While in the hospital the week before last, my oncologist told me he wanted me to drink a liter of water a day. Yeah, like I can do that, right? Unless I'm really thirsty, water tends to upset my stomach so although I do drink it, I can't drink as much of it as the experts say we should.
So after having a fairly good last week, I came home Friday after work and grew increasingly tired. By Saturday morning, it was all I could do to drag myself around the house. I naturally still blamed this cold that's hung on since February 8, and continued to take my medicine but still felt increasingly lethargic.
My first thought was that I needed to build up my strength through proper nutrition which I'm usually pretty good at anyway. I'm supposed to be on a high-protein diet to increase my red blood cells, so I thought perhaps I needed to up the protein. For breakfast I had cereal with a sprinkling of nuts, V8, coffee, toast with peanut butter, and my collection of vitamins which I've never stopped taking! Lunch was a spinach omelet and half of a baked sweet potato. For a snack I had pears and cheddar cheese. I started feeling a bit better but not totally.
That's when I decided to go back and read through the stack of reading materials I received from the doctor. There in black and white it said to drink 2-3 quarts of water withing 24-hour.
That's 2 cups to a pint, 2 pints to a quart = 8-12 cups of water per day.
Fortunately I have a small pitcher that holds just about one quart so the math wasn't too challenge for my poor little grey cells--drink 2-3 pitchers of water and I'll be on the mend.
I took a 2-1/2 hour nap in the afternoon and noticed I felt pretty good when I woke up. I finally finished the third pitcher of water before going to bed. It's amazing how much better I feel today.
Note to self, idiot--keep the water coming!
1 comment:
Reading about the water is funny...in a "I get it" kind of way. I've been told time and again (I should've counted all the times I've been told in the last year!) how important it is to drink plenty of water, not just on shot day (I have MS, in case you haven't heard it through the grapevine), but throughout the entire week...and it really does make a difference in the lessening of the "just shoot me now" feeling I have on my lovely Saturday post-shot nights. (Why didn't I make shot day on a work day?!) I honestly can tell a difference when I haven't had enough water. Which would explain why I always seem to be in the bathroom when you are. I swear I'm not stalking you. I just have to GO! =)
Post a Comment