Facing death from dehydration...

Moderators, please review for acceptability...

Well, here's a Bear Gryll's trick I just had to research... it's against everything I thought I knew...

In his latest show, from the Australian Outback, Bear begins to think he's going to become dangerously dehydrated. He can't find fresh water, any water, anywhere.
So... please excuse me, our more sensitive members, but he urinates into his canteen and drinks it. Shocked

According to Bear, because of urine being primarily water (and relatively sterile also, which medically it is), he could stave off death from dehydration for awhile longer.

Surprisingly, as I've found from a couple days research, there are 2 camps of thinking and there are survival and medical experts on BOTH sides... that agree, and disagree with this idea. Split camps for the most part. And no real clear answer.

The major problem and risk is from kidney damage and shutdown, from the repeated filtering of wastes, less water to clean the kidneys, and the potential for dangerous imbalance of salts building up in the body. Along the lines of why you shouldn't drink saltwater in a survival situation. It'll kill you after awhile.

But it seems in conclusion from everything I've read... that at least as a temporary measure, drinking your own urine may buy some hours, maybe an extra day of survival before dehydration kills you. Again, there's a serious risk of kidney damage or kidney failure (which will kill you anyway), but as an absolutely last, and probably FINAL, resort it might buy you the time you need to be rescued or find water.

Thoughts? Honestly, this one's got me stumped. Confused

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

Well it may save you but I rather die than consume liquid waste. Its true there is damage to your kidneys so you may have problems in the future. I just wouldnt do it.

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

I picked no.
Because where i live there is water just about everywhere. And even if i had a hard time at first finding it
going 5 or 7 hours with out water is not life threatning. I have read several true storys of people doing this
& lived because they did. I just dont think that i would ever get that screwed that i couldn't find water within 3 days
here in B.C
Like we say here on the west coast, .... You dont Tan you Rust Laughing

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
We are Known By The Tracks we Leave Behind
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Which is worse, poo-water or pee? Shocked

I wouldn't do either personally. Smile

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

reminds me of an indian forum name I8yellowsnow

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SURVIVAL..........it's all in your head

I also picked no because I just cant findmyself in such a situation, expecially since I know quite a bit about survival now (you know you pick stuff up after a few years Smile

I like to say, "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail"

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

I say no. I dought that I would be lost long enough to have to do that. really you can drink your own yerin but only once or twice after that it gets concentrated and can do some real damage! and when your dehydrated its already prity concentrated so I say no. might just a few hours but I wouldnt have the guts (or kidney) to do it.

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quote of the week: "Missed it by that much,"- Get Smart.

I appreciate the responses so far. Thanks! Smile

In fairness to Bear, he was essentially in a harsh desert environment... prepared or not, there simply was no water and because of the extreme heat and humidity he says he was rapidly dehydrating and probably close to heat stroke. And... Bear's been trained to survive in harsh desert environments, The Legion. And to be fair to me, I was never trained with drinking urine as a dehydration option.

So, yes this would of course not be a necessary measure in most environments, especially The Great White North Wink

, but if faced with desert survival (think Frank Herbert's Dune)... if this is a viable option, maybe the only option, between life and death... this is what I'm wondering... Is this even a viable option?... i.e. can it work to delay dehydration?

Would you reconsider doing it?

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

If i new with out a doubt that i had NO chance at all of getting water & would die, if i didn't drink my urine,
I would do it. There is a strong force to live & i think it would take over at some point.
Knowing that i could get kidney & liver problems later in life would be a small price to pay to live. Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
We are Known By The Tracks we Leave Behind
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

yes that is probably a viable option. I think it could be in that kind of environment but you must remember that you can do that just a few times. you dont get an endless supply of water from doing that. I guess that it could help for a little while.

would I do that? I dont know real. I guess I would have to be in the situation.

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quote of the week: "Missed it by that much,"- Get Smart.

The main reason I said no was because if your at a point where you have no water whatsoever, and you must drink your own urin, how long can you really survive? I dobut you'd last long.

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

	TrooperMax wrote:
	The main reason I said no was because if your at a point where you have no water whatsoever, and you must drink your own urin, how long can you really survive? I dobut you'd last long.

Very true Max. But if say you had too, and by just drinking it once, maybe twice ? kept you going alittle longer &
you finally found water ! Very Happy

. Just like you read about people that get lost & die to find out later that, that person was only half a Km away from a water source Shocked

. Its those little things that motivate a person to try just alittle more
to see if they keep going. The will to Live is Strong. I know mine is, i would drag myself 100 yards if i could see water
but had 0 energy left. Its amazing how people can find that extra get up & go even when there on Deaths doorstep.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
We are Known By The Tracks we Leave Behind
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

You could pee into a solar still Very Happy

eric

Drummer Dave wrote:

	TrooperMax wrote:
	The main reason I said no was because if your at a point where you have no water whatsoever, and you must drink your own urin, how long can you really survive? I dobut you'd last long.

Very true Max. But if say you had too, and by just drinking it once, maybe twice ? kept you going alittle longer &
you finally found water ! Very Happy

. Just like you read about people that get lost & die to find out later that, that person was only half a Km away from a water source Shocked

. Its those little things that motivate a person to try just alittle more
to see if they keep going. The will to Live is Strong. I know mine is, i would drag myself 100 yards if i could see water
but had 0 energy left. Its amazing how people can find that extra get up & go even when there on Deaths doorstep.

Yep, this is exactly what I was thinking and wondering with this question. Just a few minutes more... just a few more yards/meters.

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

Last edited by Dobry on Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:08 pm; edited 1 time in total

	turd wrote:
	You could pee into a solar still eric

hehe... let's say that it's not an option. Wink

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

Well i just watched that man Vs. Wild and if i were in his situation i would have doen the same.

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-Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.
-"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can"~John Wesley

	turd wrote:
	You could pee into a solar still eric

Turd, always the optimist. Rolling Eyes

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

flashlightfreak9 wrote:

	turd wrote:
	You could pee into a solar still eric

Turd, always the optimist. Rolling Eyes

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

I'm the only one that values my life enough to vote "Yes"? Razz

Of course I would, that extra few hours may give me enough time to find a better water source. Either that or chop my left hand off and drink the blood.

Better off with kidney damage instead of finding yourself six feet under.

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everybody on this site, if facing death, would drink their urine. Posts like this have invalid results because noone knows what they are capable of. This is why i chose not to vote.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.