How much water you're drinking is checked by creatinine levels in the blood. Creatinine levels are a measure of kidney functioning. High levels mean that your kidneys are not filtering out creatinine which is a waste product. I thought I was drinking enough water, but my blood levels of creatinine were saying NO! I've upped my water intake to more than 64 oz. a day and my creatinine levels are now within normal range. And I'm 77. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Here's a caregiver story. I was called in by one elderly aunt to "just take (other aunt) to a couple of medical appointments," one of which was a Kaiser study of some kind of bladder stimulation therapy re: incontinance. Subject aunt had prior history of kidney stones. It took me a long time to connect the shot glass in my aunt's dish rack to her social behavior. Don't eat or drink anything before going out, etc. It took the second "go-round," of "I'm just not feeling right, maybe I should go to the emergency room..." but Kaiser has a consulting nurse by 'phone that is pretty good, and after going back and forth with my aunt and the nurse, very vague, I suddenly made the connection: I grabbed the 'phone and said, could this be dehydration? She literally limits her water intake by shot glass... So the nurse caught on, and went into the mantra, blabla 8 oz glasses per day, and I said, you may as well ask her to drink a whole bathtub! It became clear (to me!) that my dear poor in her 90's aunt had a paranoid fixation on the slightest pee tickle, and her only idea about it was limit the input. I am not sure that mentality did not harm her health and lifespan. (She did live to 104!) But what are you going to do? Strap her down and tube-feed? She was not a stupid person, and I discussed it with her, and all I ever got in response was how much she hated water, even when she was a kid.
How much water you're drinking is checked by creatinine levels in the blood. Creatinine levels are a measure of kidney functioning. High levels mean that your kidneys are not filtering out creatinine which is a waste product. I thought I was drinking enough water, but my blood levels of creatinine were saying NO! I've upped my water intake to more than 64 oz. a day and my creatinine levels are now within normal range. And I'm 77. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Here's a caregiver story. I was called in by one elderly aunt to "just take (other aunt) to a couple of medical appointments," one of which was a Kaiser study of some kind of bladder stimulation therapy re: incontinance. Subject aunt had prior history of kidney stones. It took me a long time to connect the shot glass in my aunt's dish rack to her social behavior. Don't eat or drink anything before going out, etc. It took the second "go-round," of "I'm just not feeling right, maybe I should go to the emergency room..." but Kaiser has a consulting nurse by 'phone that is pretty good, and after going back and forth with my aunt and the nurse, very vague, I suddenly made the connection: I grabbed the 'phone and said, could this be dehydration? She literally limits her water intake by shot glass... So the nurse caught on, and went into the mantra, blabla 8 oz glasses per day, and I said, you may as well ask her to drink a whole bathtub! It became clear (to me!) that my dear poor in her 90's aunt had a paranoid fixation on the slightest pee tickle, and her only idea about it was limit the input. I am not sure that mentality did not harm her health and lifespan. (She did live to 104!) But what are you going to do? Strap her down and tube-feed? She was not a stupid person, and I discussed it with her, and all I ever got in response was how much she hated water, even when she was a kid.