So this is what dehydration feels like

[Former member 95219]

Not on a Camino at mo (where I always down enough water), but in Mexico and doing loads of walking each day. Say 25k just strolling about! Water for sale everywhere butI know I can be a bit lapse! Not anymore. Huge temperature change night to day here and I’ll at a football match in third and no where near enough fluid onboard. I’m ok now. Full of fluid but just a reminder to all!

 

[lt56ny]

Not on a Camino at mo (where I always down enough water), but in Mexico and doing loads of walking each day. Say 25k just strolling about! Water for sale everywhere butI know I can be a bit lapse! Not anymore. Huge temperature change night to day here and I’ll at a football match in third and no where near enough fluid onboard. I’m ok now. Full of fluid but just a reminder to all!

I live in Mexico and obviously do not know where you are at the moment. I live on Lake Chapala about an hour south of Guadalajara. There is alot of Narco violence that has occurred around the country in recent days. So be careful.

 

[t2andreo]

Key symptoms, especially when being active include - but are not limited to:

Not sweating when you objectively know you should be.
Lightheadedness - just short of fainting - that comes next
Not urinating - your body is desperately trying to conserve liquid.

After having three "dirt naps" in 2015 while on the Camino Portuguese - in perfect clear dry weather with a gently breeze at about 22 degrees (c), I became schooled my symptoms and prevention. My preventative routine includes:

• Having a banana and / or an orange at breakfast if possible.
• Hydrating before I start walking and drinking at least 1/2 liter every hour -whether or not I feel thirsty.
• Every third 1/2 liter of water contains rehydration powder - these are sold in single use tubes in most supermarkets - typically where the sports drinks are sold. DON'T LITTER!
• Carry or buy more bananas or oranges during you walk. Snack on these potassium rich foods instead of salty or sweet snacks.
• Wear a hat!
• At the first sign of any symptom get out of the sun and into shade. Put your head between your knees if you feel faint.

Dehydration goes hand-in-hand with heat or sun stroke on the Camino in the warmer months. Be aware.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The color of your urine gives you an indication of your hydration level.

 

[Sakami]

Problem with dehydration is that it effects your judgement. You don't realized you're dehydrated and impaired. I was walking by myself and with no one who could say, "Hey, you're losing your mind!"

I learned that the hard way after passing out at breakfast in Los Arcos. Face down in my eggs. Got an ambulance ride back to the hospital in Estella where I was worked up in the ER and spent a night on an IV.

Hospital food is pretty good in Spain!

 

[cjward]

Hiking in the US, Florida, at the beginning of my Camino planning, I hiked jus 6 miles several days in a row without drinking much water. 4th day I ended up in the ER puking, confused, and with one splitting headache. I was told I was fortunate not to have gone into renal failure. Also was told to super hydrate the night before. Once the symptoms start to emerge you’ve already begun the slippery slope. Water is your best friend! Drink up!

 

[Sakami]

The color of your urine gives you an indication of your hydration level.

Sports medicine physician friend always says, "Drink water until your pee is clear and copious."

 

[t2andreo]

All very good ideas. Love the pee color card. I already had it stored on my iPhone so I can do an instant field comparison.

 

[davebugg]

For those who take vitamin supplements and are properly hydrated, keep in mind that a bright yellow urine color can indicate the body excreting excess B2 (riboflavin).

 

[RibbonRomanceAuthor]

We were taught while preparing for breast cancer marathon walks that thirst is not a reliable indicator. By then you are well and truly dehydrated. We stepped up intake in the weeks prior so we got used to more liquid and wouldn’t be in the bathroom too often. Drink regularly. Alternate water and electrolytes. Wear a hat. Use the ire color guide. Eat the bananas and oranges.

 

[Aloha From Kauai]

We were taught while preparing for breast cancer marathon walks that thirst is not a reliable indicator. By then you are well and truly dehydrated. We stepped up intake in the weeks prior so we got used to more liquid and wouldn’t be in the bathroom too often. Drink regularly. Alternate water and electrolytes. Wear a hat. Use the ire color guide. Eat the bananas and oranges.

I'm not sure if you are referring to what used to ne the Avon 3-Day (60 miles total) originally. I did the twice, the first only a few weeks after treatment and bald. Second day the route changed and instead of 20 miles it ended up being closer to 25. I kind of lost track of the day, and even who I was. My oldest daughter who was with me told me I was singing to myself and just thought I was powering through. That night I got a huge headache and went to the ER, where I spent the next 6ish hours on IVs. You really are not aware enough when it becomes too late, to make good decisions.

 

[simply B]

Disclaimer: I am sure that there are more knowledgeable on the topic but I have a moment to raise the issue.

Once a person is "of a certain age", "mature", a "geezer", etc.... The sensation of thirst is greatly diminished and unreliable in the extreme. (My children believe me to be a "geezer", btw. )

It matters not a bit if one is walking in rain and cool or temps more tropical. One loses moisture with every breath taken in addition to losses from any perspiration.

The "color chart" is useful for those who do not supplement with B vitamins, agreed.

Even better is just to make sure that one gets a few swallows of water each hour whether you want to or not.

This practice has served me and my walking/hiking companions well for many decades.

