should I go to the e.r.? The one struggle I have had this week is getitng in my fluids. I have felt great until today, when I woke up with a full head headache. My urine is a bit concentrated and my skin is dry. I am wondering if I drink 32 ozs of powerade with electrolytes and 32 ozs of water today if that will be enough to rehydrate me, or do I need to go to the e.r. and get a fill up. Anyone been here????

My guess is that your headache is telling you that you are dehydrated. Remember that you have to drink fluid throughout the day, so start sipping and just keep sipping. I have not been there, I haven't had surgery yet, but I have several friends who have, and apparently you just need to drink small sips constantly. And since dehydration is already happening, replacement of electrolytes is a good idea too. You could also try pedialyte pops (if they have sugar free). Hope you feel better! Keep drinking!

It does definitely sound like dehydration.

Do you have someone there that can get you to the ER if you dont improve?

If yes, I'd recommend Pedialite. Not the best tasting stuff out there but it is what we used in my wrestling days for rapid rehydration

Don't play with this. If you can't improve relatively quickly go get an I.V.

How much fluid have you been getting in in the past few days? I agree that you sound dehydrated, but it makes a difference whether you've been getting in 16 ozs per day or 50 ozs, for example. If I had been getting in only a very small amount, I would just go in for some rehydration. If I had been getting close to enough but thought I was mildly dehydrated, i would work on getting in that 64 ozs and monitor monitor monitor how I felt in case I needed to go in. Just a thought.

I agree, monitor how you are feeling and your urine output, and get to the ER if you don't feel better. I almost stayed in the hospital after my surgery extra time because I was a little dehydrated. They also sent me home with a picc line because of that fear. I did not want to stay longer and I wanted the picc line out of my arm so what I started doing in the hospital was drinking vitamin water, sobe water, crystal light, in intervals. Each minute I took a sip, but I didn't know what a sip was so I took a few of the small cups they used to give me my pills in and filled it with whatever I was drinking to 30cc and drank half of that in a minute and then drank the other half in the next minute, and kept filling up the little cup until the whole 20oz bottle was gone. After I could tell what a sip was I just kept counting and drinking and pretty soon my urine output picked up a bit, I was released, and at home I keep vitamin, water, or Fruit 2 O beside my bed because I usually have to go in the middle of the night so before and after I go to the bathroom I take a few sips. Also make sure you aren't taking anything that may be a diuretic, like tea, or for me it was a water pill, so my medication had to be adjusted. Hope this helps and that you feel better

Like the others have mentioned you have to make sure that you constantly sip on something throughout the day, I even wake up during the night to sip. I sip on gatorade because water just doesn't cut it and I need the electrolytes. Also sip on a protein shake. It takes me hours to drink a 8oz protein shake but just make getting in your liquids a priority and when you wake up during the middle of the night sip some more.