Crohn's disease/ileostomy

[Amandab92]

Hi everyone!

Wondering if anyone can give me some advice. I have Crohn’s disease and an ileostomy (along with bonus arthritis)

I play rugby (forward) and do a lot of skiing/canoeing.

I’ve recently started strength training, mainly to get as strong and as fit as possible. But also because I think it’ll help with the above mentioned sports.

One topic I struggle with is hydration. With not having a large bowel, I know I’ll be losing out on fluids. I find it difficult to tell just how dehydrated I am, if at all.

All information and knowledge from my surgeon points to always assuming I’m dehydrated. I drink a lot of water, around 3-4 litres per day.

I have a relatively low output stoma (I had a different type of surgery where my output stops when I have adrenaline pumping)

Should I look into electrolyte supplements or would I be wasting my money/are they dangerous. If I should be taking them, should it be every day or just after a heavy workout.

I hope this is ok to ask and makes sense.

Thanks in advance,

Amanda

[Austin_Baraki]

I don’t see a strong reason for electrolyte supplements here, as your kidneys will do the job of managing that for you. Regarding your water intake, I don’t think I would “assume you are always dehydrated”. Your thirst mechanism and kidneys should do a pretty good job of keeping you away from dangerous levels of dehydration, and any additional benefit you might experience from additional hydration on top of this would need to be sorted out via trial and error to see what works best for you. I would not just drink water all the time for the sake of it, as there are some risks to this.