Warning: Tap Water Can Cause Dehydration

I have come to the realization that since leaving the dental office (close to 11 months ago now!), that I have been experiencing severe dehydration.

It has gotten so bad that I have noticed there are some days that I do not use the restroom until 2 in the afternoon!!  (And the last time being at 7am that morning when I woke up).  But two days ago I realized just how bad it has gotten.  I did not use the rest room until 4:30p for the second time that day (again the first being when I woke up).  All day I went.  This is very very bad.

So drink more water, T! is what I am hearing you say.  But the problem is me and my snootiness about water.

I do not like just any water.  It is like food to me.  Some people will only eat certain foods prepared certain ways.  Well, I will only drink water that comes from certain sources.

When I worked at the dental office, we had the convenience of a water cooler.  That water cooler and I were great friends.  Always cold.  Always filtered.  Always available.  But now, since moving to a medical office downtown, I have found that I was a spoiled brat having had the pleasure of working with a water cooler for so many years.  One would think that in a large office there would be a water cooler (although I can understand the cost of such a convenience) or at least a fridge.  But no.  My office has neither which leads me to my problem of dehydration.

When I was young I loved loved loved the taste of cold water from the faucet.  I did not even need a glass.  I just stuck my mouth under the faucet and it was the best thing in the world.  Then I met my now-ex-husband.  And he loved his bottled water.  He never drank from the tap, he did not like soda or juice.  He would drink a disgusting amount of bottled water (years, years later we found out he had a major thyroid issue) but anyways, my point is that it grew on me.  That bottled water was so fresh and clean that I had a hard time going back to tap water.  Over the years I could not even stomach the thought of tap water and even certain bottled water!  I will not drink Dannon bottled water.  Yuck.

Yes, that is how picky I have now become about my water.  I will drink tap water filtered through a Brita pitcher or a pur sink attachment, but I will not drink it straight out of the tap 'unfiltered'.  I will drink water from a water fountain at the gym, but would not do so directly from their sink.  If I take a container to work from home filled with my Brita filtered water, it must be a certain kind of water canteen.  It cannot be anything that smells like plastic in any way.  I do like the stainless steel, but I will not drink straight from the lip of it (it gets a nasty metallic taste); it must have a certain type of attachment that has NO 'taste' to it what-so-ever.  You would never believe how many canteens I have gone through.  It is really sad trying to find that right one.   And I know a lot of you are thinking "They never have taste and water all tastes the same" but that is not true!  When I refill my ice cube trays at home it must be water from my Brita pitcher.  People have filled my ice trays with tap water and I can tell immediately.

I tried once to drink water from the kitchen sink at work.  I really tried but all I could see was this cloudy liquid in the bottle and I could not do it.  I seriously sipped it and wanted to throw up.  I do not want to litter with plastic water bottles, but yet I do not like to drink from the tap!  So what do I do?! I love water but right now I only allow myself one bottle of water for the whole work day.  This is so bad.  I need a better solution!!  I do have a canteen that I love and fill with my Brita filtered water, but I often times forget to grab it in my zombie state in the morning.  I actually keep 24 packs of bottled water in my car so I can grab one whenever needed.  This idea has worked great for winter, but now that summer is coming... I do not want to drink piss warm water.  I like my water ice cold.  Once it gets warm I hate it. 

Working at my catering job I now fear that I won't be able to drink the water provided on tables anymore either (which I had been ok with, but I still think if I drink it with a lemon I will be ok).  Although I obviously subconsciously knew that the water was straight from the faucet... after seeing them fill up the water pitchers from sink faucets, throw in some ice and serve it.  It has taken on a new meaning for me now!

The other day someone called me a 'whack job' after reading my posts.  In some ways I am a whack job, such as when I talk about being extremely picky about the water I drink, but over all I think I am just honest, open and contemplative.  I cannot help that I do not like water from certain sources due to taste.  Some people do not like salmon.  We all have our preferences. 

When I see people filling their water bottles from the sink or drinking from whatever container they have I oh-so-wish that was me so that I could get in my eight glasses a day without causing more harm to our already hurting environment.

I have some serious water bottle envy.