drive me if I need to get fluids.

 

[Lisa]

hope you feel better this morning Cat!

 

[Carrie]

One sure sign I'm really dehydrated and need to get some IV fluids is when my feet start cramping up really badly. If you start getting weird muscle cramps, it probably means that you are not just dehydrated, but also potassium deficient.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Carrie, my feet started doing that last night! They were like, twitching. It's stopped this morning though and I do feel somewhat better. Haven't vomited since last night (haven't eaten anything either though). I'm sipping water and pedialyte. Still very weak and a bit nauseous. I don't think I'm flaring though because I did manage to sleep for about 3 hours, and I had no night sweats - I always get night sweats when I flare. So I'm guessing this is a virus after all. I called in sick to work and am planning on just taking it really easy today. Watching TV and may take a nap soon.

 

[Mayflower537]

Interesting about the foot cramps. I've always been prone to getting wicked cramps in the arches of my feet and then my toes will cramp up too sometimes. NOT FUN!! Maybe I should step up my fluid intake...

 

[Rebecca85]

Glad you're feeling a bit better! Tummy bugs are no fun at the best of times, but on top of another stomach problem they really suck! Glad you managed some sleep, I would stay in your PJs on the sofa with a blanket, and just keep nappimg as and when the mood takes you!

 

[Carrie]

Cat, I hate it when my toes/feet start cramping up! It's bad enough you already feel like crap from throwing up everywhere, then your feet start acting up. And the only way I find to relieve it a bit is to get up and walk it out to stretch the muscles a bit (well, short of getting some fluids).

I'm happy to hear this is likely just a bug and not a flare. Regardless, I gotta wish a sister from my home-state a speedy recovery.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Carrie, you're from WI? That's cool, mind if I ask what city? I'm in Madison.

I'm doing somewhat better. Haven't eaten anything solid yet today but I've been sipping water & pedialyte all day and have taken several naps. I also had an Ensure a little while ago and that is sitting pretty well. I'm possibly going to try some plain white rice for dinner. I don't think I'm in the dehydration danger zone anymore. Thanks everyone for your help! You guys are the best!

 

[Carrie]

Yup, I'm a cheesehead too! I grew up near Madison in Mazomanie--tiny town without much going on, other than the infamous nudist beach, lol.

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better, and I hope by the time you read this you are feeling much, much better!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Ha ha, I've driven thru Mazo a few times but have never gone to that beach. There must be a lot of nudists in this part of the state or something, there was just a nude bike ride here in Madison a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad I missed seeing that one, just too weird for me!

I'm doing a bit better today. Had a small amount of plain white rice for dinner last night but that kind of hurt so I'm taking it really easy with food. I've got tea and gatorade and a big bottle of water, and I've been nibbling on animal crackers which seem to be sitting better than the rice was. My hubby and I discussed it and we both think I must have caught some sort of stomach virus, as my flares usually last a minimum of one week, plus this just didn't fit the usual pattern of my flares. Zofran didn't work, and it usually does when I flare, plus I vomited which I very rarely do even in a flare, and I haven't had night sweats, which I always get when I flare. I'm just going to rest up over the long weekend so hopefully I'll be back to normal soon.