Electrolytes?
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onebigpill
- Little Blue Penguin
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Electrolytes?
Been having WD for 2 months. Started the recommended NG, ND, NS a few days ago. I'm drinking water and gatorade, but I'm not sure my electrolytes are right. I only say this because I'm struggling with such low energy. Going up the stairs is exhausting. Now standing is exhausting. Feels like my heart is working really hard. Left a message for a doc on call and waiting to hear from them. Do you think this could be an electrolyte problem? Or does everyone experience this as they shift their diet so dramatically?
Re: Electrolytes?
I'd recommend stopping the Gatorade. For one thing sugar (including dextrose) is not your friend - especially during a flare. Gatorade also contains glycerol ester of rosin along with flavorings - that might be a potential problem, as well as the food coloring they use. There is a recipe on this site for making your own electrolyte drink.
Electrolytes themselves can cause diarrhea. If your gut is inflamed you are probably not absorbing the electrolytes very well, so they are just running right through you drawing water along with them. I found this out the hard way. I use topical magnesium on my skin as well as Epsom salt baths and I lightly salt my food while cooking. I can take a small amount of potassium orally (150mg a day).
And yes, fatigue is a given with this disease. I had exhaustion and muscle fatigue for months and it started after I got the worst of the diarrhea stopped.
Pardon the lecture onebigpill but if you're in a flare the critical thing to do is remove foods and drinks from your diet (and remove skin products) - don't add anything other than magnesium and vitamin D3. You even have to address the source of the water that you drink. I'm down to lamb and half a sweet potato a day for my diet, I'll eat turkey if I find it without preservatives, which is not often - it's a boring diet but hands down much better than having chronic diarrhea.
John R.
Electrolytes themselves can cause diarrhea. If your gut is inflamed you are probably not absorbing the electrolytes very well, so they are just running right through you drawing water along with them. I found this out the hard way. I use topical magnesium on my skin as well as Epsom salt baths and I lightly salt my food while cooking. I can take a small amount of potassium orally (150mg a day).
And yes, fatigue is a given with this disease. I had exhaustion and muscle fatigue for months and it started after I got the worst of the diarrhea stopped.
Pardon the lecture onebigpill but if you're in a flare the critical thing to do is remove foods and drinks from your diet (and remove skin products) - don't add anything other than magnesium and vitamin D3. You even have to address the source of the water that you drink. I'm down to lamb and half a sweet potato a day for my diet, I'll eat turkey if I find it without preservatives, which is not often - it's a boring diet but hands down much better than having chronic diarrhea.
John R.
Re: Electrolytes?
Sorry, one other thing. Good to go see your doctor in case you are dangerously low in electrolytes. I know they can administer magnesium intravenously - saline as well.
John R.
John R.
Re: Electrolytes?
John's correct about the Gatorade. Most of us can't tolerate artificial sweeteners. If you want an electrolyte supplement, the homemade mix that Polly suggests in the post at the following link is much safer:
viewtopic.php?t=992
Polly is a pediatrician who was one of the founding members, and used to post here a lot, before she became involved in local politics.
Tex
viewtopic.php?t=992
Polly is a pediatrician who was one of the founding members, and used to post here a lot, before she became involved in local politics.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.