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All the symptoms of dehydration, but electrolytes are fine

Vincent

Senior Member
Messages
126
Location
Baltimore, Maryland USA
So over the last 3 years I've been to urgent care and the ER 5 times, the most recent 2 were last week. I'm permanently thirsty. I can only drink gatorade and I drink in excess of 25 8oz glasses per day, chugging it as fast as I can. My lips are always chapped and I get confused, feel sleepy when standing up, nauseous, and blurred vision. Everything but the nausea will mostly go away if I lay down. I have a feeling of derealization, trouble finding words, and trouble spelling. All I want to do is lay down all day.

Now here is the thing, when I go to urgent care of the ER within minutes of them starting a saline drip I immediately feel better, like my brain is finally awake. As a teenager I did have orthostatic hypotension but now I do not; I acquired this after getting mono in 1993. I watched dr rowe's presentation and I believe I might have low blood volume.

Unfortunately 99% of the dr's are clueless and I called dr. rowe's office and he is not accepting new patients. I live in the Baltimore area. I literally get so 'out of it' that I forget which target store I am in for example, because they all look the same. I literally can not perceive the passage of time, as if each event in time is not related to the one before it. I literally can not think. It has caused me to stop driving mostly; I do not work.

I'm getting an ACTH test done next week to check adrenal function. I'm thinking a 24hr saliva might also be in order because I have trouble getting up in the morning and my sleep schedule becomes fragmented. I had at one time a circadian rhythm disorder.

At the er I told them I get so confused I can't walk down the street and with blurred vision. The dr said 'you don't sound confused', then gave me 1L of fluids, even though I told them that is what urgent care gave me and that is not enough. I need liter after liter until I feel better. I also asked for a picc line and I was denied. Consuming the water orally does not work well enough, but an IV works almost instantly.
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
Did you tell them that you drink over 1.5 gallons of Gatorade a day? I would think that would make your kidneys work very hard. Have you had aldosterone tested?
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
My Dr recently told me that I appear dehydrated via my bloodwork. I told him that I always feel dehydrated, only been 10 years now. I have been taking various products. Electro Mix by Alacer and Nuun natural hydration products.

GG
 

Vincent

Senior Member
Messages
126
Location
Baltimore, Maryland USA
My Dr recently told me that I appear dehydrated via my bloodwork. I told him that I always feel dehydrated, only been 10 years now. I have been taking various products. Electro Mix by Alacer and Nuun natural hydration products.

GG

The thing is they told me my electrolytes are fine via my bloodwork.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Perhaps they are not using the right indicators? Perhaps the Drs are not that good? My Dr has helped me a lot in the last 4 years.

GG

PM/Conversation me to look up the details, I get all my docs from my Dr, but I am not well organized!
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
Sounds like a hormonal problem - aldosterone, as mentioned, is likely. Drinking so much probably makes things worse. 2-4 liters of fluid daily is plenty. I would try mixing your own electrolyte water, with a higher concentration of electrolytes than gatorade. My own mix is this:

1 liter of water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 glucose
1/4 potassium citrate

This is much stronger than gatorade. If you're constantly losing water, you need more sodium. Sometimes when I need more sodium I mix 1/4 teaspoon sea salt in a glass of water. This will instantly provide around 400mg sodium.
 

Vincent

Senior Member
Messages
126
Location
Baltimore, Maryland USA
Sounds like a hormonal problem - aldosterone, as mentioned, is likely. Drinking so much probably makes things worse. 2-4 liters of fluid daily is plenty. I would try mixing your own electrolyte water, with a higher concentration of electrolytes than gatorade. My own mix is this:

1 liter of water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 glucose
1/4 potassium citrate

This is much stronger than gatorade. If you're constantly losing water, you need more sodium. Sometimes when I need more sodium I mix 1/4 teaspoon sea salt in a glass of water. This will instantly provide around 400mg sodium.

It's ironic you say aldosterone because as a teenager I was on flourinef and compression stockings when I had the orthostatic hypotension.