B

 

[RibbonRomanceAuthor]

I'm not sure if you are referring to what used to ne the Avon 3-Day (60 miles total) originally. I did the twice, the first only a few weeks after treatment and bald. Second day the route changed and instead of 20 miles it ended up being closer to 25. I kind of lost track of the day, and even who I was. My oldest daughter who was with me told me I was singing to myself and just thought I was powering through. That night I got a huge headache and went to the ER, where I spent the next 6ish hours on IVs. You really are not aware enough when it becomes too late, to make good decisions.

Yes. That’s it. Hello to a fellow walker! Every year someone I knew was in the med tent on IVs. Glad you are ok!

 

[trecile]

Even better is just to make sure that one gets a few swallows of water each hour whether you want to or not.

That's one of the reasons that I like using a hydration bladder rather than water bottles. I am constantly sipping water while I walk.

 

[Pauline21Again]

A word about water? Is the water safe to fill up from taps in hotels and auberges? What about fountains along the way? Or don't need to buy bottled as we always used to years ago?

 

[Albertagirl]

Dehydration can, over time, also result in urinary tract infections. During a long camino in Spain, where public washrooms along the routes are pretty much non-existent, it is easy to get used to their lack and, if not thirsty, to just not drink enough water to urinate frequently. The mess which many camino walkers, particulary women, leave behind when urinating behind every bush and the difficulty in finding suitable locations to urinate in privacy on the busier caminos encourages this. This is one reason why I have been considering walking in France. I have been watching Efrem Gonzalez's vidoes of the Le Puy route, where public washrooms appear frequently along the route. This is just not part of the Spanish culture. Unfortunately, there is not always a convenient bar where thirst may be quenched and urination performed.

 

[Sakami]

A word about water? Is the water safe to fill up from taps in hotels and auberges? What about fountains along the way? Or don't need to buy bottled as we always used to years ago?

Tap water is safe, so far as I know, in hotels, bars and hostels. I've never had any problem and always filled from the tap. Outdoor fountains will be labeled "agua potable" or "non-potable."

Spain is very much a first world country. If anything, Spaniards have a bit of a cleanliness fetish. Particularly in the north.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Outdoor fountains will be labeled "agua potable" or "non-potable."

Or something like "not guaranteed". You see that at times because some villages do not want to pay for periodic tests. Ask a local.

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

I recall reading "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed and she noted that during long hikes, your liquid intake should require you to pee every two hours or so. So if an average daily walk is 6 hours, a pilgrim should have to urinate 3 or 4 times during the hike. I think back to my first camino frances and sometimes I could hike the entire day and not pee once. Since then, Cindi and I both try to drink two liters of water when walking and take breaks which include fruit. We also try to limit our bread intake, since dehydration and too much break can cause constipation. Bob

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Feeling Extra Thirsty? Here's Why a Glass of Milk Might Be a More Hydrating Option Than Water

New research suggests that milk may be better hydrating than water as it contains a mixture of proteins, fats, and sugars. Here's why you may want to drink milk in addition to water in order to stay hydrated.

www.marthastewart.com

 

[t2andreo]

Regarding fuentes or outdoor fountains or other water sources, if it is NOT POTABLE, look for a nearby sign showing a spigot or faucet / tap inside a red circle with a diagonal line through it. This would be an international symbol for non-potable water. The other sign could be one that simply says: "agua no potable."

Conversely, a sign that does not have a diagonal line through it or one that says "agua potable," would be a sign that the outside water source is potable.vide first world treated potable water.

As others have stated, all commercial sources (cafe's hotels, restaurants, etc. taps) produce drinkable water - unless specifically stated otherwise.

I admit to being an elitist on this. My drinking water is usually purchased as bottled processed or spring / mineral water, in large containers at a tienda then decanted into multiple smaller bottles for convenience. This is my way of being extra sure that I do not get any GI illness. Call it neurosis. But it works for me.

Over the course of a walking day, you can go into a cafe, order a coffee and ask them to fill one or more reusable plastic bottles with tap water.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Former member 95219]

I live in Mexico and obviously do not know where you are at the moment. I live on Lake Chapala about an hour south of Guadalajara. There is alot of Narco violence that has occurred around the country in recent days. So be careful.

Thank you noted! Have been touring about, currently in Guadalajara, but have also been in Mexico City. Monterrey, Leon, Merida and Puebla…been fantastic!

 

[lt56ny]

Thank you noted! Have been touring about, currently in Guadalajara, but have also been in Mexico City. Monterrey, Leon, Merida and Puebla…been fantastic!

If you stay in areas especially in the big cities like Guadalajara you should have nothing to worry about. The areas that are dangerous are colonias that there is absolutely no reason to be in. Take uber and if you have a car and are driving from city to city stay on the Cuotas and not the liberamentos. ( I think I spelled that correctly). But you probably know that by now haha. Make sure you have some birria.

 

[howardd5]

Not on a Camino at mo (where I always down enough water), but in Mexico and doing loads of walking each day. Say 25k just strolling about! Water for sale everywhere butI know I can be a bit lapse! Not anymore. Huge temperature change night to day here and I’ll at a football match in third and no where near enough fluid onboard. I’m ok now. Full of fluid but just a reminder to all!

The first sign of DH is your mind wanders and the last sign is you no longer sweat . In heat stroke you start seeing in black& white and are not really thirsty but confused . I've been there are it can seriously damage you long term . If you are in the Army you can be dropped from Ranger School and refused readmission at a later date , suffering once with heat exhaustion . A few sips every hours is you best bet .