This summer has been hot and muggy.  For hemodialysis patients, the heat can be incredibly challenging to manage fluid intake and keep cool. One’s natural instinct is to grab a large cold glass of iced tea or lemonade. Perhaps, you are tempted with snacking on popsicles and ice cubes all day.  How does a dialysis patient stay cold without drinking a lot of cold fluids? Start with measuring your fluids.  Most hemodialysis patients can have 32-34 ounces of fluid a day.  Remember, ice and popsicles count as part of your daily fluid intake. Consider placing an ice-cold washcloth on the back of your neck.  This quickly reduces the feeling of being hot. A great tip that Dr. Hawkins shares, place sugar free hard candy in the freezer. (It must be sugar free.) When one feels the need to drink or has dry mouth, grab one of frozen pieces of candy and let it melt in your mouth. Sugar free candy takes a long time to melt and when the candy is frozen it can help keep one cool. Still struggling to keep cool. It is time to call your Nurse Practitioner to discuss the matter.  Fluid overload can increase extra visits to the dialysis units for fluid removal, increase the probability of hospitalization and mortality (Ekinci, 2018). Call us, we are here to help! 

Ekinci C, Karabork M, Siriopol D, Dincer N, Covic A, Kanbay M: Effects of Volume Overload and Current Techniques for the Assessment of Fluid Status in Patients with Renal Disease. Blood Purif 2018;46:34-47. doi: 10.1159/000487702