For the past 4 days I have been suffering from a very upset stomach. This is particularly distressing when taken in conjunction with my radiotherapy treatment, causing a delay in treatment because my bowels have to be empty, but my bladder full. This means the radiology nurses have been sending me off to have a poo, and then filling up with 4 cups of water in 10 minutes. It started last week when I was delayed getting to the hospital and my preparation was interrupted.
I was really demoralised by this, and I was at my wits end trying to work out why, all of a sudden, I couldn't get it right. I started this week feeling ambitious, and increased the amount I was drinking so I arrived fully ready to go. Unfortunately the problem wasn't solved, and Monday in particular was embarrassing to the point I was beginning to wonder if it was worth the effort. I had to reload 3 times, and my 8 minute treatment took almost 2 hours.
I was close to tears.
Then I had a thought... where was all that liquid coming from?
I wondered if drinking too much water could cause diarrhea. Checking Dr Google I discovered that when your body gets more water than it can handle, it can throw off the balance of salts, like sodium, that help control the fluids in your intestines. This makes water move too quickly through your system, which leads to loose, watery stools. Too much water can also water down the acid in your stomach, making it harder to break down food.
So yesterday I reduced my water intake, and bingo. I arrived at the hospital wondering if I had reduced it too far, but no. I arrived, was called, and 10 minutes later I was finished.
I just wondering why no-one at the hospital thought that force feeding me water was the cause, not the solution.
Today, hopefully, these doors will not be the doors to humiliation.
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