How to Hydrate During Chemotherapy Treatments

Chemotherapy treatments are designed to attack cancer with fast, fierce, blows. One of the problems with such aggressiveness is that the drugs can upset the delicate balance in our bodies, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as side effects of chemotherapy treatments. With continued vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration can be a serious, if not fatal, result. When a patient is undergoing chemotherapy, there are measures that can be taken to prevent dehydration, as well as to replace the fluids that have already been lost.

Things You'll Need

• Small journal
• Water
• Ice chips
• Small thermos
• Juice
• Popsicles or frozen ice pops
• Frozen juice bars
• Anti-diarrheal and anti-nausea medication

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Instructions

Hydrating During Chemotherapy Treatments

• 1

  Take a note of how much fluid is being lost from the body. This can be done by keeping track of how many times a day one vomits, has diarrhea or urinates. Keep a log of this information in a journal, as it will be of help to a physician if she needs to treat any future dehydration.

• 2

  Drink an 8 oz. glass of water for each time you expel fluids from the body. (This is in addition to the 8 to 10 8 oz. glasses you should be drinking daily.) You can substitute juice or a sports drink as a means to replace expelled fluids. These will also add vitamins and some electrolytes back into the body. Pour some juice or the sports drink into ice cube trays and freeze. This will allow you to make ice chips out of them later if need be.

• 3

  Crush some ice cubes into ice chips. If you have a hard time keeping down larger quantities of water when you drink it all at once, keep a continual supply of ice chips with you, and keep some in your mouth all day or every time you get a chance. Ice chips not only help by keeping your body hydrated, they also help keep the stomach calm and prevent nausea from flaring up. Invest in a small thermos or well-insulated cup so you can take ice chips with you on the go.

• 4

  Eat frozen ice pops or popsicles. These help replace fluids in the body in a small dose, which helps keep nausea at bay. They are also sweet, which can be a pick-me-up, even if they are artificially sweetened. Frozen bananas are a wonderful treat, as they also help replace lost minerals in the body. Frozen juice bars are also recommended, because they contain natural ingredients.

• 5

  Avoid beverages such as alcohol, caffeine and caffeinated sodas. These are all dehydrating to the body and will increase the chances of dehydrating during chemotherapy. Also avoid greasy, fatty, spicy, raw, dairy and whole-grain foods, as they can be harsh on the digestive tract and aggravate nausea, which can lead to vomiting.

• 6

  Take anti-diarrheal and/or anti-nausea medication, as suggested by your physician. Whether over-the-counter or prescription medication, follow package directions closely.