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Posted 4/14/2012 6:34 AM (GMT 0)
hi all, i am a newbie here. just got my whole colon removed and an ileostomy 3 weeks ago.

i am having some serious cankle issues. my feet, ankles and lower legs are all swollen and full of fluid.

is it from the salt intake now that i have to add extra salt to everything and all the electrolyte drinks i have all day?
is there anything i can do to make it stop or go away or get rid of it?

or is this something i have to deal with forever?
Posted 4/14/2012 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Its probably just from the fluids in the hospital and being pretty much unable to get and move around a lot.
You don't have to drink elcotrolyte drinks, water is fine. And you don't have to add extra salt to everything either. Unless you have another medical condition that requires that.
Posted 4/14/2012 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
I had a lot of water retention as well for at least a couple of weeks post op. I don't remember the timeline, but then everything seemed to come out at once. I think I was retaining IV fluid from my long hospital stay. My legs were the puffiest. I looked like a skeleton otherwise.
Posted 4/15/2012 10:02 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for the info. i was super duper puffy in the hospital. i was constantly on IV fluids while there. i looked like an oompa loompa. so weird.
now its just my ankles and feet and lower legs and only if i sit with my feet on the floor for a long time like while at my desk.
otherwise i lay on the couch with my feet up to make it go away.

the rest of me is a skeleton yes. although i am fattening up now as i can eat a lot more.

@summerstorm - i was told i had to put salt on everything because we do not absorb and i would cramp up if i didn't have enough. i get so many different stories, not sure what to believe.
my dr told me the other day to just drink the electrolyte drinks for a few more weeks while i am just newly healing. then i can cut them out a bit.
are you sure we don't need salt or just not the extra extra? LOL
Posted 4/15/2012 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
The reason we need salt is because the colon is what absorbs the most water. Salt helps us absorb more water. However, you don't have to pour it on,lol. If you have a stomach virus or are dehydrated, then eating something salty will help. As for the electrolyte drinks, if they have sugar or the fake sugar, they are going to give you more output, which defeats the purpose. It seems to me that since we are more mostly water, and need more water using water to hydrate is really the best thing. if you drink a lot of water, and I do mean a lot, unless you have a vitamin defiency that requires it, that should be enough. If you are worried about the salt thing, you can mix a tiny bit of salt with your water. Or even a couple of handfuls of pretzels or saltines should be enough! That's just what has worked for me.
Good luck
Posted 4/15/2012 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
The reason we need salt is because the colon is what absorbs the most water. Salt helps us absorb more water. However, you don't have to pour it on,lol. If you have a stomach virus or are dehydrated, then eating something salty will help. As for the electrolyte drinks, if they have sugar or the fake sugar, they are going to give you more output, which defeats the purpose. It seems to me that since we are more mostly water, and need more water using water to hydrate is really the best thing. if you drink a lot of water, and I do mean a lot, unless you have a vitamin defiency that requires it, that should be enough. If you are worried about the salt thing, you can mix a tiny bit of salt with your water. Or even a couple of handfuls of pretzels or saltines should be enough! That's just what has worked for me.
Good luck
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