Dehydration???

[egomom]

Problem solvers, What do you think?

I am starting my second round. One of the positive outcomes from the first round is my retention issues disappeared. My ankles have not swollen for over a month and I lost inches in water weight.

The other night while I was eating dinner I had a sharp twinge in a facial muscle near the hinge of my jaw. This continued every time I put something in my mouth. My face felt like it was swelling and I went into the bathroom to look and it has swelled up the size of a baseball on one side of my face. I was a little bothered by this but resisted the temptation to drive myself to hospital. Instead I chose to google it and for once I wasn't dying of some bizarre form of cancer. Most of the returns indicated I have blocked parotid gland or salivary gland.

Most of the literature on this indicated that it was caused by dehydration. My first concern what is that I drink way too much carbonated water. It is seriously all I drink. Then I got to thinking about what is causing me not to retain water.

My best guess is that I'm eating little to no processed foods and therefore have probably cut my salt intake back to an amazing degree. This is disconcerting because I'm not sure I never really understood how much salt I was probably eating. But that's for another discussion on knowing what you eat.

I was wondering if the cause might be the fact that I'm drinking all the carbonated water. Maybe it's not hydrating me the same way? Then it struck me that I am on hypertension medications and one of my medications is a diuretic that I had prescribed because my ankles kept swelling up.

I am going to see my Cardiologist as soon as I can get in just to make sure if this is a problem or not. I hesitate to change up my meds because I am NOT confident that I have sustained the change long enough to justify it.

However I was wondering if any of you who have done this multiple times or are active in other communities have some insight as to whether the carbonated soda might be part of the problem or not. It's my guilt free guilty pleasure My cardiologist will have consider the diuretic issue. But either way it's a move in a good direction with regard to health.

Incidentally the freakish one-sided chipmunk cheek resolved in about a half an hour with a hot compress and pressure AND hasn't occurred again since. My mother has had this happen before and she claims that it has always been brought on by dehydration. Sorry for the book I welcome any thoughts. Thanks

[ladyshanny]

There really is nothing about eating protein, veggie and fat that would cause the symptoms you are explaining unless you are allergic to something you've been eating. Unfortunately no one here is a doctor and we can't dispense medical advice. I would suggest you continue with your plan of seeing your health care provider.

[praxisproject]

If you want a quick salt boost and aren't a big salt fan, hot sauces like Frank's Hot Sauce contain a lot of sodium, but don't really taste salty.

If you've been feeling unwell, Magnesium can sometimes support the body in healing.

 

Don't muck around, make sure you see a doctor. Viral infections and bacterial infections can cause blocked glands and food isn't a solution for those. Infections can make you swell up in general, with an increase in inflammation. Unattended infections can get really nasty, so anything that suddenly swells up should get a look at. Dr Google can seem like a good idea, but if it fails you can end up really sick.

 

Being sick can also require *extra* fluids, but unless your doctor says it's caused by dehydration in your case, there may be no link at all, so go easy on any alterations, you could make yourself feel worse.

 

You can ask your doctor but carbonated water isn't much different from regular water (mineral water can sometimes be an issue or benefit in very large quantities as it contains minerals).

 

Caffeine however is a common cause of dehydration, if you have any tea or coffee or carbonated drinks with it in.

 

If you have to wait to see your cardiologist, you could ask about your medications at a pharmacy.