Signs of dehydration? Should I go to the E.R.?

That does make sense about your body holding onto the fluid. I noticed that my body did that when I was nursing my babies. I was drinking a lot but not urinating much since my body was using the fluids for my milk supply.

 

Pam

I have noticed that my body seems to hold on to the first 30-40 oz. of fluids each day...barely pee. The afternoon fluids are a different story!

The questions I asked her were valid ones we should ALL ask ourselves before we go to the ER.   They are not there for out of hours medical care - they are there for an Emergency!!!   

I honestly think that most people here who go for IV fluids really just need to suck it up and drink more!   If someone really thinks that they are an emergency - ie, they are disorientated and not voiding at all then yes, they should go, but if they got to that stage there is seriously something wrong with them physically or mentally - this surgery does not mean that we can't drink enough to sustain our bodies!!!

I do think people feed off each other here - and I, as well as some other medically trained people here, I'm sure - spend a lot of time shaking our heads at how some think that every little hiccup or stomach gurgling means they are dying of something WLS related!!!

Agreed. The ED is for emergencies.  As a nurse, my head just about has to be falling off for me to go to an actual ED.  I will use an urgent care center when appropriate.

Thank you - I'm glad I'm not the only one!   I'm beginning to think I'm a real weirdo because I'm not always at the doctors or hospital!!! 

We have a rule in my house - if something's NOT about to drop off, or you're not bleeding enough to stain the carpet, we're not going to the ER!    Also all ailments only get 24 hours sympathy and care, so they all know not to start moaning about every ache and pain until it's real!!! 

Yes, I know I sound heartless, but I know my kids, when they are adults,  are not going to be rushing to the ER unless their head is falling off (love that!) LOL!

 

You are NOT the only one!  

I was raised by a Marine father and a mother who isn't the "fluff your pillow and bring you a wet washcloth" type.  As soon as we were able to stay how alone from school when we were sick, we stayed home, Mom prepared something for us to heat in the microwave for lunch, made sure we had whatever we needed handy in the bedroom or by the couch (tissues, cough drops, Pepto Bismol, etc.) and she would call from work several times during the day to check on us.  I have spent a lot of time in the ER for legitimate emergencies (pancreatitis, kidney stones, internal bleeding, etc.) or potential emergencies (severe constant abdominal pain, chest pain (especially since i have a history of blood clots and have a permanent IVC filter) and invariably there have been people in ther with minor issues that could (and SHOULD) have been addressed in the doctor's office the next day.  The time I was there with the internal bleeding and ended up leaving, there was an entire family of 6 where 5 of them had the flu and they wanted all 5 seen!  Grrr...

Lora

My mother had to work too and so we were left to fend for ourselves from a very early age (probably illegal now!).   I can always remember saying things to her, like "mum, my arm really hurts when I do this" and she would reply "well don't do it, then" - definitely a different time !!!

I have been lucky enough to be a SAHM for the last 14 years - but having a son who is, too all intents and purposes, non verbal (particularly if he is sick) - I have to be very judicious and common sensical when dealing with any illness he has.   I think my mum's attitude helped me a lot with that as did my midwifery degree all those years ago!

I'm not sure helicopter parents are helping this current children/young adult generation to be honest!  (now I sound like an old fogey LOL)

Get off my lawn!!! 

... and stay off my lawn!  

Lora

I feel the same way about the "hysteria" aspect and our "precious" pouches (love that description!).  Most of the time I just bite my tongue, but after I had the incident with the spontaneous bruising and internal bleeding from hyperanticoagulation, and couldnt get seen because of people who did NOT have an emergency, it gets under my skin.  (On that occasion, I sat for almost an hour in the waiting room -- after showing the woman at the desk several of the very large spontaneous bruises and telling her that i had abdominal pain and was concerned about internal bleeding -- because they were busy with people with the flu who were just using it instead of a doctor's office (and were not people at risk), and things like a woman with a slightly swollen eye, a man with two toes he thought were broken (for which they do nothing more than tape them to protect them!), and someone with a migraine that their normal medication didn't get rid of. i finally complained when they immediately took back a woman who had a cough for three days and had a ONE DEGREE fever! (She was somewhat elderly, but seriously... someone with spontaneous bleeding sits while a cough goes back?!?) They said they did not know how long I would have to wait, so I left and drove to another ER and was ADMITTED within an hour.  Can you tell that it still ****** me off, LOL?!?)

Lora

Yeah i do agree with this though.. i went over 2 weeks of being dehydrated and in excrutiating pain before i went to the ER... even then i had to wait in pain!!! While others walking to the vending machines, and out to their cards meanwhile i could barely move were getting in before me! If you don't hurt bad enough or throw up while moving or walking to your car out in the garage you probably shouldn't be at the ER.... other reasons i see people there is because no health insurance so even if it's truly not an emergency they go to the ER to get seen because they cannot be seen elsewhere.. it stinks for all of us with a true emergency... i couldn't believe people being checked in were running out to their cars and walking around like nothing was wrong.. my mind was boggled.