Am so so thirsty....... Not sure what to drink!

Does anyone else have this problem?  I am just so so thirsty, I feel like gulping down a glass of cold orange juice, that would be so delicious!  But alas, it is too acidic.

Does anyone have any suggestions or recipes to share?  I've just been drinking steam distilled water and maybe the odd 1/8 c. milk or if I feel really thirsty 1/8 c. flat ginger ale.  Or I'll have 1/4 apple juice watered down to 3/4 water.    

p.s. the smell of coffee is good, I occasionally stand around just to smell it!  I used to be a coffee hound before ^{(oh yeah and I loved the beer now and then too).} How sad is that!

Try drinking Vitalyte, available at REI stores or online at www.vitalyte.com  It's a great beverage for dehydration and has more electrolytes than the commercial varieties.  It comes in several flavors all of which are subtle.

Sue

To be fair, there's dispute on distilled water, with some in the "alternative" health community preferring it. But there is some good traditional-medicine evidence that its lack of trace minerals is bad for you, and it's no more likely to be microbe-free than tap water. Transporting it is also very bad for the environment, so unless you've got an unsafe local water supply, belly up to the tap!

I also like Vitalyte for electrolyte-replacement, and usually drink a couple glasses a day (I have a j-pouch, so have to be a little more scrupulous about staying hydrated).

I did go through a big flavored-water experiment phase, but lots of flavored waters contain either artificial sweeteners (which I try to avoid because I don't like the way they taste) or actual sugar (in which case they are closer to soda and Gatorade, which has way more sugar than you'd think). There are some "O" brand waters with just flavor and electrolytes, which aren't bad. I don't think the vitamins in the vitamin-enhanced ones make up for the sugar content, and some others contain "immune-enhancing" compounds that I was told to avoid because of their unknown effects on UC. And see the above re: environmental impact of transporting all this liquid around.

The bottom line is that unless something gives you symptoms, or you have liver disease and need to avoid alcohol, there's no demonstrated UC-related reason to reduce your consumption of any particular fluid. To the contrary, there's some association between UC and kidney stones (which are inversely associated with high fluid intake), and a definite association between IBD and osteoporosis (so if you can drink milk, it might not be a bad idea, though there are definitely other ways to get calcium and vitamin D).

I have one alcoholic drink a day and it has never had any impact on my symptoms (or on my liver-function tests, even when I was on Imuran). It bums me out to read about people restricting their lives more than is strictly necessary; there's so much this disease takes away as it is.

depending on your body and diet..... Mine is a gluten free situation. And I used to LOVE my bud lite. LOL. Now I've found that heineken is basically gluten free... and so is captain morgan and ginger ale. MY doc actually told me the only reason to avoid alcohol was that it made some adults have the D. But since i was a steady drinker before, my body ahd probably adjusted to that problem. And he also said alcohol was a numbing agent. It might actually make my gut feel a little better ( in moderation) I have tried and I think, for me he is right. I can be running to bathroom all day, let me have one or two heinkens in the eve, or a capt and ginger ale... and my urgency stops. ANd is now worse the next day. I am careful not to indulge, but it makes social situation more enjoyable. And I love my beer, so....... Rest of the time I just drink water from the tap ( we have a natural spring that is our water source ) An occassional unsweetned ice tea. BUt mainly water. And I have noticed if I over do on the liquids one day, my D is so much worse the next, so I am careful.

I don't know about vitamin K, but the most recent recommendation I've seen is that almost everyone north of Miami should be getting their vitamin D levels checked. It's common to absorb it badly if you have active bowel disease, and even some people without IBD need prescription supplements. I went to see an endocrinologist to talk about preventing osteoporosis when I was on prednisone, and she measured my D levels--they were really low, and I had to take 50,000 IUs a week for a while (in one Rx pill per week) in order to get them back up, followed by 2000 IU a day since then (which are available OTC here). (And that's in addition to the D in my calcium supplements!) There is just not enough sun up here--sigh! The blood test for D is cheap and easy.

I'd give the beer a try too, if it adds to your enjoyment of life.

Hi Kat,

I'm predisposed for getting diabetes, and I also have issues with excessive thirst. Now that I'm not eating/drinking sugar, I'm not getting so thirsty anymore.

I drink Celestial Seasonings tension tamer caffeine free herbal tea. Not only does it contain many anti-inflammatory properties, it also has a naturally sweet favor. I don't feel the need to add sugar to it.

I like Propel, grape flavor is my favorite, it's easier to drink than plain water and has some vitamins besides.
But I agree, great thirst can be sign of diabetes, or other imbalances.

I second the propel motion. I LOVE the kiwi-strawberry one. That's pretty much all I drank when I was flaring. What I drank never bothered much though (unless it had milk in it...oh boy). I hope you find something that suits you! :)

How about plain old water...helps flush toxins out of your system, it extreamly necessary for your intestines and our bodies need at least 8 full glasses/day.

:)