Worried about my wife on chemo, won't drink water

mdunham

Hi,

My wife has just had her 4th round of chemo (/6) and I've been getting more worried about her, she's gaining weight because of the steroids she's on but won't ever drink water... She's been drinking an Ensure every day to get her calories but thats about it, she says she is thirsty but doesn't like the taste of the water so she sucks on a mint instead. She tries to take drinks for me but says she can't. Have tried to get her to drink milk, orange juice, dropped lemon into water, etc... I don't want her to become dehydrated but don't know any other way to get her to drink besides holding a glass to her mouth myself. Do any of you have tips to make it easier for her, something that is easy to drink or tasted better on chemo...? Thank you

sewingnut

When tap water started tasting funny I switched to filtered water. When that went south I went to bottled water. Also drank flat gingerale. It's really important to keep hydrated to avoid kidney & bladder issues.

Sassa

Have you tried mixing the water with any of the various Crystal Light flavors?  The lemonade is good, as is the orange or Classic Sunrise (also an orange flavor).

kira1234

Has she tried to just suck on ice?

dltnhm

I'm a water drinker so don't really understand the aversion.

That being said - I love COLD drinks and such, so along with my major intake of water on infusion days, I would also eat a Minute Maid frozen lemonade. It was a nice treat. Beyond that, getting in 8 glasses a day is/was a given. It's one of the most healthy things anyone (BC or not) can do for oneself.



If your wife is a hot beverage drinker, try to get her to drink tea or coffee. Not 64 ounces of it - but switch it up.



Also, there are ways to get more water into your system with fruits and vegetables - think apples, watermelon, pears, celery ... And then there are soups - broth based, not cream. Sucking on ice, as suggested above, or popsicles is another idea. Just don't overdue it on sodium and sugar with any of the alternatives.



One more thing, having the water, tea, etc at hand will make a huge difference in intake. Not on hand in the fridge - but actually a thermal mug to keep it cold or hot and a sippable way to drink - lid with small opening or straw. Before she knows it those sips will add up.



Hope this helps!

FLwarrior

The only water that I could tolerate during chemo and some time after was bottled distilled water.  Bought it by the gallon at the grocery store.  I could not drink the filtered water that I had drank for years.  I couldn't stand the taste or the smell.  It took several months after chemo ended to be able to drink it again.  I can drink the filtered water fine now.

If she continues to refuse liquids, you may want to call her MO.  They can give her an IV drip (saline infusion) to keep her hydrated.

Good luck to you and your wife.

Anonymous

You need to let her chemo doc know so they can give her IV fluids if necessary. Some people develop a metallic taste for everything and it makes drinking hard. Have her suck on some lemon drops to try to help with the taste buds. I drank a lot of gatorade and lemonade (real lemonade, not just water with a lemon in it). Things had to be 'tart' for me during my FAC chemo combo. It got better for me when I did the taxol/taxotere. Everyone is different. You will just need to try different things to find what works. In the meantime, have them check her at the doc's office to see if she needs IV fluids.

FLwarrior

Other options are Tea, Gatorade or Pedialyte (found on the baby isle at the grocery store).

On my nausea days I tolerated Gatorade better than the distilled water (mentioned above).

Moderators

As you wait for more members to reply you may want to check out the main breastcancer.org with information on tips to manage dehydration.

We hope this helps!

The Mods

mdunham

Thank you all so much for the ideas/experiences and speedy responses... this site is great, take care

marywh

Oddly enough drinking through a straw helped me tremendously, also adding lemon to my water helped too.

Cyborg

Aqua Delight is supposed to help- I think it's on line

Colt45

The taste of certain drinks is/ was a problem for my wife. Normally a water drinker, she just can't do the water right now. Low calorie Gatorade is what works for her. It comes in a ton of flavors so she can switch it up if she gets sick of a flavor and in little 8oz (I think) bottles in 12-pak packaging. Diet ginger ale and Arnold Palmer Zero calorie half lemonade/ half iced tea works for her. Low cal Powerade is good, too. She's gotta drink. There's definitely something that will work for her.

ThereseD

I drink Pelligrino and like it a lot.

ThereseD

Pelligrino has helped me. It tastes great.

lostinmo

I managed to get plenty of fluids by keeping everything ice cold and by using a straw. 

Anonymous

I hated water during chemo b/c it made me more nauseous and gave me more reflux than anything else.  I drank gatorade and gingerale along with eating popsicles, jello, and occasionally ice chips.  During the 2nd week after chemo, I could add in crystal light water.   My doctor said I was staying hydrated enough with that mix.  If she isn't drinking anything, maybe some of these could work for her. 

beth1965

POPSICLES try every flavor ( there are many) until you find one that works. I lived on these during chemo

ChemicalWorld

I echo what people have already said. I relied on club soda, gatorade and various other water flavorings like the crystal light mentioned above.  Hated the taste of plain water, whether it was tap or spring water, didn't matter.  Also like others mentioned, with straws or in a water bottle with a nozzle on it.  My teeth were extra sensitive during treatment, so cold stuff was unpleasant.  I just kept a plastic water bottle by my side during the day.

The only flavoring I couldn't handle was a bright red cherry mix that looked wayyyy too much like the red junk that was one part of my FEC regimin. 

I also echo concerns about dehydration, especially with steroids.  During my last three rounds I was on extra steroids due to a reaction and I had a path worn between the couch and the bathroom. 

If she likes mint, can she drink mint tea?