puppylove Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 I am supposed to drink three liters a day. I have been trying to increase my intake of liquids but I am nowhere near 3 liters. I am never thirsty so I forget to drink during the day and drinking a huge glass of water makes me bloated and nauseaous. Also, if I actually drank this much I would not be able to go anywhere with out having to use the bathroom every fifteen minutes. Does anybody actually drink this much, if so how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jangle Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I think a specific number is arbitrary, but that a large volume of liquid is going to have to be drunk, one way or another. In time I have come to find my bladder possesses super powers! But wow, that first week and my bathroom was my new best friend.Eventually you'll adjust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sif Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I manage to drink that much (maybe even more) because I'm always very thirsty! Drinking a lot at once makes me very bloated too so I keep water with me and just constantly take sips during the day.I've only been at it for a few weeks and my bladder certainly hasn't adjusted yet but it's slowly getting a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfgirl14 Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I know exactly how you feel. I find it nearly impossible to drink that much and when I do even get half way close to how much I am supposed to drink if feel bloated and nauteous. Drinking makes me feel worse I am still trying to find a way to drink all of that w/out feeling crappy. And to be honest I think my flourinef is retaining to much fluid and I am not going to the bathroom as much as I should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona-jane Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 i'm also supposed to drink at least that amount and really struggle! it seems to be a huge amount of fluid to drink in one day! i find it easier to drink it from bottles of water (or very diluted juice) and so i can track how much i've drank.the only time i hit my 3liters is if i drink it from an empty squash bottle that holds about a litre - if i keep it next to me i can sip it all day, bit by bit and find 3 bottles seems a smaller amount than 3 litres to my brain. i try and have half a litre with my meals (using one of those little plastic bottles so i can judge the amount), then have half a litre in the morning and half a litre an hour or so before bed (with my evening meds) and so i only have to drink another half liter throughout the day to reach my target. when i think of it like this it makes it a little less daunting. but if i get anywhere near my 3litres i need to pee all the time! every hour i'm desperate for a pee and my urine is always dark so i'm still dehydrated so clearly need more than those litres.... have no idea how to manage it though, without getting a catheter fitted and a bag on my leg so it'll continually empty my bladder! i'm getting really good at telling where the public toilets are in my local high street! fi xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwise Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 You need to count all fluids whether water, tea, coffee, pop, power drinks, juices, etc...even fluids in cans as part of your intake. You will be surprised at how much you are taking in. I drink more than 3 liters of fluid a day and continue to hydrate during the night. I do use a water bottle as a measurement. It is 16 fluid oz and calculate from it. I do small sips which it doesn't make me feel nauseated or bloated. The worst for me is when I bolus in the morning to get my blood pressure up. Yes, I go to the bathroom alot and know every bathroom in town and on my way to work. I time my stops. Lol. It was hard at first, but in time your body will adjust to the increase in fluid intake. I can actually tell when I don't drink enough because my blood pressure remains low and I am symptomatic from the low blood pressure feeling faint. Good luck and keep at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L4UR3N Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I actually drink 6 liters/day, but I dont recommend it!! I dont have a choice because that seems to be how much I pee, whether I drink or not (surprisingly no diabetes insipidus). The only advice I can give you is to take water with you everywhere, and alternate it with some type of electrolyte solution. Unfortunately I have also stretched my bladder out to proportions im pretty sure are comparable to an elephant.....but I dont recommend that either. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsti Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I have to drink 4 liters (1 gallon) of water a day or else my blood volume feels too low. Eventually I got used to drinking that much. It important to remember to have enough salt with those liquids, or else it will just go right through you. I also found that drinking that much water strengthens my bladder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrine Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 Echoing what other folks have said... I try to go for 70 to 90 fluid ounces a day, or 2.5 to 3 liters (give or take). I use a Nalgene bottle that I carry in my backpack. Before I started having dysautonomia symptoms, I was a very bad drinker; my urine was always dark and I was never thirsty (or I would get thirsty at the point where other people were seriously dehydrated). One thing that has helped has been keeping my bottle on top of my desk or next to me whereever I'm sitting down (for example, if I'm sitting at my desk it's on the desk rather than in my bag on the floor); seeing it out of the corner of my eye reminds me to drink. Or, if my wrist break software goes off, I will stretch and drink about a third of the bottle. Do make sure to maintain enough electrolytes too, though, otherwise the water will just go through! It's taken me some time to adjust but I have noticed that my thirst calibration has been reset and I now get thirsty much more easily. The other thing you might try is a water hydration pouch (a Camelbak or similar); I found while hiking (before the dysautonomia!) that it was easier for me to sip