Drink Your Water or Something Like It

Being sick is no fun.  Having stomach flu is no fun.  The week started off great and then I started to feel tired.  I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong so I dutifully trudged on until, just like a balloon bursting, I was sick.  Spending a night with bum on toilet and head in bucket brings one's sense of self-importance quickly to an end.  Life would go on without me, at least for the next day or so. 

Having emptied out my system from top to bottom, I was starting to get symptoms of dehydration.  The literature on the matter tells us to keep drinking through the illness.  I tried that but as soon as the water went down, the water came back up again.  I thought of taking a Gravol but the thought of putting anything in my mouth just started the process all over again.  Needless to say, Don was very helpful filling the glass up several times and encouraging me to drink it up.  

By the morning I was able to hold down liquids but the taste of plain water just turned my stomach.  Somewhere in the fog of my sickness I remembered that dehydration needs salt.  So I added a little lemon juice to the water with a pinch of salt and drank it down.  In my case, I don't know if my homemade drink helped any more than plain water, but it tasted better.  

This is not a recipe or a medical endorsement (as I'm not a doctor) but just a little remedy that helped me get the much needed water in my body.  I might add that if you or any of your family (especially young children and seniors) are really, really, sick you should get yourselves to an emergency room as quickly as you can. Better to be sure. You may need a real oral rehydration solution or treatment by intravenous (IV).   In the meantime for those of you who are mildly ill (even if you think you're dying) try and get some water into your body so you won't dry up.  


Water For Those Suffering from Mild Stomach Flu and/or Diarrhea
2 shakes of salt, from the salt shaker
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup orange, cranberry, apple, grape or favourite juice, optional
Enough water to fill a tall glass (I use a 12 oz glass)

Add the salt, lemon juice and favourite juice, if using, to a tall glass.  Fill the remainder of the glass with cold or room temperature water.  Stir and try to drink. Add ice cubes if you wish.  Don't make the drink too sweet because sugar can aggravate diarrhea and you don't want to do that.

I knew I was dehydrated and slowly turning "dust to dust and ashes to ashes" because when I pinched the skin on my hand it stayed nicely crimped.  A sure sign more water is needed by the body.

Photo of Larry Fine: http://www.nndb.com/people/804/000092528/fine-sm.jpg

Do you see the resemblance?  I'm on the left and Larry Fine of the Three Stooges is on the right. I was feeling pretty rough after my all-night activities! I'm feeling much better now and should be back to my busy schedule by the weekend.  Stay well, everyone!

For more information on stomach flu or Norovirus/Norwalk Virus click on the following links and get some real medical advice.

Public Health Agency of Canada

Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Microbiology, Norwalk Virus