medicall_editor How to Prevent Dehydration from Diarrhea While Traveling
Prevent dehydration from diarrhea can be done while traveling, such as by drinking plenty of water and by doing the right treatment.
Diarrhea usually lasts for 2-3 days and most people typically experience this illness 1-2 times a year. Generally, this illness is caused by bacteria in food and can be cured with over-the-counter medicine. Unfortunately, in some severe conditions, diarrhea can last up to more than one week due to an unhealthy lifestyle. Furthermore, this illness is often experienced by foreign tourists during their travel in Asian and other developing countries, such as Indonesia. This is because these areas don’t usually have the best hygiene and health standards.
Diarrhea while traveling is usually called traveler’s diarrhea. in Bali, it’s popular by the term ‘Bali Belly’. Foreign tourists aren’t used to the new environment and their immune system is still adapting, so it’s normal if their body reacts badly to the food there. Moreover, diarrhea can also lead to dehydration due to the lack of fluids that are lost during defecation. Therefore, try to prevent dehydration from diarrhea if symptoms appear.
Diarrhea: What it is and Symptoms
Diarrhea is a digestive problem characterized by defecating more than 3 to 4 times a day. Usually, feces are runny and watery. Diarrhea is split into two kinds, acute diarrhea, and chronic diarrhea. Acute diarrhea involves semi-liquid or watery feces that exceed the usual frequency and occurs for less than two weeks. Whereas for chronic diarrhea, it can last for more than two weeks. This illness can occur after consuming contaminated or spicy food. For travelers, the main cause of diarrhea is food poisoning caused by bacteria such as salmonella, escherichia coli, and shigella s. In most cases, contamination is caused by eating food from street vendors because these places usually have poor hygiene and health standards.
Diarrhea symptoms normally start soon after contamination, on average 1-10 days after consumption. Symptoms of diarrhea are indicated by watery feces, defecation more than 3-4 times a day, fever, stomach cramps, followed by sweating, fatigue, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. Moreover, dehydration may also occur, so patients must prevent dehydration from diarrhea to avoid worse conditions. The individual will also feel weak because of the lack of liquid.
Dehydration
Dehydration is a condition when you are lacking fluids in your body and as a result, the body can’t function normally. The ideal water content in a healthy human body is more than 60% of total body weight. Water in the body helps the digestive system work, remove impurities and toxins from the body, moisturize tissues in the ear, throat, nose, keep the skin healthy, as well as a nutrient transportation media for body cells. Some people consider dehydration as a normal thirsty feeling and doesn’t need to be taken seriously. However, if the initial symptoms are not handled properly, it can interfere with bodily functions.
Some early signs of dehydration symptoms include feeling thirsty, dry mouth, dry skin, dizziness, fatigue, low urine output, and the urine color is usually darker and smells stronger. The main cause of dehydration is diarrhea, especially if this happens to infants and children. Dehydration can also be associated with the current weather, physical activity, sports, and diet. In addition to diarrhea, vomiting and excessive sweating can also be the cause of dehydration. It’s important to prevent dehydration from diarrhea so the condition doesn’t get worse.
Prevent Dehydration from Diarrhea
The most important step in handling diarrhea is to make sure the body does not lack in fluids while maintaining ion balance. Diarrhea causes the body to lose a lot of fluids, so the patient may experience dehydration. The easiest way to prevent dehydration from diarrhea while you’re traveling is by drinking lots of water. In addition, to restore bodily fluids that come out during diarrhea, you need fluids that contain not only water but also ions. Experts say that consuming water alone is not enough to restore lost ions. Normal water does not contain ions needed to maintain the balance of the body.
Ion-containing drinks, such as isotonic drinks, can be a great alternative to restore your ions and fluids lost during diarrhea. Isotonic drinks contain ions and sugar that are almost similar to body fluids. Thus, making it easier for the body to absorb fluids, ions, and sugar contained in the drink. If you’re nauseated and have a problem keeping fluids down, try to sip water and suck on ice and frozen ice pop to help stay hydrated without drinking too much. In addition, giving electrolyte fluid through infusion / IV Therapy is also suggested for rehydration to prevent dehydration from diarrhea, so the healing process will be much faster.
It should be noted that if diarrhea isn’t handled properly, dehydration may occur and if it’s considered severe, it can lead to death. Request a doctor to your location through Medi-Call Application or simply contact Medi-Call Hotline at +62 81210783387. You can also get an Infusion / IV Therapy service to prevent dehydration from diarrhea.
