ak_rider Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 so, some interesting things on dehydration that I learned. As some of you know last season ended early for me thanks to a blood clot in my brain and 4 brain surgeries. I'm happy to say that yesterday I was officially taken off the bloodthinners and my brain is finally starting to heal(9 months later). The interesting thing I found out is that dehydration can actually cause blood clots. And, you can become dehydrated without really notcing. A camelback is now a permanent fixture whether I'm teaching or just free riding. So, for everyone who rides at altitude be sure to carry water and drinks LOTS and avoid alcohol until after you're done riding. I know this sounds like the same old thing you hear at every ski area, but getting dehydrated can take your life in a very slow and painful manner. Just wanted to let you all know. I wouldnt wish what I went through on anyone. And, my bloodclot was not caused by dehydration, but it definately made it worse. So, drink, drink, drink, and throw down a beer or two after the lifts stop. Here's to an enjoyable and injury free season for everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy T. Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Thanks for the tip! That is something I did not know and I'll admit that I'm guilty of having a couple beers during a lunch break and riding all day without any water. Glad to hear that you're healing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 I read somewhere that around 50% of the US population is chronically dehydrated. There's a lot of people still under the impression that unless you're thirsty you don't need to drink. Glad to hear you're finally getting better. Have a great season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebu Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 If it's yellow, you're dehydrated.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 ^^^ not concrete. "a happy mountaineer pees clear" right? Unless you take lots of vitamins. me? I am likely one of the 50% that allee mentioned. I am starting to notice some problems, too...but I simply cant seem to create a hydration routine. Part of it is the idea of drinking tap water grosses me out, and bottled water is no different than tap water in most cases. Some of those scam artists don't even filter their damn water, or if they do its only lightly. It is not "purified" then there's the plastic the water is stored in. not good. so ak...are the docs saying that your problem was directly related to dehydration? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnshapiro Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Yup. Drink before you're thirsty. If you wait until you are, you waited too long. Once you get dehydrated, it takes quite a while to recover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 ^^^ not concrete. "a happy mountaineer pees clear" right? Unless you take lots of vitamins. Part of it is the idea of drinking tap water grosses me out, and bottled water is no different than tap water in most cases. i like the saying, "clear and copious wins the race" i read somewhere that people that refill plastic water bottles from the tap live an average of three years longer than people that dont reuse plastic water bottles. And yes, B vitamins makes your piss a weird shade of yellow, even when you're well hydrated. I always stuff a water bottle in my jacket when im riding and refill it about once or twice in a day of riding. weird thing, all that water goes in but very little comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartron Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Yikes ! 4 brain surgeries !? Glad to hear you're OK. I fractured a rib in my first season riding, when I had a very innocent tumble in very soft powder while I was dehydrated. Once I figured out it that it was caused by dehydration, I did what you did: went out and bought a Camelback. Like the Camelback sloagan says: Hydrate or die ! 'later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartron Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 "a happy mountaineer pees clear" right? Unless you take lots of vitamins. Or you drink lots of green tea, or, in general, anything that contains more water-soluble chemical than what you need. I used to pee green after eating some of those candied popcorn from the Kernels stores they had around here. 'later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 "Your bodies many cries for water" bumanji or something like that is the author interesting note most americans confuse thirst for hunger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 "Your bodies many cries for water"bumanji or something like that is the author interesting note most americans confuse thirst for hunger. Actually most Americans eat at specific times rather because they are hungry. They also eat whatever is served and the entire portion that is served. The "hunger hormone" now thought to be at the cause of our obesity problem is called grehlin...and it has nothing to do with drinking or being thirsty.... AK's thrombosis was an extremely rare condition.....it also can be associated with sinus infections..... Camelbaks are an extremely good idea...I got my first one for biking almost 15 years ago...and it still works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Part of it is the idea of drinking tap water grosses me out, and bottled water is no different than tap water in most cases... D, you can get a filter to go on your tap - problem solved. (Or one in your fridge, if it's equipped for that). At least here in Bend, filtered tap/fridge water tastes far better than anything else (as in, you really can't taste anything at all) Yep, B vitamins do some funky things to the color of your leakage. My doc has me on B supplements... it's neon yellow even though I drink about a gallon a day of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard_with_a_Gun Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Most people would be truly stunned to find out just how many problems arise from dehydration, be it chronic or otherwise. Contrary to poplular belief the evil "hangover" has nothing to do with alcohol other than its diuretic side effect, but is simply dehydration. