By Mrinal Pandit, Chief Dietician, NephroPlus
Staying well-hydrated is always important, particularly in the summers when the temperature rises and our perspiration (‘sweating’) increases. Every day, our body loses water naturally through the urine, intestines, skin and lungs. So it is advised to maintain a generous fluid intake. But this is not the case with the guest with altered renal function. Excess water in the body may lead to fluid overload. It causes edema, high blood pressure and may eventually contribute to heart disease.
There is “Safe’ amount of water to drink each day. The recommended amount of fluid depends on many factors.
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Urine output
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Breast Feeding
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Perspiration
The water allowance for guest on dialysis can be calculated as urine output + insensible (from kidneys/lungs/intestine) water loss which will come to around 500 ml.
So for instance if your urine output is 300 ml than your water allowance will be 800 ml (urine output + 500 ml plus insensible water loss).
Now is the real task to maintain the fluid balance…
So here you go with small tips to keep a check on fluid intake:
1. Water – Maintain a bottle; fill the bottle with the recommended water allowance.
Make sure you drink water from the same bottle; this will help you keep a check on the water intake.
If you have any fluid e.g.: Milk, Buttermilk, Weak tea, Lime water make sure you replace it from the bottle.
Monitoring of fluid will help you avoid unwanted complication.
