Struggling to Stay Hydrated with POTS

Wanderinglumos

231d

Hello potsies. Does anyone else get uncomfortable drinking fluids. It’s genuinely been so so hard for me to get hydrated bc I get so full and bloated from drinking just a 30oz water bottle of water (sometimes even less). Doesn’t matter if I’ve had salt or not the bloating just comes. But it’s been so bad that if I drink water I won’t be hungry later so I’ll just uncomfortably force myself to eat something bc i have to eventually. I mentioned it to my doctor and she said “don’t eat and drink at the same time” which I don’t love as an answer. Even if I don’t at the same time I’ll still be so full of water that I am just constantly uncomfortable. To be clear: this isn’t pain it’s just a fullness/pressure that becomes so annoying that I don’t drink. Which obviously isn’t good for pots. I just really want some relief bc I know I’m dehydrated and flaring my pots.

17

31

6

Generalized pain

Abdominal distension (bloating)

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Nausea and Vomiting

Feeling of choking

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Top reply
    • kateafranklin

      95d

      definitely tough as someone with Gastroparesis, which is common alongside of POTS (which I also have!)

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    • Annayenney

      231d

      Have you looks into gastroparesis? It can cause a ton of bloating and a full feeling.

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      • Wanderinglumos

        231d

        @Annayenney I have looked into it a little bit and have plenty of the symptoms aside from vomiting. I was hoping my pots doctor may refer me or talk to me about it more but she wrote it off pretty quickly. I guess I could try talking to my pcp about it

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      • Wanderinglumos

        231d

        @Annayenney thanks for the response, it has me looking into it more

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    • Asteroidrose

      231d

      yesss it is so hard. ❤️❤️

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    • rylesmcgyles

      204d

      yes! i’m always been told to increase my water intake but even so much as a cup of water sometimes leaves me bloated and nauseated. liquid IV has been a lifesaver in that aspect, i recommend trying that if you haven’t already!

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      • Wanderinglumos

        204d

        @rylesmcgyles exactly. I drink a cup and I feel full. I have liquid iv that I should drink more often than I do. Perhaps I’ll give it another shot and focus on smaller sips throughout the day too

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    • MissLucy_101719

      204d

      Lmnt is good too as it makes less liquid go farther. You could also go for salt tablets such as vitassium or salt stick

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      • Wanderinglumos

        204d

        @MissLucy_101719 I have tried a couple flavors but it unfortunately upset my stomach quite a bit 😕 I appreciate you for the suggestion!

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    • chronicallyfab

      204d

      Yes I second the mention of gastroparesis! The biggest thing to keep in mind with gastroparesis is that your stomach moves slowly. So drinking room temperature liquids rather than cold can help and drinking small sips over an extended period of time can help you digest and absorb more as opposed to taking big gulps. Small lifestyle changes can make a huge difference!

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      • Wanderinglumos

        204d

        @chronicallyfab thanks for the tips! I tend to take big gulps at a time which definitely doesn’t help. I have to try and take smaller sips

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      • kateafranklin

        203d

        @chronicallyfab I second this!

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    • inspainwithoutthes

      204d

      I totally get that! Drinking really cold water/drinks seems to help that feeling delay for me. Slushees are like 🙌🏻 I definitely recommend to try it

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    • SmileySnail

      204d

      I never drink a whole water bottle at a time. I have a liter water bottle that I drink throughout the day, but I take small sips, never more than a few swallows at a time. I liked it when I used to have a camelbak water bottle because I would chew on the straw bit and I'd also end up absent mindedly drinking the water too. Big swallows and drinking all at once like "playing catch up" is definitely uncomfortable. I agree with what everyone else said. Small sips also helps with my acid reflux and nausea, too

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      • Wanderinglumos

        203d

        @SmileySnail thank you. I guess I really need to be more conscious of drinking throughout the day and not “catching up.”

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    • catmom1995

      203d

      yes so hard

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    • kateafranklin

      203d

      Definitely. I have Gastroparesis and I get uncomfortable - but I do also get pain. Many people do just get the pressure/bloat though. Please advocate for yourself. Remember, your doctors work for you. You don’t work for them. If you feel you need a test to rule out a condition, then ask. If they say no, tell them to put why they said no in your chart… and most of the time they will say yes. You know your body best!

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      • Wanderinglumos

        202d

        @kateafranklin thank you, I needed that 🫶🏼

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    • EDSdancer

      183d

      Yes omg drinking water makes me so nauseous and I honestly wish I could just get daily iv fluids or something because I know I need to hydrate but it’s so hard to do it when I know it’s gonna ruin my whole day

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    • Wednesday_7

      183d

      Yeah, water makes me feel sick, so I have a really hard time drinking water. It sucks because people don’t take me seriously since they think I’m intentionally just not “committing to getting better”.

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      • Wanderinglumos

        182d

        @Wednesday_7 that’s my problem too. I am not getting enough but it’s so hard to drink so much. If I drink enough I can’t eat enough too

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    • Teal100

      183d

      I get this because of my gastroparesis, water is actually harder for me to tolerate than other liquids like juice.

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    • Beetlejuul

      179d

      Water goes through me so fast doesn’t matter how much salt I’ve had I don’t retain it so like I’ve given up

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    • Bird1620

      178d

      Yes!! Not only does it feel uncomfortable, but I have a bladder problem (not sure what) so anything I drink goes right through me and I constantly have to pee. Infusions have been a lifesaver for me

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      • Wanderinglumos

        178d

        @Bird1620 I was only cleared for infusion once a month for three months. It helped for a few days each time and i wish i could’ve gotten them more frequently. But I also hated the appointments bc they had to stick me so many times to get the iv in. Even got sent home before bc three nurses couldn’t get it.

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        • Bird1620

          178d

          @Wanderinglumos that is so frustrating!! I can definitely relate to feeling better for a little bit from them but not getting them enough. I'm lucky I do it at home, so a nurse would come and poke me once a week (I'm also a hard poke it's a struggle!) I ended up needing more infusions than twice a week so I got a PICC line. No more weekly pokes! I wish it was easier to get infusions when you need them, but I can understand why it's so hard since its a much bigger risk than other treatments

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      • EDSdancer

        167d

        @Bird1620 how do you get infusions? I’ve always thought that would help me

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        • Bird1620

          167d

          @EDSdancer I found a clinic that does them and asked my PCP for a referral

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    • linklink

      166d

      About the not vomiting! a lot of gastroparesis patients don't throw up regularly, it's actually about 50/50 from what I know! please look into it bc this sounds like what I deal with and I have it! for a tip on drinking water my tips are to constantly kinda just drink a mouthful every maybe 20 min, as much water filled food as possible like fruit, and water everything down a ton, liquidy soup, oatmeal, tea, etc and find a drink you really like and can stomach (for me usually soda) and sip one after the other so water soda water

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    • Hamie

      101d

      No, but may try

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    • StressBear

      99d

      I have found that drinking through a straw helps me, be mindful of not drinking so much at one time and taking sips. Also if water is not your thing herbal tea is just as hydrating, I add Bouy flavorless hydration drops.

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    • kateafranklin

      95d

      definitely tough as someone with Gastroparesis, which is common alongside of POTS (which I also have!)

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