Presumably any unspoken concerns about sugar that your doctor may have can be avoided by drinking diet soda.
Look for packs intended for cycling, they wick sweat and if you pack in ice, they can cool your back.
Most packs have a clip so you can position the mouthpiece right at your mouth.
20 oz in four hours is nowhere near enough. I used to go through 2-3 50 oz. packs in a day.
I drink about 4 or 5 cups of coffee and 1 diet soda in the evening, hot summer day I may drink 2 sodas. I never drink water unless I am out working in the sun.
That’s also mostly a myth - Does drinking coffee make you dehydrated? - ABC News
That’s a common belief, but it’s been debunked. The Mayo Clinic says that caffeine does have a mild diuretic effect, it’s too small to cause dehydration.
That wouldn’t work here. In early spring, if you’re settin’ in the shade at 90-degrees you’re quite comfortable . . . right up until your internal water runs out which is when you roll off your chair twitching feebly. “It’s a dry heat” means you’re sweating and it’s evaporating, unlike say, Atlanta at 90-degrees where it’s rolling down your back and sides.
Newcomers don’t realize just 'cause they’re dry doesn’t mean they’re not losing water until they get into trouble. We were carrying around those holsters for half-liter bottles thirty years ago.
I am a regular at Burning Man which doesn’t get as hot as here, but it’s at about 4,000 feet which means the evaporation rate is even higher. To quote the Survival Guide,
It takes nearly everyone a day or so to adjust to the desert climate. Don’t be surprised if you spend your first day feeling queasy and cranky. DRINK WATER! Begin drinking a lot of water when you leave home. To stay healthy and enjoy the week, drink water whether you think you need it or not. One and a half gallons of water per person per day is a good rule of thumb for all uses.
One of the most frequent problems the clinic sees is dehydration; they keep a large stock of saline bags on hand to give presenters an IV. My camp is about 20% 'Zonies and we have a drinking game. If we’re sitting around conversing and someone mentions “water,” we all take a pull. If he’s thinking of water, it’s probably because he’s thirsty and if he’s thirsty, you’re probably thirsty, too.
It’s 15-75mg sodium per 12 oz. A standard rehydration solution like Pedialyte has closer to 500mg sodium for the same size; Gatorade about 250mg. Seawater would be somewhere around 5,000 mg for 12 oz. Soda is not going make you thirsty.
I now tend to be moderately dehydrated (pinch back of hand test).
PCP asked about my hydration habits.
I replied “I am sucking on soda all day”.
She (approx. 30 yr old) then insisted that sodas are useless and handed me a cup of tap water and (pretty much) demanded I drink it in her presence, Immediately.
She also refuse to write a pain script (now on Fentanyl trans-dermal) because, get this:
I stockpiled some of the opioids/opiates I was prescribed by another MD in same clinic.
She does not see that her refusal to prescribe is a damned good reason to stockpile.
Not to mention I was laid low (acute renal failure - unconscious for 4 days) because I DID take most of the morphine I was prescribed.
Had I taken all of the opioids/opiates, I probably would be dead now.
I really should try “I use the powered “Lemonade” mix”. See if she catches on…
“Stockpiled” implies that you refilled your prescription prior to using up all of the original supply, possibly multiple times, in order to pile up a stock of pills. That’s different IMO from simply not using all of the prescription.
But stockpiling specifically means you aren’t abusing the medication, since you still have more. I actually think it’s foolish not to stockpile as-needed medication. There’s a reason I have an extra month’s supply of my medication. I’ve too often lost my medicine or had it run out at a time when I couldn’t get in due to scheduling issues at my doctor’s office. Or later finding out that a medicine that works is no longer being made.
If it’s just one extra prescription, that’s less than a month extra. It’s not like he’s piling it up. And you really think someone in as much trouble as he is going out and selling it on the street?
As for the water thing, I would flat out tell my doctor that this has been shown to be a myth, and even give them the studies. Because my doctor cares about being up to date on all medical research. I would not go to a doctor that didn’t.
If there is some specific reason in my specific situation, they can tell me that. It’s in the patient’s best interest to convince them. Hell, I remember a time when I kept saying I was worried about something and the doctor showed me right in the book. He gets that I want actual evidence-based medicine. You may argue I was being stubborn or something, but, if your doctor actually cares about your health, why does that matter?
BigT, your medication problems and MD interactions are a *completely *different issue than the OP’s.
Not belittling your advice or issues. It’s just that the OP has some Pro level issues.
Be thankful.
This.
Actually, I had more pain meds than I could reasonably use.
45mg morphine 12-hr ER twice daily, 75mg for sleep
I was also getting 60 count 4mg dilaudid/hydromorphone for break-though pain.
Needless to say, with that much morphine, there was little break-though pain.
I have a bit more of both (MD’s had roomie destroy all he could find (under threat of holding me indefinitely.)) Sweet MD’s the hospital have.
As i said, changing everything medical.
How does your doctor know that you stockpiled some meds? Did you tell him that? If so, I’ll bet you don’t make that mistake again.
Clear != Colorless
If you’re on a clear diet due to illness or prepping for a medical procedure, there are plenty of non-water beverages available.
Soda is fine. I didn’t drink water when I lived in Florida (for thirty years) because the water there is awful. I’ve had two docs who told me that diet ginger ale or Sprite or similar was just fine for “hydration”. Even Crystal Light was fine. And when it comes to getting water into the body, water from food. The water in watermelon, cukes, and other fruit/veg counts. Coffee and tea count. Caffeinated drinks aren’t great, but they do provide water.
The obsession with drinking huge amounts of water is a recent development and is a current “health” shibboleth. Twenty years ago, people were happily drinking soda, coffee, and tea. People were not walking around with a water bottle at all times.
ETA: the doctor’s under-30 doctor probably doesn’t remember a time when grown-ups drink coffee all day, nor not having a water bottle attached to her hand at all times. Is finding another doctor a possibility?
It depends on the procedures. My docs say clear = diet sprite, ginger ale, and similar. Apple juice is sometimes ok, sometimes not. Colas are sometimes ok, sometimes not. Coffee without milk is sometimes ok. Ditto tea.
Well, yeah, I can’t say I have, in fact.
Could be wodka.