# oral rehydration salts



## timbla (Aug 26, 2012)

has anyone used these before? i think i may well be answering my own question here but it seems to me they are a no-no for diabetics as they contain 'glucose anhydrous' - i am assuming that is pure carb? i just had a large glass of water with a packet of the stuff thrown in and was shocked after testing to find quite a high number. i'm off for a run now to try to bring that down, but since i was dehydrated to begin with, am wondering if this is wise. what do you guys do to rehydrate after exercise, or as in my case, after a bout of, erm, loose stools? 

plain water with a teaspoon of salt perhaps?

any thoughts would be appreciated.

tim


----------



## Northerner (Aug 26, 2012)

They have the equivalent of about a teaspoonful of sugar I believe, about 1 jelly baby. This would be enough to lift my levels about 1-2 mmol/l. Haven't used them since diagnosis. I'm not sure if you can get diet isotonic drinks - they all seem to assume you need a boost of sugar as well! Plain salt water wouldn't replace the other trace salts. Personally, if I had tummy problems and dehydration I probably wouldn't run as it puts extra strain on a body trying to deal with something already - I'd just sit it out and rehydrate with water. 

Hope you feel better soon!


----------



## Copepod (Aug 26, 2012)

I'm assuming you're in Malaysia, now, Timbla, and that it's hot and humid? 

I find running is not a good idea with "loose stools" (or indeed any significant infection of gut or lungs especially), as it can make the gut speed up. If you're loosing salts, then you need to take some onboard, and if the gut is damaged (which is what causes diarrhoea), then you need water, sugar and salt in order to absorb all three - there are receptor cells in gut wall that "switch" when faced with the right amound of both sugar and salt, but won't if there's only one; then, once the osmotic pressure has increased in the gut wall, water can also be absorbed from gut lumen (hole in middle).

So, I'd not run, but would rehydrate with sugar and salt in water (check result is no more salty than tears) - as a cheaper option than sachets, you can buy measuring spoons eg http://www.talcuk.org/accessories/sugar-and-salt-measures-language-english.htm Obviously for people taking insulin, they can increase dose to bring down blood glucose levels.


----------



## timbla (Aug 26, 2012)

thanks for that guys.

that will explain the higher numbers then. glucose anhydrous is indeed glucose. derr. i'd been throwing 5 sachets into about a litre and a half of water, and necking that at regular intervals and wondering why my numbers were higher than normal. the 'bout' ended about 36 hrs ago, so am on mend i think. didnt go run though.  

yes, copepod i am in malaysia now and its pretty hot and humid for sure. it does cool down of an evening, especially if it rains in the day - which is does a lot at the moment - but i cant say that the heat and humidity is proving as oppressive as i'd imagined. food is challenging though. i'm living in the north where the food is heavily influenced by Kelantan cuisine - renowned for being very sweet. they use sugar in absolutely everything so it's quite a challenge when out and about. having said that, and a bit of weight gain aside, i still manage to exercise and eat well enough to keep my BGs within healthy limits and i'm generally coping ok on the diabetes front. Most of the time

Now the job, that's another story...

Thanks again.


----------

