Diminished need for food and drink
- Your relative may not want to eat or drink, but this does not cause distress to them.
- As the body weakens and the systems start to work less well there is a decreasing need for fluid. It is important to remember at this time that it is the illness which is making the body systems fail, not a lack of fluid. If someone is very weak and is given fluid by mouth it may go down the ‘wrong way’ and make them cough and splutter, which may result in vomiting, lung congestion and abdominal bloating.
- Sterile salty water can be given through a tube that goes under the skin or through a vein. This is called a drip. At some stages throughout the illness doctors and nurses may feel a drip may help with thirst. However, for most people with only hours or days to live, their body systems are shutting down and thrist is not a symptom. The body cannot handle fluid as effectively as before so giving drips can overload the delicate fluid balancing mechanisims of the body. If this happens your relative may experience chestiness, noisy breathing or swelling of arms and legs, as their body cannot process the fluid from the drip.
