Scott F posted:As Spooky points out, other things than dehydration can darken the urine. Frequency of urination can also be misleading, though, since different things can cause us to pee. If you're not taking those things that darken urine, or a reasonable amount of water is able to get your urine light-colored, then several light-colored episodes per day is a pretty good guide. You have to drink an awful lot of fluid to cause electrolyte problems if your kidneys are working properly.
Yes, exactly this. I should have qualified my post - I was sharing the info that the dietitian provided to me when I first had my colectomy, and also dispelling the myth some of us have that we need to "drink constantly" to stave off dehydration - that is not true. The dietitian I saw shared a couple of incidents of patients with ileostomies who had developed problems from too much fluid intake. The key is trying to find the balance, so aiming for 8 glasses of water to start and then adjusting up or down as needed, based on weather/climate, exercise, thirst, and urine colour was her advice to me. - though the urine colour factor came with the caveat to take into consideration other things you are ingesting that could cause a colour change. Though certainly, if you aren't taking meds or supplements that might darken your urine, and you are experiencing dark urine, then that is a sign you probably need to drink more.