and forget that I was drinking. They come in 3 liter versions, so if you carry a daypack around you could just fill it up at the start of the day. Another option is tea; I can drink enough tea during one day (don't forget about the diuretic effect of caffeine, though) to get to the right hydration level with no problem, I'm that much of a tea junkie :^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mully2014 Posted December 24, 2011 Report Share Posted December 24, 2011 I drink about 6 liters a day. It takes a bit to adjust to it but now I don't anywhere without my water. I can really feel it if I don't always drink that much. I would suggest starting out kinda slow and then increasing it bit by bit in order to make the adjustment easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzipora Posted December 25, 2011 Report Share Posted December 25, 2011 Out of curiosity... Who is telling everyone how much to drink and how do they come up with that amount?I'm almost completely dependant on TPN (IV nutrition) due to severe GI dysmotility and getting my fluid level just right has been a challenge and I'm always wondering if more fluid will help. On good days I do drink water took. I get 2.5 liters of fluid in my TPN and they are willing to up it to 3 liters if I want but I have had frequent urination problems for several years so I've been hesitant to up it anymore. But I absolutely do get in at least 3 liters a day with water drinking and TPN fluids combined. I'd be perpetually dehydrated without the TPN though and there's no possible way for me to up my fluids by mouth beyond what I do now. Sometimes I easily get in a solid 8 or more glasses of water a day in addition to the 2.5liters being pumped into my veins. But the whole fluid intake thing has been a struggle and I have no clue exactly what level is right for me. I started off on just over 2 liters of fluid in my TPN. That's the recommended amount of fluid for women in general but now I have the POTS diagnosis and am not sure if more fluids will help or not.So anyway, I realize I'm no help to the rest of you on this issue but I'm just curious... Does more fluid help you in a noticeable way? Before being put on IV nutrition for quite awhile I'd get a few days of dizziness relief if I ended up in the ER for fluids but after awhile it stopped making any real difference. So I guess I'm just questioning what the right level is and just how much of a benefit it is. Because at any time I could request to have my TPN fluids upped to 3liters but I'm not sure if I want to or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L4UR3N Posted December 25, 2011 Report Share Posted December 25, 2011 The right level for me is the level at which I have the least amount of symptoms. I believe it gradually increased to the point where I am drinking 6 liters/day. I'm pretty sure there is no doctor in the world who would tell me to drink 6 liters/day . Unfortunately it seems to be only getting worse, and at times I need more than 6 liters/day. Physically, this seems almost impossible to do, as I am drinking constantly. Not really sure what my next step is.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovebug Posted December 25, 2011 Report Share Posted December 25, 2011 The right level for me is the level at which I have the least amount of symptoms. I believe it gradually increased to the point where I am drinking 6 liters/day. I'm pretty sure there is no doctor in the world who would tell me to drink 6 liters/day . Unfortunately it seems to be only getting worse, and at times I need more than 6 liters/day. Physically, this seems almost impossible to do, as I am drinking constantly. Not really sure what my next step is....Are you alternating water with Gatorade or Powerade? I used to drink up to 4L/d and was concerned about diluting myself so my doc said to alternate with a sugar free sports drink just to get some electrolytes. Fortunately, I've gotten better and do not need to drink quite as much. However, I get more dizzy/lightheaded now than I used to but I think that may be related to blood sugar or just dysautonomia in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icesktr189 Posted December 26, 2011 Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 I drink a ton of water a day but thankfully I was blessed with a MASSIVE bladder lol. I have tons of tests done that shows its about 3 times the normal amount. I never feel like I have to pee its weird, I have to remind myself all the time, even during pregnancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handmadebyemy Posted December 28, 2011 Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 I used to carry water with my everywhere and constantly sip but that lead to having to pee all the time so now I drink a 16 oz glass of water with every meal and snack, also one in the morning and one whenever I feel thirsty. That adds up to about 3 liters a day and since I drink the whole glass at one time, I don't have to pee constantly - my bladder fills up completely. Otherwise its torture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacquie802 Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I drink atleast 3 liters of fluids a day. I drink water, powerade, and decaf tea. I was urinating alot and my doctor told me to increase my salt intake so I'd retain the fluid more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerAmy Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I drink as much fluid as I can without being miserable. I was drinking 3L + per day, but that was terrible because I spent the whole day in the bathroom. Now I try to drink as much as I can without forcing it too much. I highly recommend getting an electrolyte powder from someplace like Whole Foods. You really don't want all the sugar that is in a drink like Gatorade. I would also stay away from caffeine because it is a diuretic and it kind of defeats the whole point of drinking all those fluids. I also drink a lot of herbal tea. I drink mint, dandelion root, and licorice root. I add a little bit of salt to all of these. I also drink chai (minus the tea) that my wonderful husband makes for me. He boils a bunch of spices, then adds coconut milk and a tiny bit of honey. Yum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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