Question: How serious is “fluid retention” and what is the cause? Near the end of a tough two-week tour last year, my legs were quite swollen and took four or five days to go down (while my kidneys were working overtime). I drank lots of water each day. I’m leaving for another tour next month and would like to know how to avoid this problem. — Paul B.
RBR Replies: A common cause of fluid retention is not consuming enough sodium during long rides in the heat. In advanced cases, it can lead to hyponatremia, a serious medical condition. Copious water consumption, combined with heavy sweating, can dilute your body’s sodium content to a dangerously low level.
An easy solution is to salt your food or eat salty foods. Instead of plain water, use sports drinks containing sodium.
Gatorade and most other commercial drinks don’t have enough salt, so I often add a pinch to each bottle.
In 2016 I did a camping bike tour in Iceland for a month. Had a lot of water retention during my last week and started to feel pretty weak at the end. Being Iceland, I rarely sweated very much, was quite cool. I might not have drank sufficient liquids to flush out waste products, as when you are not sweating you do not get very thirsty. Almost all of my food was campsite food, very little restaurant fare. Was 63 at that time, not sure if that is pertinent, I have diabetes type 2.
Day after I got home, was at my Doctor’s office where they did a lot of tests. I was diagnosed with a severe protein deficiency. And my blood pressure was much higher than typical. They prescribed Furosimide which I took for a couple weeks. Since the protein deficiency was the only non-normal factor that the doctor could identify from the lab tests, he was convinced that was related to the water retention.
The next year (2017) I did a two week bike tour in Florida Keys, Everglades and Big Cyprus, did not have any water retention problem at all, was sweating during almost all waking hours. And had plenty of protein.
Since then on bike tours, backpacking trips, etc., I have some meat in every lunch and every supper (usually a 2 to 2.6 oz packet of tuna, chicken or Spam or a Starkist Creations packet) and also a 20 gram protein bar every day while I setup camp. And when I have an opportunity for a restaurant meal, it will have some meat for the protein deficiency.
And I am careful to drink plenty of liquids, even if I am not thirsty to make sure it is not a dehydration problem.
Now I typically have no water retention problem at all when doing long bike rides or other hours long physical activities like backpacking where it is warm enough that I am sweating during part of the day.
I still occasionally have a fluid retention problem, most commonly when at home, not on trips. No idea what causes it. It often is also simultaneous with a jump in blood pressure. My Doctor allows me to take Furosimide on an as needed basis, maybe 10 to 15 pills a year, thus only minimal use to keep the water retention under control.