I think the hardest part for me being on dialysis is limiting my liquid intake. You really must think about all the things that break down into liquid and count that as part of your total intake. So that applies to soup, Jello, Italian ice, coffee, soda, water, etc. I love to have a big Buc-ee’s drink or Sonic Route 44 for a road trip. Now, I either don’t get anything, or I just get a small or medium drink.
I have found that if I have a smaller cup, I do drink less. But I think the biggest thing I have changed to keep from drinking too much is to drink something I don’t really like. If I drink a root beer or lemonade, I always want more when I run out. But, I really don’t like water….it’s boring, and who wants to drink something boring? I can usually fill up a cup with water at dinner and will still have ½ of it left when I’m finished. I don’t recommend drinking anything horrible, but just find something you can tolerate. Not every drink should be tolerable, just most.
I also struggle when we do eat out because of refills. Don’t let the wait staff refill your drink because you can quickly lose count of how much you have had. And finally, just don’t think about it. If you focus on not being able to drink anything, you get thirsty. Kind of like when you have a surgery and you can’t eat or drink beforehand….that’s when you want it the most!