Dehydration

[Zizzle]

Paula,
Not a special diet, LOL. Just lots of high-quality sea salt (which contains many other minerals), seaweed flakes sprinkled on food, bananas, coconut water, olives, etc. My doctor even had me try Renee Quinton Hypertonic supplements -- basically high-priced sea water ampules that you drink.

I seem to be most symptomatic when my BP is 90/50 or lower. My ideal BP is 100/70 and I can't seem to get there!! My POTS symptoms did improve recently without much extra water or salt intake, and my BP yesterday was 100/53. The low BP seems to come and go in flares.

[Brenda]

I'm often dehydrated. Last week's eposide of severe fogginess, confusion was counter-acted by Tex's recommendation of chicken soup. I've made everyday, paid more attention to physical feeling and starting to realize when I need the broth.

Glad to know about the Sam's Club water. I do drink water throughout the day, even though D is minutes afterward. I've wondered about ways to increase electrolytes other than Gatorade, sports drinks.

Zizzle, thanks for info....have been using sea salt.

Brenda

[mzh]

I'm often dehydrated. Last week's eposide of severe fogginess, confusion was counter-acted by Tex's recommendation of chicken soup. I've made everyday, paid more attention to physical feeling and starting to realize when I need the broth.

Glad to know about the Sam's Club water. I do drink water throughout the day, even though D is minutes afterward. I've wondered about ways to increase electrolytes other than Gatorade, sports drinks.

Zizzle, thanks for info....have been using sea salt.

Brenda

Let me reiterate about the Sam's Club Purified water; it has to the kind with potassium bicarbonate and chloride and magnesium sulfate added. There are other brands that are "mineral-enhanced" too but they're harder to find than plain old bottled water.

[humbird753]

Zizzle, you must feel dizziness fairly often with BP low. The recommendation of sea salt is appreciated. My husband has been pumping me with Gatorade and lots of water since last Saturday evening episode, but my BP is still only at 89/62. I don't know what the bottom number means, but from what I read in Polly's message about dehydration and electrolyte balance, I assume the top number should not get too low.

I've started taking D3 and Magnesium (the Magnesium about a week ago). Is there anything else that can cause lower BP? Just wondering if anyone knows.

Paula

[Lesley]

Trader Joe's has electrolyte enriched water. I suffer from severe hypernatremia, and have managed to bring my sodium and chloride fairly close to normal by drinking ONLY that water and no so-called "free" water.

[tex]

Paula,

Be aware that magnesium does not increase blood pressure - it tends to slightly lower it.

Tex

[Zizzle]

Paula,
My dizziness issues are mostly postural, like when I'm getting out of bed, bending over to get something, or even standing in one place too long. It also seems to come in flares, where all the salt in water in the world won't improve things. I'm doing pretty well right now.

Magnesium sulfate is the cheap form of magnesium used as a laxative and in Epsom salts. Magensium citrate and other forms are more easily absorbed and less likely to cause D. Than again, I questioned my doc about mag sulfate in a supplement he prescribed, and he said the dose was too low to aggravate D. So maybe there's very little in bottled water?

Fish oil can lower BP, but usually for people who have high BP. My BP is low because my veins are too lax and they don't constrict when they are supposed to.

[Kari]

Hi all,

I have had low blood pressure all my life, with lots of "dizziness". I've been diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension, and always have to be careful when I stand up from a sitting or lying down position, as I start to black out. I believe this is something I was born with, since I remember feeling light headed even as a young child.

The other day I had a dull headache on the left side in the back of my head. It was driving me nuts and even interfered with my sleep. Then a light bulb went off and I got up and ate some kettle chips with sea salt and drank some water with celtic salt. The potato chips were because I thought my potassium level had dropped, and the salted water was to replenish electrolytes. I was not dehydrated because I had been drinking plenty of clear water all day. I've heard that if you drink too much water without added electrolytes, they get flushed out of your system, which then results in feeling light headed.

Anyhow, my analysis must have been correct, as the headache finally went away and I was able to sleep.

I don't like the taste of water with salt in it. So, starting today, I will keep a glass next to the pitcher of water containing "heavily salted water", and take a small sip of that before drinking the regular water.

I used to eat bananas every day for potassium until I discovered through MRT that I was highly sensitive to them. So now I try to make sure I eat some form of potatoes every day, which actually contain more potassium than bananas - yeah:). Of course, this doesn't agree with a "rotation diet" - sigh - the list of things we have to consider goes on and on - it's a real balancing act.

Love,
Kari

[Lesley]

Kari,
Get electrolyte enriched water. It really helps!

Lesley

[mzh]

Kari, my husband has orthostatic hypotension, low BP and slow heart rate; he drinks two or three 20 oz bottles of Sam's Purified (minerals added) water a day with no troubles at all. Plain or Brita-filtered water gives both of us awful leg cramps; we need those minerals the filter is taking out. I'd imagine the Sam's water minerals are in very low dosages but whatever they add in it works for us. It may or may not be enough for you but it's worth a try. It tastes like regular water; you'd never know anything is different about it until you read the label.

Oh, yes. He adds a bit of iodized salt to his food. The unsalty-tasting water and the table salt keeps him in good shape. You might want to try that if you don't like salty-tasting water or water with an "off" taste.

Best of all, the Sam's water quieted a horrendous bout of MC I had this summer in 24 hours. I credit the filtered water for sending me into a really bad colitis state!

[Kari]

Thanks Marcia and Lesley, I will give it a try .

Love,
Kari

[humbird753]

Tex, thank you for that bit of information about the Magnesium. It makes sense it may have something or all to do with what happened. I'll just have to watch my BP levels more since I'm taking the Magnesium now. I DO NO want any repeats of what happened last Saturday evening.

Lesley, Kari and Marcia - thanks for the recommendation to drink electrolyte enhanced water.

Oh - I forgot to mention in my first post on this thread that the good news was that I was not in the bathroom because of D!!!

Tex, I think you should be a doctor (maybe you already are).


Paula

[Kari]

Marcia - I went to Sam's club today and bought "Smart Water" - it's purified water w/electrolytes and it tastes fine. Is this the water you're referring to?

Thanks,

Kari

[mzh]

Kari, I think I mentioned in one of the posts above that it's not available at Sam's - just at Walmart. (I know; it's strange.) It's stocked in the water aisle, not in the flavored (or fancy-shmancy) water aisle. LOL

I have the bottle in front of me. It's got a blue and white label. The label says Sam's Choice Purified Drinking Water With Flavor Enhancing Minerals. It comes in a 10 or 20 pack box covered with plastic wrap. It costs $4.88.

It's further described on the bottle as "Purified by reverse osmosis filtration or distillation and enhanced with minerals for a pure taste." It's the best water I've ever drank! (drunk? LOL)

What you bought may be fine but I'd wager it's more expensive than the kind I'm talking about!

[Kari]

Hi Marcia - yep - had a feeling I was on the wrong track :). Next time I'll go to Walmart - the waters are probably very similar - thanks again.

Love,
Kari