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Never feel thirsty

Divinyl
2 months ago

I struggle big time with dehydration. I know it's a common problem for autistic people. It's something I've always struggled with since I was a child, during the hotter months always filled me with dread and still do.

This problem has led to frequent dehydration for me which leads to frequent hospitalisation. It's such a pain because it's a lot of hassle for all involved and it's also not very good for my overall health and causes a lot of unnecessary trauma.
I've tried loads to improve this problem but the trouble is no matter what I do I still don't feel thirsty. Even when my lips are bone dry I still do not feel thirsty, not even a little bit. 
Just before Christmas I was back in hospital and then one of my mental health team asked if I was dehydrating myself intentionally to self harm....
What!? No, it's nothing to do with mental health it's just autism! The professionals never understand and it's so frustrating. It also leads to a lot of self doubt. Almost like I start questioning myself even though I know I'm right and they are wrong.
I'll never understand professionals. They don't offer any support or help, they just cast unfair and often incorrect judgement and it hurts.
Lately I've got myself a water bottle with a drinking level guide on the side of it which measures how much should be drunk by certain times throughout the day. I'm hoping this will help me with my drinking.
If you guys have any tips to help with this problem I would be really grateful if you could let me know.
Thanks x.
Parents
  • 2 months ago

    I also don't feel thirst cues

    I agree with Iain, timers are good as are water bottles.

    Other things I find useful is using other indicators. You've said that your lips go dry, maybe when you notice this you can use it as a trigger to drink water. 

    The other important thing I find is having set times to go to the toilet (at least twice a day, preferably three but that can be worked up to) and use the urine colour to indicate how hydrated you are. If it's dark in colour, drink at least a full glass of water.

    I got a lot of dehydration headaches, that is also something I used as a cue, If I got a headache I had to drink a full glass of water.

    All of these other cues may be more delayed than the traditional 'thirst' cue, but they are still cues, and you can tune yourself into those instead.

Reply
  • 2 months ago

    I also don't feel thirst cues

    I agree with Iain, timers are good as are water bottles.

    Other things I find useful is using other indicators. You've said that your lips go dry, maybe when you notice this you can use it as a trigger to drink water. 

    The other important thing I find is having set times to go to the toilet (at least twice a day, preferably three but that can be worked up to) and use the urine colour to indicate how hydrated you are. If it's dark in colour, drink at least a full glass of water.

    I got a lot of dehydration headaches, that is also something I used as a cue, If I got a headache I had to drink a full glass of water.

    All of these other cues may be more delayed than the traditional 'thirst' cue, but they are still cues, and you can tune yourself into those instead.

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