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Actually most Americans eat at specific times rather because they are hungry.They also eat whatever is served and the entire portion that is served. The "hunger hormone" now thought to be at the cause of our obesity problem is called grehlin...and it has nothing to do with drinking or being thirsty.... AK's thrombosis was an extremely rare condition.....it also can be associated with sinus infections..... Camelbaks are an extremely good idea...I got my first one for biking almost 15 years ago...and it still works! Let me clarify the statement is that when people think they are hungry at least part of the time they are really thirsty. I will have to reread the research article for specifics it has been awhile. Nothing to do with the actual hunger hormones but rather a perception problem on the part of the person. I may be off base on this part but it seems like they thought it had something to do with the amount of sweetened drinks consumed in america confusing the body. interesting anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 D, you can get a filter to go on your tap - problem solved. (Or one in your fridge, if it's equipped for that). At least here in Bend, filtered tap/fridge water tastes far better than anything else (as in, you really can't taste anything at all)Yep, B vitamins do some funky things to the color of your leakage. My doc has me on B supplements... it's neon yellow even though I drink about a gallon a day of water. those Pur on-tap filters really dont do enough for me soon as I settle Im gettin a home distillation setup for my drinking water, and I guess if I re-use one plastic bottle Im golden. Or maybe glass. dunno Ive also heard that dehydration can literally cause depression, major digestive issues, intestinal cramps...all stuff Ive been dealing with and I STILL cant form the habit of drinking water regularly. must have a death wish. Probably because I ride with my knees together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 D, you can get a filter to go on your tap - problem solved. (Or one in your fridge, if it's equipped for that). At least here in Bend, filtered tap/fridge water tastes far better than anything else (as in, you really can't taste anything at all)Yep, B vitamins do some funky things to the color of your leakage. My doc has me on B supplements... it's neon yellow even though I drink about a gallon a day of water. The funky Flouro colour is just your body dumping the excess Vit B... Great Idea though.. When I raced BMX I started Hydrating the night before ... The next day I never had an issue with muscle cramping or dehydration issues... But I stilled drank something like 3-4 litres during a hot days racing!! Though I was running for the can after every race!! We have an under sink filtration system that does a magnificent job... But it aint cheap!! Boarding is the same thing... when you notice you're thirsty it's too late. Rest Drink lots of water.. stay away from alcohol (I'm Guilty of drinking Booze during the day) and caffeine whether it be in coffee (Coffee junky too), tea or Soft drinks (Soda as you guys call it) Remember... if your excretery urination is clear that's a good sign... unless you chugged 15 beers!!! Once it starts to go yellow you need to drink water! I read once that the hunger pangs that people sometimes feel is the bodies way of saying drink water... It does suppress the appetite too somewhat..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 those Pur on-tap filters really dont do enough for mesoon as I settle Im gettin a home distillation setup for my drinking water, and I guess if I re-use one plastic bottle Im golden. Or maybe glass. dunno Ive also heard that dehydration can literally cause depression, major digestive issues, intestinal cramps...all stuff Ive been dealing with and I STILL cant form the habit of drinking water regularly. must have a death wish. Probably because I ride with my knees together. That last line killed me :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: As for re-using plastic bottles... You should never re-use bottles for more than 5-7 days... They have a habit of harbouring bacteria that can cause viral infections... (Flu, colds etc) I found out that a few years ago... I was constantle struck down with the flu for about 3 months when a friend told me that tip.... I've heard if you wash them in detergent (Dish stuff) and place the empty bottle in the freezer for a day it kills the bacteria but bottled water is pretty cheap to buy... and if it's a case of spending 2 bucks on a bottle of h2o or get the flu for a week I'll know what I'd rather have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 I wash bottles nightly when I use them. bottled water = waste of money. Like I said, its a known fact that a lot of it isnt even purified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 I'm sure all of you will be happy to hear that tonight my urine was clear and my stool was firm! I had no idea there was this much interest on the subject. I'll be sure to post a daily report from now on of my bodily discharge - in full detail. Oooooo, I'll attach pics. You'll love my form, it's kind of a 1/2 naked squatting gun-slinger sort of pose, complete with "squinting-eyes-of-Clint-Eastwood" and "curled-lip-of-Billy-Idol". Maybe a few soundclips of the grunting to accompany the pics. Imagine a room full of silverback gorillas fighting over the last banana (for the audio portion). :barf: :barf: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 bro, if you're grunting and squinting, you're either dehydrated or not getting enough fiber :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ak_rider Posted December 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 my clot was not a direct result of dehydration but it made it worse. they're still trying to find out the exact cause, which they may never know. dehydration put me at an increased risk. i was definately in the 50% group. I just didnt want to be bothered with having to run to the bathroom every hour. but taking 5 minutes every hour or so to pee is not so bad now that i know what the alternative could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 Erik J we'll also need up to date reports of your stool floater/sinker ratio and video highlights of your last colonoscopy. For many years I was plagued by frequent bad colds, total head clogging and severe upper respiratory crap. Sometimes I'd go on to lose my voice and be down for days. One of the things I did was begin drinking water very frequently during the workday. Best thing I ever did for myself. (well maybe not... maybe divorcing psycho-wife was what improved my health ) The point of tossing bottles after a few days of refilling is well taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 bro, if you're grunting and squinting, you're either dehydrated or not getting enough fiber:) don't tell me how to poop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted December 9, 2006 Report Share Posted December 9, 2006 It's more efficient and powerful with your knees apart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted December 10, 2006 Report Share Posted December 10, 2006 bro, if you're grunting and squinting, you're either dehydrated or not getting enough fiber:) :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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