Chemo and Dehydration

Eating and drinking during chemotherapy is an important part of staying healthy. However, some drugs cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can make it hard to keep food and fluids down. In other cases, drugs can cause mouth sores or changes in taste, along with dry mouth and other problems that make it hard to swallow and enjoy a meal.

We all know that chemotherapy is an aggressive treatment for cancer and can help extend the lives of many cancer patients. But what many people don’t know is that this treatment can also lead to dehydration. In addition to making you feel weak, tired, and nauseous, chemotherapy can also cause you to lose a lot of fluids as you sweat, vomit, and have diarrhea.

For that reason, it’s important that you stay hydrated throughout your chemotherapy treatment. At the same time, you don’t want to exacerbate more vomiting and diarrhea from your body’s reaction to the chemo.

So what can be done to help with the inevitable dehydration that comes along with chemotherapy?

Staying Hydrated Throughout Chemotherapy

Dehydration is common during chemotherapy treatments, and even when it’s mild it can cause discomfort, lead to fatigue and weakness, and make you more susceptible to infections. Dehydration is often accompanied by the buildup of lactic acid in your blood, which can also cause muscle aches and cramps.

At True Care Hospice, our home healthcare specialists and care team work with you or your family to help your body get the necessary fluids without causing greater strain on your body with regards to how it’s handling chemotherapy. You may not feel like doing much or even moving, which is where IV fluids can help.

Not only can they help you avoid dehydration, but they can also flush out the lactic acid build-up in your muscles that are causing them to ache. The more hydrated you are, the less you’ll feel these effects. Also, IV fluids won’t upset your stomach or bowels. This means you get the hydration you need without more waves of nausea or diarrhea affecting your quality of life.

With an IV hookup, you or your loved one can continue to rest or interact with family members as they feel comfortable enough to do so. We strive to make every patient feel fully cared for by our team of dedicated, compassionate health professionals, and since the body needs to be hydrated in order to help it through the chemotherapy process, an IV solution of water and electrolytes (to help the body hydrate faster) is given to patients.

Plus, our knowledgeable medical team can help monitor you or your family member’s health by visiting them in their home and making sure that they are as comfortable as possible throughout the process.

How Can True Care Hospice Help?

Providing compassionate care to patients with a life-limiting illness is a noble calling, but the challenges can be daunting. In order to ensure that your loved one get the most out of their final months, you’ll need to have a team of hospice care professionals who can be counted on for their skills and expertise.

At True Care Hospice, we pride ourselves on delivering comprehensive hospice care services and comfort to every patient and their family. Our hospice care services are handled by a team of professionals and volunteers who help the patient live as well as they can. Our hospice nurses are specially trained in the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of terminal patients, and they usually see the patients at least once a day. The other members of the team include social workers, caregivers, and chaplains.

To learn more about our professional medical services for cancer patients, including helping with chemotherapy and dehydration, contact True Care Hospice today. We’ll take the time to answer any questions you have as well as help create a plan for you or your loved one that can help you get the most out of our services at any stage of life.