Chemo and Dehydration
The side effects are real, and they take a toll on your body more and more. In some cases, nausea and vomiting are rarely side effects. There are other cases where nausea and vomiting are severe, and medications are necessary to stay hydrated enough and not have any further complications.
Unfortunately, dehydration becomes the main concern for some chemo patients. It is the result of consistent vomiting and diarrhea. The number of fluids going in doesn’t seem to make up for the number of fluids coming out. Our home health patients come to us because this has got so bad that not even oral medications are helping. As a result, IV Fluids are ordered by a physician to keep our patients hydrated. The unfortunate truth is for these patients’ IV fluids are the only way to ensure they are getting sufficient fluids into their system and make up for the loss of fluids.
Home Health patients that are put on IV fluids in the home setting find it easier to rest after treatment as they can receive fluids in the comfort of their own home. For our patients, it is already a difficult task to leave their homes to get to a treatment center. Most patients are excessively drained after treatment and cannot even move much for the next few days due to the body aches and nausea that follow their treatment.
Our nurses go to patient’s homes to monitor their vitals and make sure they are doing okay after treatment. They hang an IV bag and start it up for the patient to get their fluids while they sit or lay comfortably (as comfortable as they can get) while we let the course of the fluids running. Once it’s complete the patient can carry out their day resting or spending time with their loved ones without skipping a beat. The most important part of the recovery process for chemo patients is staying positive and being surrounded by a great support system. Our nurses are a small but important part of that support system to help our patients stay positive!
If you or a loved one is considering in-home infusion therapy, please contact our staff to see how we can help!