How Much is Too Much?
To reduce The Belly pain from the pancreatitis, I was told to cut back on what I was eating. I wasn't eating very much, so cutting that out left me with liquids and some supplement like Ensure. I had been told that the pancreatitis might have been exacerbated by deydration and that I was to drink more liquids, so I thought - no food, but I can keep the liquids up!
The radiation damage to my intestines gives me problems with food digestion, motility, and excessive water loss through bowel movements. I have run into the problem today that I feared - too many liquids = excessive loss of liquid in the stools. I spent almost all morning at work in the bathroom, with at least 10 trips between 8 AM and 10:30 AM. I quit drinking any liquids at 10 AM, and have gone at least 10 more times since then. I left work and came home because everytime I sit down and I have to get up and go again, and you can't work like that, and you can't monopolize a public restroom like that. Thank heavens there are quite a few places I could pull off and go on the 45 minute ride home.
I'm feeling the beginnings of dehydration, and am now in the Catch 22 situation where I need more fluids, but if I increase the fluids, the fluid loss continues at a faster rate than I can replenish it. If I don't increase fluids, I will continue to lose fluids at this point and may continue to dehydrate anyway. What to do? I'm going to try the no-fluid route and see where I end up in a couple of hours. I know the more fluid route will end up with me on an IV in an ER and I just don't need another co-pay.
I started out the day in such great shape! I was up at 6:00 AM and ready for work at 7:00 AM, and if I hadn't run into some road construction I would have been at work before 8:00 AM. I was feeling up and good, The Belly pain was behaving because it hadn't had food to gnaw on for a couple of days. Then about 15 minutes after getting to work the waterworks started and haven't really let up yet.
The worst part is that you feel parched when you get dehydrated, yet I know that drinking more fluids doesn't work with me. I even tried Gatorade, but no help. I drank some briny water hoping salt would help restore my osmotic balance, but no help. Hoping I can dry up The Belly before I have to drive to St. Louis tomorrow, or I better figure on a six hour drive instead of a four hour drive to account for the rest stops!!!
