The Colon Club

I need help. I have a hard time staying hydrated. I'm on round 8 of chemo and it dehydrates me. I go for hydration every week but it seems to only last about 4 days and then I'm winded and out of breath again. Can anyone help me to stay hydrated? I'm drinking tons of water but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much

Lisa

I use the nuuns tabs they were recommended by brownbagger and seem pretty good, also you can try coconut water.

Maybe something like gatoraide might help.

Lee

Try foods with lots of water in them....fruit, cucumbers, etc. I ate A LOT of pickles for some reason.....they tasted like the most amazing thing in the world when i was on folfox....

cb

Hi. My nurse says she has some patients come in 3 times a week for hydration IV. I asked for a bag of fluids when disconnecting 5fu. That would be two days after oxaliplatin I think it helps and as treatments go on I will ask for additional help following week. I found that for five or six days I just couldn't drink too much as room temp is still too cold on throat.

I have a hydration prob as well. I run IV fluids w potassium and mag from 8p to 8a (2 ltr) then In the hot months I'll add straight saline as needed. I'm always drinking Gatorade also. No soda no coffee

After surgery the visiting nurse ordered hydration supplies for home. She would come hook him up then we realized that was silly as its so easy to do so I started giving him hydration almost everyday which he needed.
When he started chemo they left his port accessed when disconnecting the pump. Everyday for a week he would get a liter of fluid then I'd take him in to have the port deaccessed. I learned to remove the needle but the onc insisted they do it and it wasn't a big deal...worth it to be allowed to keep the port accessed for a week after chemo and the hydration on a daily basis made all the difference. A medical supply company delivered a pole, IV bags, saline and heparin flushes.

I second coconut water. It has a lot of natural potassium which helps with hydration, and less sugar than Gatorade-type sports drinks.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/featu ... onut-water

That said, I am struggling at times with hydration myself.

A nutritionist at my cancer center advised me that half my liquids should be water, and half should be beverages with electrolytes (e.g., sodium and potassium -- so, coconut water, Gatorade, chicken broth...). She also suggested drinking the fluids with meals. I think if you just guzzle a bunch of water, it can pass straight through you without being absorbed well.

I can't imagine it myself (and I'm not sure I can get it easily in Europe) but I've heard people swear by pickle juice (I've seen it online as Popsicles too)

Otherwise search online for rehydration solution, which is used in Africa etc for dysentery and particularly for treating kids - you can get OTC mixes but its just water, salt and sugar in specific relations and you can mx it yourself. Tastes foul but works. Be careful to follow the recipe exactly.

The issue is that after a certain stage of dehydration your mineral balance gets out of whack and just drinking water may even make things worse.

Otherwise, Isotonic sports drinks ( if you drink beer, some alcohol free beers are isotonic too ) but keep an eye on th minerals

The first time I dealt with serious dehydration, the onc mentioned Gatorade, and that's when I told him my opinion of it: tastes like sweat with added flavoring. He mentioned the same thing as above, that, after a point, just water doesn't help because you are flushing out needed electrolytes. I bought bags of pretzels and started eating them when I drank my water. Seemed to help a lot.
dge

Coconut water...not milk

I drank Smart Water, it's not high in electrolytes but it seemed to help more than plain water I wish I'd known about coconut water back then, because I love the flavor (try different brands, some taste better than others). It works well for dehydration. I also tried a shot of pickle juice every once in awhile, which I think tastes a darn sight better than Gatorade and yes, it actually did work pretty well. (Thanks, Brownbagger, for that tip!). As others have pointed out, you need to alternate plain water with the electrolyte drinks, because too much of either one can cause an imbalance. If you truly can't keep up with hydration on your own, then by all means, ask for help from the medical staff. Dehydration is so miserable, it's worth the hassle of going in for an IV, IMO.

Best of luck to you,
Cj