Could dehydration and anxiety be due to chemo treatments?
Patient: My husband has been under chemo treatments for 6 months now after colon cancer was found after obstruction and removal of colon and in the last 2 weeks he has not ate well been having trouble with dehydration and anxiety. The last 3 days are of him non-stop talking, from things he wants to do to god knows what. Not a person can get a word in and if you try he will walk away and get sick.... I told him it was like dealing with a spoiled rude baby... he just kept on talking about the sewer system. Is this a sign the cancer has spread to his brain - He said he will not go back to the Dr. cause the chemo is the problem. Doctor: Hi,Thanks for writing in.Cancer is a difficult condition to treat and depends on the individual case. Your husband had a surgery followed by chemotherapy that has been on for last 6 months. It is possible that due to side effects of chemotherapy he is unable to have a good meal because of lack of appetite. Along with inability to eat there is also decreased liquid and water intake in many people on treatment with chemotherapy. In this situation you must see that he has an adequate fluid intake of 2.5 liters every day to keep his hydration normal. Since a colon cancer can cause liver spread in half of the patients therefore complete follow up is required and ultrasound scans and CT scan might help.Regarding his talking irrelevantly, it is important to know if his serum electrolytes are normal as you have said about his possibility of dehydration. Please get his sodium, chloride, calcium and potassium levels checked. He also has little amount of anxiety that is present due to continuous treatment and not being able to lead a normal life. A spread to brain is less likely if you think about the way he is behaving. If he continues to behave this way and his electrolytes are normal then consult a neurologist. Please do not worry.