Hey lymphedemagirl!
LOL...sure do, lots of experience with this considering my fluid collection all over. The consensus with the medical community who treats lymphedema is in agreement that you should be drinking the normal amount of fluids or water. Believe it or not, you can actually become dehydrated even with lymphedema. This dehydration can have a disasterous effect on your health.
If you severely limit your fluid intake, then your body will start trying to "save" or store water (fluids). This, of course, aggravates swelling.
Plus, it is this fluid intake that helps the body flush out toxins, waster etc , so drinking enough is critical to our over all health.
In my own life, I find what I drink and what I eat much more important.
Personally, I avoid soda drinks. LOL...I know...and I do like them too. But, they are nothing but masses of sugar with absolutely no nutritional value at all. Also, it kinda bothers me that you can clean the corroded battery posts in your car with coke. If it cleans those posts, imagine what it does inside you.
I also try to make my fluid count as much as I would my food.
I focus on fruit juices, milk (if you are able heartwise), tea and of course regular ole H2O.
BTW, many many people claim you should avoid caffiene, stop drinking coffee etc. Hogwash! There is absolutely no clinical evidence that having a good cup of java harms you in any way. That mount of caffiene in a cup is totally safe for a normal person. It is the excess of anything that winds up causing us harm, be it coffee, or any other type of fluid.
Alcohol - This is a strictly personal decision based on the specific individual. Some people have medical conditions that prohibit them from drinking any alcohol. Others are on medications that make drinking even small amount of alcohol dangerous, so the combination must be avoided. Others can't stop drinking once they have started and this group must avoid drinking any amount.
I have limited my alcohol consumption the past few years because of my medications. I may have
a glass of wine on the holidays and/or a glass of champagne on new years. I use to enjoy a cold beer now and then, but not any more, again because of my meds. There is nothing clinical that give any evidence that we should never drink just because of lymphedema.
Notice on all these fluids, it is the
amount you drink that can harm you or cause health problems. Moderation and common sense is the rule of thumb.
MSG - I have enough concerns over this that I try to avoid buying foods that have it. I also never use it in cooking. While there is no hardcore clinical evidence that it is actually dangerous, I just have enough questions that I avoid it.
SALT - Here is another hot bomb in LE. Many many people claim you should be on a severely restricted salt intake.
Again, the key here is moderation. The recommended amount of salt per day is slightly less a teaspoon and you will get this from normal food consumption, thus you really shouldn't need to add salt to what you eat.
Apart from the other health issues caused by too much salt, salt can really aggravate edema so it would be wise to use as little as we can.
Lymphedemagirl, there is one question I always will ask anyone who says we should or should not eat or drink anything and that is "Where is the clinical evidence to support your claim?"
Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion.
Pat