You will likely have nurses emphasizing to you the importance of hydration during cancer treatment, both chemo and radiation. But if you don’t, then please, allow me.

(ahem)

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER DURING CHEMO AND RADIATION!!

I’m not a huge water lover – I tend to drink it more out of necessity than because I enjoy it. I have to make a conscious decision to drink water or I’d probably skate by on 30 oz. (or less) per day.

But during chemo, my thirst was so strong it would literally wake me up in the middle of the night. I’d have to chug a solid 8 oz. before I could fall back asleep. I felt constantly thirsty, and I didn’t leave the house without a 20 or 30 oz. reusable water bottle in hand.

This may be a good time to mention that I recommend keeping a glass or water bottle by your bed during chemo. Not only would I wake up thirsty, but often I had to drink 8-16 oz. when I woke up in the morning before I could even get out of bed. Otherwise I’d feel like I’d pass out en route to the kitchen for a refill.

Even if you’re not in treatment, proper hydration helps you control your body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Your body also needs fluids to help lubricate your joints, and to aid your heart in pumping blood more efficiently.

But you’re in treatment. Your body has a whole lot more going on, which makes hydration crucial to your well-being.

Remember that chemo is entering your system by IV, so literally every cell in your body is being impacted by your chemo drug. Water is needed to help push the chemo through and out of your system. The greater your water intake, the sooner you should start feeling better after each treatment. (That’s the theory, anyway. Even if recovery still takes a while, the water is certainly doing more help than harm.)

Also, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably taking even more medications just to keep the chemo side effects under control. All those extra meds – aspirin, Zantac, Phenergan, steroids – require more water to help your kidneys flush out the toxins so they can keep chugging along. (How about a round of applause for your liver and kidneys! Such troopers!)

And speaking of flushing, let’s not forget what your bowels are going through! Constipation and diarrhea are common chemo side effects, both of which require you to increase your water consumption so you don’t feel, well, crappy.

Thirst aside, chemo can make everything feel drier.

I was using body lotion daily, sometimes twice a day, which I typically don’t need to do with Ohio’s humidity. Similarly, I increased my usage of hand lotion and eye drops to a few times a day. I utilized moisturizing facial masks and bath soaks.

Similarly, with radiation, you’re basically cooking that part of your body from the inside. The skin and radiated area will feel drier. Keeping that skin moisturized will go a long way to helping postpone radiation burn. While I didn’t feel thirsty during radiation like I did on chemo, hydration still plays a critical role in keeping the radiated area comfortable and healthy.

Even if I was drinking plenty, my mouth often felt dry. Biotene is a mouth rinse that’s specifically made for dry mouth. It’s commonly found at grocery stores and pharmacies. But check with your infusion center or oncologist first – some centers have coupons available for their patients. Pro tip: Biotene is not just helpful for your daily comfort, but it can help prevent mouth sores, yet another common side effect of chemo. (Seriously, folks, the fun never ends.)

But of course, nothing on chemo can be simple…. As some of you may be aware, certain chemo drugs interfere with your normal sense of taste.

Chemotherapy’s mission is to kill rapidly dividing cells. Unfortunately, chemo can’t differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells that are supposed to divide rapidly, including hair and red and white blood cells. The cells in your mouth also divide rapidly, making them a target of chemo’s wrath, which is why your sense of taste is affected.

And while that may not sound like a big deal, it can potentially make drinking enough fluids that much more of a struggle because everything tastes weird.

Do some experimentation during chemo and try different ways to stay hydrated. Maybe some Crystal Light or Country Time Lemonade packets in your water will do the trick. Maybe Gatorade or similar sports drinks have enough flavor to mask the metallic taste that chemo can cause. Coconut water is a good alternative because it can have fewer grams of sugar while also providing electrolytes. Some patients claim the carbonation in ginger ale, La Croix, Bubly, or Sparkling Ice helped with their chemo-induced constipation. (Just be aware of another possible chemo side effect, heartburn, which can be exacerbated by the carbonation.) I also drank more ginger and herbal teas on chemo – all the more appropriate since I was in treatment during winter, and ginger tea can help relieve an upset stomach.

It’s good to be keeping a log of side effects, and maybe even your bowel movements, so while you’re at it you might as well log your water and fluid intake as well. Even 40 oz. can seem like a monumental effort, so I had to log mine to verify just how much I was actually imbibing. There are apps to keep track of your water intake, or you can be old school and write it in a notebook. However you prefer to log it, I highly recommend keeping a record!

So how much water should you be drinking?

We’re all familiar with the general rule of drinking 64 oz. of water a day. Often we now hear you need to consume half an ounce of water for each pound that you weigh. (For example, if you weigh 180 lbs, you should be drinking 90 oz. of water daily.) Your oncologist or nurses may have more specific information for your personal treatment, but I’d suggest at least drinking the recommended 64 oz. and seeing how you feel. If you can drink more, even better!!

Whatever it takes, don’t follow the advice of that guy in TV commercials who tells you to “stay thirsty, my friends,” or you’ll just end up constipated, grumpy, and possibly strapped to a bottle of saline at your local hospital.

Instead, stay hydrated, my friends.

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