Water is life. Without it, nothing would live on the planet.
So it is really difficult when you start dialysis, and you are told by your clinical care team to restrict your daily intake of water.
But it is very important for dialysis patients to limit their fluid intake. They cannot stay healthy otherwise.
So, we are sharing here a few tips that will help you to stick to your daily fluid quota.
Few Tips to control thirst & limit fluid quantity:
- Use small glasses, such as juice glasses, at meals. If you use larger glasses, don’t fill them up completely.
- Stay cool. Keeping cool will help reduce your thirst.
- Eat a piece of cold or frozen fruit, like grapes, strawberries or blueberries.
- Freeze your favorite beverage in a bottle and sip as the fluid melts.
- Suck on a piece of sugar-free hard candy or chew sugar-free gum. This will keep your mouth lubricated and you won’t feel thirsty.
- Rinse your mouth with mouthwash. This helps get rid of the dry mouth feeling and reduces thirst.
- Weigh yourself at the same time every day and adjust fluid intake accordingly. This works very well if the amount of food your consume daily does not vary much.
- Take one cup of tea or coffee per day. Remember that fluid intake includes not only water but also tea, coffee, milk, juice, ice cream, cold drinks, soup, and other foods with a high water content such as watermelon, grapes, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, gravy, gelatin, and frozen treats like popsicles.
- When you are thirsty, take only a small amount of water or try ice. Take a small ice cube and suck it. Ice stays longer in the mouth than liquid, so it is more satisfying than the same amount of water.
- Take sips, not gulps. Try to savor whatever liquid you’re drinking and make it an experience, not just a thirst quencher.
- Divide your fluid allowance into manageable parts. For example, if you can have 1 litre per day, you could drink at 4 different times of the day.
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