(NOTE: this is totally my un-professional opinion but from what I've learned in various places on the interwebz)

I...Nik...am not drinking enough water.

Both my Creatinine levels and Chloride levels are high. Creatinine, as I understand it, can read high if you aren't getting enough water and the most common cause of a high Chloride level is dehydration. This is, of course, sort of confirming what I already knew.

I suck at drinking. Maybe I should shift some of my super eating powers over to drinking.

Other than that my vitamin D is still low, but that's an ongoing battle. Everything else is in the normal range although my protein is, as always, in the lower end of the normal range.

ETA: Inexplicably, even though I rarely take my b12 consistently (this is not a source of pride), my labs came out pretty well. I don't believe I'd taken it in the days leading up to my labs either. Interesting.

So...what does this tell me. I'm still alive! (I would certainly hope so or this would be a very awkward post).

Glad you're still with us! I was having a terrible time getting in water until recently, mostly because I drink wayyy to much coffee. For the last couple of weeks I have been filling a 32 oz cup with water and adding 2 packs of the stick drink mixes like Crystal Lite, Weyler's SF, etc. I mix and match flavors and find ones I love. I usually drink 2 at work (64 oz) plus another 32 oz before bed.  Works great during the work week but I didn't do so well this past weekend.

Anyway, you may be one of the people that hate those sticks and this may be absolutely no help to you, lol. But then again- try it & you might find it helps. My current fav is the new Weyler's cherry limeade. (I LOVED Sonic diet cherry limeade!)

Finally, let me just add that you have to stay healthy- you are someone I have followed and looked up to since I first started researching WLS. I love your posts, your BF site, your recipes, your rants, in short- I love NIK! So you have to stay alive lady!

 I love drink sticks. I need to USE them better!

Water has always been my nemesis. Lately I've been trying to come to terms with plain water. Used to love it. Remember loving it. HATE it now. Not sure why.

For some reason my pouch seems to hate plain water. I can sip on a bottle of water and feel very uncomfortable and burpy- but I can add a drink stick to that bottle & no problem. Weird, but I've seen other people post with a similar problem after WLS. Also, my pouch seems to prefer hot, warm, or cool (water cool) beverages, no ice cold anything for me. Although I can do iced coffee in the summer??!!

I just bought some lime margarita flavor to try!

I actually am able to get in my 60 oz of water each day by adding 2 flavor sticks to a rubbermaid 20oz bottle and drinking 3 a day - I definitely get in more water by using flavoring.  I wish I had stock in Hawaiian Punch!!!  I can find them for a buck a pack at WallyWorld, though.

I used to have no problem drinking enough water before my surgery. Now I can barely get it in. I add sugar free flavors and ice and I'm just not thirsty! It's really hard. I'm glad you're still with us!

 it sounds stupid, but i've beed drinking more plain water lately because i got one of those brita waterbottles that filters as you drink and i think it's super neat so i've been refilling it everywhere i go. (not to mention its stopping me from buying water bottles since i don't fully trust the water here, but now i'm ok enough to fill it up where ever)

I do a MUCH better job of getting fluids in during the summer than the winter because the only way I can stand to drink plain water is if it is extremely cold (and ice water in the winter is just NOT appealing especially since I spend so much time being cold already).  I did not have a particularly large fluid intake before surgery, though, and have never had dehydration issues, so I honestly don;t worry about it much.  I just had my 5-year labs drawn early (my hair loss issues 18 months ago and my belly pain and eventual surgery required additioanl labs, so it put my yearly labs off schedule), so we will see what they say.

Lora

So glad you're alive. How weird would it be for you to be posting to the forum from the great beyond??

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who isn't very thirsty! I am also glad to see that our tools are working! It has made us all pay attention to our health in ways that we hadn't before, if it hasn't done anything else.

Nik- are you super vigilant about taking your vitamins and supplements? Just curious, because I have to admit that I am lax to say the least!