Q I've been drinking my water but now.....

scruffyboy · Post by **scruffyboy** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:00 pm

Q; I've been drinking all this water, pissing clear but it's now 3:00 AM and I've got these earth-shattering imobilizing CRAMPS!
A; You've probably pissed away all your bodys electrolytes. Your body needs all the water it can get out on the Playa but it also needs things like potassium, sodium, and other electrolytes as well. Gatorade, bananas, salty snacks along with plenty of WATER!

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:34 am

Am I the only one here who believes the term 'piss clear' is absolutely some of the worst fucking 'advice' you can give anyone?

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 9:25 am

May I nominate "you can't get pregnant the first time"?

Q_ · Post by Q_ » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:10 am

Badger wrote:Am I the only one here who believes the term 'piss clear' is absolutely some of the worst fucking 'advice' you can give anyone?

Pissing Clear is good advice, but like anything if you take it to an extreme it's not a great idea. It is basic advice for people that don't have experience with dehydration.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:15 am

I think that what Badger's after is that it's a simplistic slogan that has become a meme and gets endlessly repeated as gospel when it doesn't get anywhere to the complexity of the issue.
I have no idea of how clear I piss, on playa--never been to pee funnell camp--and the advice smacks to me of a perhaps a misapprehension that BM back in the day was a very macho and not very woman friendly atmosphere.
I also gotta wonder about the various colors and cloudiness I do piss at home. I'm sure it all means something but apart from vitamin B, dammed if I know what.

Oh Well.

Q_ · Post by Q_ » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:26 am

Right, it is a simple slogan. But for those have have the experience of multiple BMs or any kind of camping, or survival experience then it is not very usefull. However, if you arriving at Burning Man and you don't know much about these things, then at the very least the slogan might prompt you to ask someone about it. Such as: "What is the Pissing Clear thing that people keep telling me about".

I guess I am just saying that it is better than nothing.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:31 am

It is nothing...nobody listens to it anymore. Just like half the people ignore the greeters and their spiels. It all blurs together into a bunch of white noise.

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:10 am

I thought "Piss clear" meant not to piss on yourself or the other citizens.

Can you Piss clear over here?

You want me to Piss clear over here but it's dark.

"Piss clear" of the tent man, don't want to get the food wet.

I guess I should pay better attention.

NT

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:36 am

A; You've probably pissed away all your bodys electrolytes. Your body needs all the water it can get out on the Playa but it also needs things like potassium, sodium, and other electrolytes as well. Gatorade, bananas, salty snacks along with plenty of WATER!

Actually my post relates to Scruffyboy's. What seems to happen often enough is that lots of folks take the 'advice' seriously and end up at some point flushing out a lot of necessary chemicals in their systems that'd help them avoid the dizziness, cramps and general lethargy that comes about when you douche your entire system with 8 literes of water over a four hour period just because someone told you it was a good ideaa.

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:10 pm

It sounds better than "Don't let your piss get bright yellow or too cloudy."

scruffyboy · Post by **scruffyboy** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:39 pm

I'm a long-time burner (since 1996) and took the "sage" advice at face value. In 2003 I was the one that woke up all cramped up @ 3:00 am and in need of assistance. Hey it was a lesson very painfully learned. I now mix in Gatorade along with salty snacks and bananas with my intake of water.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 2:32 pm

It sounds better than "Don't let your piss get bright yellow or too cloudy."

Bright yellow actually isn't too bad. Neither is cloudy. It's when the color starts shifting over to the darker shades of yellow, yellow/brown that you *do* need to sit down and get at *least* a liter inside of you as soon as you notice it.

Other cues to be aware of... emotional flips. Tendency to cry or feel like crying at somewhat inappropriate times. Example... you walk past ABBA camp and find yourself tearing up on hearing Dancing Queen played full volume. If you find yourself emotionally moved by this song then you are UNDOUBTEDLY under-hydrated. You should sit down, have your liter or two of water, rest for about 45-90 minutes before getting up and joining others who have gathered to burn ABBA Camp to the ground.

More medical advice to follow.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:31 pm

Fernando is okay.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:56 pm

Fernando is okay.

No, Fernando it's not okay.

Now go drink your fucking water.[/i]

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 4:10 pm

How about "If your pee turns brown, you're gonna go down?"

or...

"If it's darker than gold, you're not gonna get old"...

or...

"If it's not too light, you'll see REMSA tonight"...

I'd keep going, but then someone's gonna be pissed!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 4:28 pm

Badger wrote:
Fernando is okay.
No, Fernando it's not okay.

Now go drink your fucking water.

