Re-hydration solution for severe diarrhea/dehydration

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

I expect water mediated illness to be a significant factor as a cause for death if the infrastructure takes a major hit. I encourage everyone to stockpile salt (NaCl) Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and sugar. If you have to take care of someone with severe diarrhea (think cholera and other nasty things), you need to keep them hydrated. They might require a gallon/day.

This is best accomplished using oral rehydration therapy with the World Health Organization solution (3.5 g NaCl, 2.5 g NaHCO3, 1.5 g KCl and 20 g of glucose per liter). Thats roughly 1 tsp of salt, 2/3 tsp of bicarb and 8 tsp of sugar in one liter/quart of clean water. As for antibiotics, (relatively contraindicated in pregnancy) adult doses are: Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX)- trade name is BACTRIM * 1 double-strength tablet every 12 hours for 3 days or A quinolone(norfloxacin 400 mg or ciprofloxacin 500 mg) every 12 hours for 3 days



-- RD. ->H (drherr@erols.com), January 03, 1999

Answers

RD Herring: I can do the rehydration thing (you can also use Pedialyte), but what about the other stuff? Do you have to have this prescribed by a medical doctor or can you buy the ingredients and do-it-yourself? I'm not a chemist or a pharmacist. Thanks!

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), January 03, 1999.

Thanks for the info. Practical info never killed anyone (the lack of it sure has).

Kilgore

-- Kilgore Trout (kilgore@fictitious.com), January 04, 1999.


Recipe for the above (found in 'Where There Is No Doctor') is as follows: 1 quart water 2 level tablespoons sugar or honey (the glucose) 1/4 teaspoon salt (the NACl) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (the bicarb)

About as salty as tears. If available, add 1/2 cup orange juice or mashed banana (for vitamins). Give dehydrated person sips every 5 minutes, day and night--- EVEN if person vomits. Some will stay in. I've used this on my (6) kids and can testify to its efficacy. Don't wait for dehydration to set in- give any patient who has been vomiting bile or had bad diarrhea for over an hour or two. It is easy, cheap, uses stuff we have in the house and is as effective as any over-the-counter medication available.

-- Maria (encelia@mailexcite.com), January 04, 1999.


Just wanted to say: the above is absolutely fine for adults as well. Just calculate about 2 liters per day for grown-ups as opposed to half that for kids. No need to complicate your life.

-- Maria (encelia@mailexcite.com), January 04, 1999.

taking sod bicarb can get dangerous. Gatoraide is good for rehydration. Applesauce has pectin in it. Mix Cornchex with it and eat..sounds terrible but it works.( My peditrician's fix)

(Pedialyte is good too but somebody else mentioned this)

-- R.N. (safety@thistime.com), January 04, 1999.



a SMALL amount of baking soda won't hurt. you can also add potassium to the mix by putting in a small amount of NoSalt (potassium chloride) or Morton's Lite Salt, which is a mix of regular salt and potassium salt. you can also get loads of potassium from a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses, or use my favorite, tomato juice.

-- Jocelyne Slough (jonslough@tln.net), January 04, 1999.

I stocked up on anti-nausea medicine that helped my son stop throwing up with the flu last month. I also love "Performance" by Shaklee. It suppossedly reaches your blood-stream faster than water or Gatorade. I've used it when I've been outside in the summer, or if anyone in the family has the flu. In less than a minute after taking it, I feel more "awake", and less fatigued. And no, I do not sell it.

-- madeline (runner@bcpl.net), January 04, 1999.

Good responses. Thanks everyone. Every once in awhile we need a few threads on simple (but potentially life saving) items. A few points to thos who responded by e-mail.

1. Adding some mashed banansa or other fruit is okay because it does add potassium and vitamins.

2. An antidiarrheal agent can at time be harmful! Your body is trying to get rid of the toxin. Fever is also a natural and helpful response as long as its not extrem. Fever helps to activate white blood cells to kill bacteria.

3.Bicarb could be harmful in large doses but in the aforementioned doseage its not a proble.

4.The rehydration solution should be good for 24 hours without refrigeration if kept sealed.

5. I urge people to stockpile some antibiotics as prescribed by a friendly Y2K aware physician. These are for truly emergent use. NOT for a cold( Which won't help anyway).



-- RD. ->H (drherr@erols.com), January 04, 1999.

I second RD there! As to fever, learn to distinguish between a fever caused by a bacterial infection (which is doing good) and a fever caused by a virus (good against potential secondary infection, but not hurting the virus at all). There are some people (my husband and one of my sons, for example) whose bodies do, however, go overboard and hang onto their fever, getting weaker. 24-48 hours should be sufficient for a fever to do its job. And always monitor how high it is-- don't let your patients get delirious, if you can help it! You also don't want to stop all vomiting and diarrhea- you just want to keep the (healthy) reaction from developing a life of its own and weakening the patient excessively (ie: to a point of no return or permanent damage).

-- Maria (encelia@mailexcite.com), January 05, 1999.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