Fluid

[Georgia]

I am looking for creative ways for patients on dialysis to limit their fluid intake and at the same time satisfy their thirst. I am open to all ideas. Thanks,
Georgia

[Beth Witten MSW ACSW]

There are many things that affect thirst. High blood glucose in people with diabetes can increase thirst. Keeping blood sugar under better control helps to control thirst. Sodium makes people thirsty and may be hidden in foods, such as "enhanced" chicken sold in grocery store meat cases that is injected with sodium. Reading labels and limiting salt to no more than 2 grams (2000 mg) a day helps. Many medications have a side effect of dry mouth which can make people feel thirsty. Look at the list of medictions and ask the doctor, pharmacist, or look online for drug information on trustworthy websites:
http://www.medlineplus.gov

You might want to look at the Life Options homepage for Stories and Strategies. There are some are suggestions for how to limit thirst written by patients there. Finally, you can find a fact sheet called Fluids in English and Spanish under Free Materials > Fact Sheets.

[DoriSchatell]

Patients who do home dialysis--PD or home hemo (especially short daily or nocturnal home hemo) have much less limited diet and fluids. Those who do nocturnal 6 days a week often have NO limits and a NORMAL diet. They also need fewer BP meds.

Sometimes thinking outside the box is another way to solve the problem of thirst on dialysis. To learn more about home dialysis, visit Home Dialysis Central http://www.homedialysis.org.