BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuPalliative care - fluid, food, and digestionConstipation - palliative care; End of life - digestion; Hospice - digestionPeople who have a very serious illness or who are dying often don't feel like eating. Body systems that manage fluids and food may change at this time. They can slow and fail. Also, some medicines that treat pain can cause dry, hard stools that are difficult to pass.Palliative CarePalliative care is a holistic approach to care that focuses on treating pain and symptoms and improving quality of life in people with serious illnesses and a limited life span.Palliative carePalliative care helps people with serious illnesses feel better by preventing or treating symptoms and side effects of disease and treatment....Read Article Now Book Mark Article When Your Body has Problems Handling Fluids and FoodA person who is very sick or dying may experience:Loss of appetite Trouble chewing, caused by mouth or tooth pain, mouth sores, or a stiff or painful jaw Constipation, which is fewer bowel movements than usual or hard stools Nausea or vomitingNausea or vomitingNausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...Read Article Now Book Mark Article What you can do to Feel BetterThese tips may help relieve discomfort due to loss of appetite or problems eating and drinking.Fluids:Sip water at least every 2 hours while awake. Fluids can be given by mouth, through a feeding tube, through a tube that goes into a vein (intravenous; IV), or through a needle that goes under the skin (subcutaneous). IntravenousIntravenous means "within a vein. " Most often it refers to giving medicines or fluids through a needle or tube inserted into a vein. This allows th...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SubcutaneousThe term "cutaneous" refers to the skin. Subcutaneous means beneath, or under, all the layers of the skin. For example, a subcutaneous cyst is unde...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Keep the mouth moist with ice chips, a sponge, or oral swabs made for this purpose. Talk to someone on the health care team about what happens if there is too much or too little fluid in the body. Decide together whether the person needs more fluids than they are taking in.Food:Cut food into small pieces. Blend or mash foods so they don't need to be chewed much. Offer food that is soft and smooth, like soup, yogurt, applesauce, or pudding. Offer shakes or smoothies. For nausea, try dry, salty foods and clear liquids.Digestion:If needed, write down the times the person has bowel movements. Sip water or juice at least every 2 hours while awake. Eat fruit, such as prunes. If possible, walk more. Talk to someone on the health care team about stool softeners or laxatives.When to Call the DoctorContact a member of the health care team if nausea, constipation, or pain cannot be managed.Open ReferencesReferencesArnold RM, Kutner JS. Palliative care. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 3.House SA. Palliative and end-of-life care. In: Kellerman RD, Rakel DP, Heidelbaugh JJ, Lee EM, eds. Conn's Current Therapy 2024. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:42-48.Shah AC, Gebauer S. Palliative care. In: Pardo M, ed. Miller's Basics of Anesthesia. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 47.AllVideoImagesTogSelf Care Palliative care - fluid, food, and digestionRelated Information Review Date: 3/11/2024 Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Palliative care - fluid, food, and digestionConstipation - palliative care; End of life - digestion; Hospice - digestionPeople who have a very serious illness or who are dying often don't feel like eating. Body systems that manage fluids and food may change at this time. They can slow and fail. Also, some medicines that treat pain can cause dry, hard stools that are difficult to pass.Palliative CarePalliative care is a holistic approach to care that focuses on treating pain and symptoms and improving quality of life in people with serious illnesses and a limited life span.Palliative carePalliative care helps people with serious illnesses feel better by preventing or treating symptoms and side effects of disease and treatment....Read Article Now Book Mark Article When Your Body has Problems Handling Fluids and FoodA person who is very sick or dying may experience:Loss of appetite Trouble chewing, caused by mouth or tooth pain, mouth sores, or a stiff or painful jaw Constipation, which is fewer bowel movements than usual or hard stools Nausea or vomitingNausea or vomitingNausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...Read Article Now Book Mark Article What you can do to Feel BetterThese tips may help relieve discomfort due to loss of appetite or problems eating and drinking.Fluids:Sip water at least every 2 hours while awake. Fluids can be given by mouth, through a feeding tube, through a tube that goes into a vein (intravenous; IV), or through a needle that goes under the skin (subcutaneous). IntravenousIntravenous means "within a vein. " Most often it refers to giving medicines or fluids through a needle or tube inserted into a vein. This allows th...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SubcutaneousThe term "cutaneous" refers to the skin. Subcutaneous means beneath, or under, all the layers of the skin. For example, a subcutaneous cyst is unde...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Keep the mouth moist with ice chips, a sponge, or oral swabs made for this purpose. Talk to someone on the health care team about what happens if there is too much or too little fluid in the body. Decide together whether the person needs more fluids than they are taking in.Food:Cut food into small pieces. Blend or mash foods so they don't need to be chewed much. Offer food that is soft and smooth, like soup, yogurt, applesauce, or pudding. Offer shakes or smoothies. For nausea, try dry, salty foods and clear liquids.Digestion:If needed, write down the times the person has bowel movements. Sip water or juice at least every 2 hours while awake. Eat fruit, such as prunes. If possible, walk more. Talk to someone on the health care team about stool softeners or laxatives.When to Call the DoctorContact a member of the health care team if nausea, constipation, or pain cannot be managed.Open ReferencesReferencesArnold RM, Kutner JS. Palliative care. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 3.House SA. Palliative and end-of-life care. In: Kellerman RD, Rakel DP, Heidelbaugh JJ, Lee EM, eds. Conn's Current Therapy 2024. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:42-48.Shah AC, Gebauer S. Palliative care. In: Pardo M, ed. Miller's Basics of Anesthesia. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 47.