I've reached my Waterloo.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:34 am

Just don't Piss Opaque.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 6:48 am

The New York Times has an interesting article this morning on drinking too much water, and it basically states that in some cases "Pissing clear" or overdoing the sports drinks and water can be just as deadly as not having enough water.

The link comes from the Drudge Report so hopefully it bypasses the silly registration crap.
http://tinyurl.com/68lvt
Study cautions runners to limit their water intake: by Gina Kolata, pub: April 15th, 2005
If that doesn't work I'm sure Matt will keep it up on his site for a few hours at least.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:40 am

Deadlier, from what I read in the morning's chronicle which reprinted the article.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 9:40 am

Kinetic IV wrote: Study cautions runners to limit their water intake: by Gina Kolata, pub: April 15th, 2005

Dang it! Now all yesterday and into this morning, my mind has been singing:
Do you like Gina Kolata
and her hard drive for fame

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 10:06 am

theCryptofishist wrote:
Kinetic IV wrote: Study cautions runners to limit their water intake: by Gina Kolata, pub: April 15th, 2005
Dang it! Now all yesterday and into this morning, my mind has been singing:
Do you like Gina Kolata
and her hard drive for fame

NOOOOOOooooooooo! Didn't turn away in time!!!! *lyrics permanently installed in wetware* dammit

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:29 pm

My blood pressure went up like a space ship. So the doctor limits my salt to 1400mg. or less. Now what the f am I suppost to do on the playa.

synchronicity · Post by **synchronicity** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:08 pm

unjonharley wrote:My blood pressure went up like a space ship. So the doctor limits my salt to 1400mg. or less. Now what the f am I suppost to do on the playa.

Adapt?

In a different environment, you may respond differently. Maybe better, maybe worse.
Figure it out upfront, a stroke on the Playa is not Art.

(Edited to remove unneeded tongue from cheek)

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:20 pm

synchronicity wrote:
unjonharley wrote:My blood pressure went up like a space ship. So the doctor limits my salt to 1400mg. or less. Now what the f am I suppost to do on the playa.
Adapt?

In a different environment, you may respond differently. Maybe better, maybe worse.
Figure it out upfront, a stroke on the Playa is not Art.

(Edited to remove unneeded tongue from cheek)

~
Forgot to mention the water pill. Pissed away ten pounds the first three days.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:30 am

Talk to your doctor. Explain the situation. Partnership. Take care self. alert campmates. alert ESD/medics.

Grizelda · Post by **Grizelda** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:57 pm

The New York Times has an interesting article this morning on drinking too much water, and it basically states that in some cases "Pissing clear" or overdoing the sports drinks and water can be just as deadly as not having enough water.

I read that article last week too, and if I remember it right, part of the problem was that, during strenuous exercise, marathon runners' kidneys don't have their usual capacity to filter excess water out of the blood. It's not that the athletes' electrolytes were getting excreted in urine, it's that the blood was getting diluted. That particular problem won't apply to most of us most of the time at Burning Man. Not saying it's not a good idea to give your kidneys some vaguely reasonable amounts of water and electrolytes to work their balancing magic with.

For what it's worth, last year was my first time at Burning Man, and I dutifully consumed large quantities of water for the first half of the week. Later, when the portapotty lines got long, I decided to lay off the water a bit and return to my normal pee schedule. Nothing bad happened.

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:18 pm

I'm open to criticism if others have information that makes this bad advice, but. . .

rather than "piss clear", the maxim I've always followed in the desert is "during daylight hours, if you haven't peed in the last two hours, sit down and drink 8-12 ounces of clear liquid (non alcoholic) before you do anything else."

Scubapro · Post by **Scubapro** » Thu May 05, 2005 3:26 am

This is the most sage advice. I think pissing clear is just telling you to drink your water. I've spent many a time camping in the desert. Although I'm a first time BMer, I do know what is needed. What is very important is to take your time in whatever you do. Drink water when you feel slightly thirsty and load up with the electrolytes. Most importantly, make sure you rest in some shade. The sunlight is a killer.

Ranger Mickey · Post by **Ranger Mickey** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:50 pm

I hate this meme. It's so completely off the mark that it's unbelievably disappointing. Even the original phrase piss clear, not cloudy misses, because people can't grok that we're not talking about color but about opacity from the proteins dumped into the urine while getting truly dehydrated.

That bright yellow or orange translucent stream doesn't mean you're on death's door for the few days while you're on-playa and eating salt(ier) and differently-spiced foods from the default world.

Sadly, the best I can come up with is Pee opaque? Take a drink break.

phil · Post by **phil** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:07 pm

Hyponatremia

Q I've been drinking my water but now.....

Q I've been drinking my water but now.....

on pissing clear...