When You’re an Ostomate There’s No Shortchanging Hydration

5 Important Tips to Get and Keep You Hydrated

Follow These Pointers and Make Hydration Easier Than You Think 

I can definitely tell when I need to drink more water. I feel tired. Sluggish. A little foggy and a general morass overtakes my body. I’d bet you’ve been in the same place, too. It’s taken me time to learn how to prevent those moments from happening. And when little warnings signal me that something is wrong, I’ve learned what to do.

I feel very strongly about the importance of hydration for us ostomates. It’s not only about health, but comfort, too. So, in today’s blog, I’m sharing some tips about what’s worked for me. If you’re struggling with hydration or feel a little bit in the dark about managing it, I’d bet that at least some of these same tips will work for you. And when you read through my 5 pointers, I’m hoping you’ll take advantage of the helpful aid I’m offering. So onward to putting your hydration fear and uncertainty to rest once and for all.  

1.        Measure your intake. It may sound like a pain, but it’s important. Depending on who you ask and your activity level, you tend to need at least 64 ounces of water a day to keep your body properly hydrated. I use this cool water bottle I bought on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Cactaki-Non-Toxic-Fitness-Enthusiasts-Leakproof/dp/B077NL73N6/). It’s numbered not only with markings for every 2 ounces but it is also marked for time. So, for example, it starts the count at 8 in the morning and marks off the day in hourly increments through 6 p.m., with one refill in the middle. The recommended intake is 8 ounces every hour. I use this bottle all the time. It’s made drinking the right amount of water pretty much second nature to me.

2.       Stay balanced. That means, don’t chug. In fact, here’s the weird thing: gulping down a lot of water isn’t the answer. I actually notice that if I drink a whole lot, I sometimes feel more dehydrated than when I don't drink much of anything. I think it's because the higher volume of liquid just forces everything – and by that, I mean liquid & nutrients – to leave my body too quickly.  And when that happens, it means nutrients and fluids aren’t being absorbed as they should be.

The key is nursing your liquid intake so, I sip water during the day to ensure homeostasis.

Food helps, too. Food helps to create balance within your body because it helps to slow down your digestive system and allows the liquids you drink to be absorbed. There are also certain foods that will help thicken the combination of liquid and foods you’re taking in, giving nutrients more bulk so they pass through your body more slowly.

I’ve heard some ostomates say their doctors have recommended over-the-counter medications like Imodium or other drugs to stop diarrhea and thicken stool. I have not had to deal with this, so as always, ask your doctor. Integrating food with my liquid intake has been enough for me.

3.       Read your body. Pay attention to the signals your body sends out. This is really important, because it prevents a slight low point in hydration from taking you down the rabbit hole. I mentioned how when I feel sluggish, for example, it’s time for me to drink some more.

My stomach also sometimes will feel a little funky.  I don’t really have a stomachache but I’m uncomfortable as if things are not really moving through my intestines – almost like the feeling I had when I had blockages.

Another telltale sign that something is wrong, is that my urine is dark. That’s a big one for you to watch out for. It escalates things and says clearly, you’re dehydrated – or well on your way to being dehydrated. In that case, instead of drinking plain water, I turn to something that will replenish my electrolytes. (An electrolyte is a medical term for a salt or ion in the blood or other bodily fluid that carries a charge). I usually choose Gatorade or an ORS (Oral Rehydration), which has both sugar and salt in it, and use the same 2 ounces an hour pattern that I do with water.  

One of the weird things that happens to me when I am starting to get dehydrated is that my sinuses feel off. Like there is a lack of pressure in behind my nose.

4.       Think ahead. When you're driving some distance to a destination (say, like an hour’s drive) you might want to alter your intake and stagger things a bit. If you know your body and how it reacts to different inputs, planning ahead is easy. For example, Michelle and I frequently visit her parents who live about an hour away. If we’re leaving at 11 a.m. and I already have some output in my bag by 10 a.m., I may hold off a bit on my regular water intake. This will slow the elimination into my pouch. That said, I do come prepared for the ride with a water bottle in my car. Halfway down the Parkway or 30 minutes into the drive, I'll start drinking. This timing will free me from worry both during the ride and when we arrive.     

One reminder. Temporarily holding back on your intake does not mean you leave your large water bottle behind. I prepare my 32 ounces of water and it’s with me pretty much all the time. That way, I don’t have to think about finding or buying water.

6.      Choose what works for you. To make things simpler, it’s good to have products around that make drinking the right amount of liquid whether at home or on the go as convenient as possible.

Powders are some of the products available. Products like DripDrop ORS and Liquid I.V. are two powders that come in packets that can be mixed into water. The packets are easy to keep in your backpack, tote, or your car. They are really simple to mix with a bottle of water on the go.

Gatorade, of course, comes in small, easy-to-transport bottles as well larger jugs for home. Also, unsweetened coconut water which is also good for boosting electrolytes.

Of course, it’s just as easy and cheaper to concoct your own drink and carry it around in your water bottle. The reasonably priced Cactaki water bottle I use and like is, as I said, available on Amazon.

And, of course, there are the home remedies which are always cheaper than store bought. They’re easy to make. And, of course, you can make them in quantity and just pour into your water bottle when needed.

This is the recipe for the ORS that I use all the time.

Juice ORS

Yield: 32 ounces (4 cups, or approximately 1 liter)

Serving size: 8 ounces (1 cup)

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. salt

6oz Cran-Grape Juice (Apple Juice, Cranberry etc)

26oz Cold water

Directions: I mix all the ingredients right in my Cactaki water bottle. Close the bottle and shake it until the salt is dissolved. Put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold until you are ready to drink it.

You can experiment with flavors, like substituting your favorite juice.

Clear Sailing in Your Days Ahead

Getting on top of hydration wasn’t necessarily an easy road, especially in the early months following surgery. Doing research, talking to my gastroenterologist, and experimenting with what worked helped. That’s how I learned to follow these pointers.

One huge benefit was keeping track of my intake by recording it. I also monitored and recorded how I was physically feeling at any given point during my day relative to my liquid intake. Before I knew it, I had created a book, the Ostoh Food & Hydration Tracking Journal.

Because I want to see you make the same strides, I’m giving away an abbreviated pdf version. If you’re interested in receiving this journal, fill out this form and you will receive a download link in your email.

You’ll never hear me tell you that ostomy surgery and my daily routines has been easy. But I never forget what life was like all those years pre-surgery and by comparison what it looks and feels like now. I encourage you to run a similar video in your mind’s eye…you know to contrast the before and after. When you do that, I can pretty much bet you’ll have gratitude as you find, like I did, that life is a whole lot better than it was before.

Life has an unusual way of pushing us to where we need to go. To me, that’s what Ostoh is all about. 

 If you’re interested in learning more about Ostoh and how it might increase your comfort, email us at hello@ostoh.com or use our contact form.