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DRINK
UP
It's important to your treatment and your health!
When
you are dehydrated your body lacks the fluids it needs. If vomiting or
diarrhea has brought on your dehydration, you probably are also very low
on important minerals and electrolytes your body must have.
Severe dehydration is a serious
condition and must be treated.
Dehydration
can sneak up on you quickly. If you are older you may not feel thirsty as often as when you were younger. That’s why it’s so important to “push the fluids” even if you don’t feel particularly thirsty.
Cancer treatment may cause dehydration
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Vomiting and diarrhea can deplete your body of fluids quickly.
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Nausea and loss of appetite can decrease how much you drink.
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Treatment can also cause a shift from the water in your blood to other body tissues.
YOU MIGHT BE DEHYDRATED IF:
■ you feel tired or sluggish all the time.
■ your muscles feel weak or cramp easily.
■ you have headaches, feel dizzy, or are forgetful or confused.
■ you feel your heart racing.
■ your urine if very dark and has a strong smell or you have no urine at all.
■ your mouth is dry and your spit is thick and sticky.
■ your eyes don’t tear naturally and appear sunken.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
What Can You Do? ► Drink before you get thirsty and try to drink at least 6 to 10 glasses of water every day, in small sips, if necessary.
► If you having trouble keeping anything down, try to drink small sips every 10 minutes or so and as the vomiting subsides, add more fluid. You can replace fluids with broth, carbonated caffeine-free beverages, juice, Jell-O®, Gatorade or Popsicles. If you are diabetic, make sure these are sugar-free products.
► Include vegetables and fruits with a high fluid content with your meals or as snacks.
Below is a list of vegetables and fruits with a high liquid content. If you are neutropenic (if you have a low white blood count) cook your vegetables thoroughly, eat only canned fruit and skip the raw fruit.
► Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine (coffee, tea and many soda pops.) A rule of thumb is - drink an extra cup of water for every cup of caffeinated liquid or alcoholic beverage you drink.
It’s possible your doctor will suggest you drink special drinks with added minerals and electrolytes such as sports drinks or Pedialyte®. If you have to watch your salt and sugar levels because of other health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, talk to your doctor about alternatives. Sugar-free and salt-free electrolyte tablets (Electrol) are available.
Water content of the foods you eat:
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96% - Cucumbers (raw)
96% - Lettuce (raw)
95% - Celery (raw)
94% - Tomatoes (raw)
92% - Bell Peppers (raw)
92% - Cabbage (raw)
92% - Cauliflower (raw)
92% - Cauliflower (cooked)
92% - Watermelons (raw)
92% - Strawberries (raw)
91% - Asparagus (cooked)
91% - Broccoli (cooked)
91% - Broccoli (flower clusters, raw)
91% - Grapefruit (pink or red, raw)
90% - Cantaloupe (raw)
90% - Honeydew Melon (raw)
88% - Carrots (raw)
88% - Peaches (raw)
88% - Tangerines (raw)
87% - Oranges (raw)
87% - Raspberries (raw) |
86% - Apricots (raw)
86% - Blackberries (raw)
86% - Nectarines (raw)
85% - Blueberries (raw)
85% - Plums (raw)
84% - Apples (raw)
84% - Pears (raw)
83% - Kiwi fruit (raw)
82% - Mangoes (raw)
81% - Cherries (raw)
80% - Applesauce (canned, sweetened)
81% - Grapes (raw)
80% - Olives (ripe, canned)
80% - Pears (canned)
79% - Peaches (canned)
78% - Apricots (canned)
75% - Potato (baked)
74% - Bananas (raw)
73% - Avocados (raw)
70% - Corn (1 ear, cooked) |
*
REMEMBER *
Thoroughly cook fresh vegetables and eat only canned fruits if you have
a low white blood count!
This page was last
edited on 06/26/2008
Written
by Rachael Myers Lowe, cancerpage.com
Clinical review by Deborah Allen, RN
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