So that time back in my Army days when I collapsed from dehydration, I'm guessing the solution that was forced on me -- sit on this rock and chug two full canteens of plain water (no salt/sugar/electrolytes) -- was probably not the best idea?
IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
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Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#22Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
In fact I think teaspoons are reasonable for those if it's something you'd prepare at home. Faster to measure with a teaspoon than using a scale or measuring cup, I'd think.
I never liked spoon based measurements as the spoon size varies. There’s also the never ending question of level vs heaping.
Different types of salt and sugar have different densities too.
Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#24So that time back in my Army days when I collapsed from dehydration, I'm guessing the solution that was forced on me -- sit on this rock and chug two full canteens of plain water (no salt/sugar/electrolytes) -- was probably not the best idea?
Possibly, you're not dead so it worked. The better solution would have been ORS, and water. In the military and other physically demanding activities with a culture of water drinking, a concern can be hyponatremia.
Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#25Translation for metric units users: 32 ounces ≈ 0.95 litre
The measurements don't even have to be exact. There was a program that taught women in developing countries to make oral rehydration solution for their children - the result was decreasing deaths due to cholera by an order of magnitude. Many of these women didn't have tools for measuring the ingredients, and the program didn't distribute them - requiring such tools would restrict the spread of the program. The heuris…
Right. The formula is for rapid absorption. If you are a little off you will still absorb it eventually. This is a big deal in the ultra running world. You will inevitably dehydrate or get to a bad place unless you learn some electrolyte blend that works well for you. Plain water can work for a short time but most runners will suffer in their later hours (10+).
Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#26True, but where IV bags shine is hydrating those that can’t drink water. (Vomiting, nausea, etc)
Yes, so save that for the really necessary cases
Even if the person has nausea, they can drink a bit at a time
> Second, she says, is to resist the temptation to drink at a normal rate—let alone chugging the stuff. An ounce at a time every few minutes decreases the odds that the liquid will, um, return from whence it came.
Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#27Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#28> You can also make good oral rehydration solutions yourself at home for pennies: Just take 32 ounces of water and add 6 teaspoons of sugar and a half-teaspoon of salt. > resist the temptation to drink at a normal rate... An ounce at a time every few minutes This should be something everyone learns. Many common headaches are just dehydration. When you've got a cold or flu, dehydration is common and makes you feel eve…
what does the sugar and salt do in this case? edit: it's in the article: > for rehydration, glucose is basically as important as sodium. The two compounds work together to pull water into shriveled cells that have been deprived of ample water.
IIRC it's mostly a factor for gut absorption: when gut cells absorb glucose, sodium is cotransported (goes along for the ride) and thus pass through the gut and into the bloodstream at a much greater rate, and the greater sodium gradient increases the rate of water absorption: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11193601
And the sodium also (and originally) serves to combat hyponatremia, as lost fluid generally brings sodium along for the ride if you rehydrate with non-electrolytic water you find yourself with mild to severe low sodium levels.
Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#29So that time back in my Army days when I collapsed from dehydration, I'm guessing the solution that was forced on me -- sit on this rock and chug two full canteens of plain water (no salt/sugar/electrolytes) -- was probably not the best idea?
Possibly, you're not dead so it worked. The better solution would have been ORS, and water. In the military and other physically demanding activities with a culture of water drinking, a concern can be hyponatremia.
Ah, I'm told I spent a good portion of the remainder of that day in a state of incoherence and delirium. I also slept for 12 hours... I'm able to code nowadays, so apparently I didn't fry my brain too much :)
Re: IV Bags May Not Be Necessary to Rehydrate Patients
#30> You can also make good oral rehydration solutions yourself at home for pennies: Just take 32 ounces of water and add 6 teaspoons of sugar and a half-teaspoon of salt. > resist the temptation to drink at a normal rate... An ounce at a time every few minutes This should be something everyone learns. Many common headaches are just dehydration. When you've got a cold or flu, dehydration is common and makes you feel eve…
is just salt enough? Or do we need to replenish any other minerals other than Na and Cl (K comes to mind)?