Water in take !

Hi all , was just wondering , do we have to take water plain? i just cannot drink it neat ! ( haha ) would it still be benefictional having a dash of squash in ? I do find it a chore to drink plain water especially during winter months ! i drink tea alot ,but i have to cut down on caffiene due to heart palpations . but i do drink enough fluids just not water . I see my heam Feb 17th and will be armed with lots questions yet again . Hope you are all starting this year off on a positive and happy note love Holly xx

[Hidden]

Hi Holly hey I drink my water with a lemon cut up in my water bottle. I hear lemons are also supposed to be good for your health. I try and drink 2 Liters of h20 a day. I still get the odd palpitations too!! Seems to be at night mostly when I am tired. One cup of coffee a day for me too.. I would be interested in knowing about h20 intake as well. Will read your post with interest. We are having a real burst of hot weather at present, makes h20 drinking a lot easier! Haha Lyn xx

[jane13]

hi, pretty sure any fluid intake counts. j

[piggie50]

Hi Holly,

I don't think it matters. I Don't always drink plain water. A slice of lemon in really cold water is lovely, when I add squash I just add a very small amount which flavours the water enough. Sainsburys do a lovely cranberry and lime sugar free squash, I'm a bit addicted to that at the moment, I'm also a tea addict and drink many cups a day. But I remember when my late husband had lung cancer the nurse told him to just drink anything.

Best wishes

Judy X

[Kari1961]

Hi Holly

I'm sure that any fluid is good fluid, with the exception of alcohol. I start my day off with a pint of water (I don't mind it plain) then drink another litre of it throughout the day. Plus numerous cups of decaff tea (builders tea, big mugs of it). I try every day to get at least 2 litres of liquid in me.

I also like ginger tea, especially beneficial during the winter as it warms me up and helps to fight off bugs. I just chop up an inch of root ginger and pour boiling water on it, then let it infuse... and drink. It's lovely!

Karina. x

[Hidden]

Thank you all very much , been a great help love Holly x

[cpashto]

Hi folks.

I don't chime in a lot here but I do have polycythaemia and read the posts daily. The reason I'll chirp in is it's one of my areas of knowledge and interest (human nutrition and sports medicine) and it may help clarify things a little.

In the healthy person with no special dietary needs, strong squash drinks, fizzy pop, and hot drinks are all okay to consume in a balanced fashion to maintain hydration. However, a person with an MPD needs to avoid leaning on the above for their main water intake component.

Ideally, you would best avoid dehydrating fluids like coffee and tea as these are diuretics. This doesn't mean you have to cut them out of your diet completely but for every small cup of coffee or tea I would advise balancing the dehydrating effect with a half to one pint of water or weak squash in the hour or so afterwards.

I'm not privy to Judy's late husband's case, but it's possible he was on chemotherapy drugs. Patients on chemo are generally encouraged to drink anything and everything in order to flush the drugs out of the body to reduce harm to organs and negate side-effects as much as is possible. Obviously, this excludes alcoholic drinks as mentioned.

Basically, and as already advised by other posters, adding a little fruit, herbs, and spices to taste-it-up a bit is fine in water drinks, but don't rely on pop and hot drinks to maintain your water balance as many of these are dehydrating and will increase the concentration of blood cells and viscosity over a short period of time.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2016!!

Craig

[Hidden in reply to cpashto]

yes thank you craig, for your input ,all makes sense i only add tiny bit squash to water anyway i also drink a caffiene free tea called red bush which is palatable without milk i personally dont drink much coffee but yea a big tea drinker so thanks everyone again Holly

[mickey64 in reply to Hidden]

The MPN experts say half your weight in water! I know that's hard to do but I was told coffee and tea dehydrates and is not good for us at all and if your going to drink you have to drink just as much water. In any event they say being hydrated is very very important. What happened on your last visit Holly? Are you still on a watch and wait?? Mickey

[Hidden in reply to mickey64]

Hi Micky thanks for reply. my appoiment is Feb 17 th , but not been feeling too great of late , very vert tired all the time , i think i need to drink more thats for sure ,think i over indulged over Christmas ! best wishes Holly

[lizzziep]

Hi, my new years resolution is to drink more. I have increased water (boring) but mainly teas - fruit and green. I asked the specialist nurse and she said more or less any fluid is good (except alcohol) sugar free and low caffeine are better too. But whatever helps you get more fluid in your body! Must run to the loo - again - now!!

[catkinspolymer]

try it fermented with malt

[Phelpsy]

Hi Holly , I know the feeling it's difficult to get 2 Lt. Water down a day , I'm pretty sure all fluids count but waters fine with a

Sugar free Fruit juice , I freeze fruit in ice cubes & drop into my water looks very appetising ,

I love any flavoured tea at the moment Twinings Camamile & spearmint is my favourite .

I also love sugar free jellies I'm sure that counts to , I hope your Hospital visit is all Possitive news . Xx

take care , lov Pam X

[Hidden in reply to Phelpsy]

Thanks Pam , good idea freezing fruit ! oh and i love jelly ! thank you will let you know how my appoiment goes xx

[lizzieET]

Try hot water with a slice of lemon & a teaspoon of coconut oil - sweet & sour water - delicious start to the day, bit of ginger doen't go amiss either.

[mark382]

I have PV and at my very first appointment my haematologist to me to drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day. If I don't I feel so tired that my body aches. She also told me to keep out of the sun. I hate the warm weather as it makes me feel really ill. I guess it's because I get dehydrated and can't take enough fluid on board yo compensate what is being lost. I tend to have a large drink with lunch, and tea flavoured with Ribena and then have sports bottle of water that I just sip between. You just get used to doing it in the end. Becomes a habit.

[Hidden in reply to mark382]

Hi Mark ,thank you , its wonderful to get so many ideas from everyone on here, im same as you i dont like hot weather, spring and Autumn always been my best seasons. but im noticing this winter im feeling the cold more im in the uk ! regards Holly

[jillydabrat]

Your like me, cannot bear to drink plain water so I use sugar free cordial or vimto. If you look on ebay you can buy fruit infusion tumblers that have a tube that goes into the glass of water and you put chopped fruit,, like lemons, limes, strawberries, blackcurrants, etc., and the flavour of the fruit infuses into the water. Just a subtle flavour but totally delicious from a cold fridge. Any fluid intake is fine, you don't have to stick to water

[Polly-PV in reply to jillydabrat]

Got one of these Jilly-absolutely brilliant they are!! Just been chucking lemon & limes in there lately-quick & easy & tastes scrumptious! Much love Poll x

[Linda1950]

Hi like you I find drinking water really difficult, I was diagnosed with ET in Sept and have been told that my water intake is vital so I look upon it as another medicine that I have to take otherwise I will feel unwell and I do. I feel tired get headaches and feel generally rubbish so I have proved over and over how important it is. My body is just getting used to it, I'm going to the toilet less at night. it's a drag trying to find a loo when you get that desperate urge to go and to carry water around with you all day. It has to be done I've found the posts on this subject very helpful and will use some of the advice to help me get this fluid down me every day. Thank You everyone.