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Harangozo Asked August 2014

My grandmother drinks water and soda excessively and is constantly thirsty, barely eats. Any advice?

Hello everyone! My grandmother is 83 years old and had a stroke about 12 years ago. These days she has huge trouble with short term memory, barely remembers what happened just a little while ago when we talk to her but day-to-day functions she has no problem with. Our latest problem is that she drinks ALL THE TIME. She is capable of drinking up to 8-10l of liquids every day but eat very little, constantly stating that she's not hungry at all, just thirsty all the time. She prefers the sweet drinks but will drink water as well if nothing sweet is available (we try to keep the sweet drinks away as much as possible). She is overweight and isn't losing any weight (though I think if that may be the sweet drinks). She lives with my brother so she's not home alone at nights and we drop by couple times a week. We also take her to regular doctor visits and they never say anything out of the ordinary (she has high blood pressure and takes medication for that and her memory), but lately it's become really spooky. It's like she's obsessed with drinking. She can't think of anything else and if we tell her that she can drink in a little while, she will completely tune us out and just sit in her chair looking at the water. She gets up at night to drink several times. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing things but any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Veronica91 Aug 2014
Agree with Bannie DIABETES.
Get her to the Dr before she goes into a diabetic coma.
If all else fails take her to the ER or asn urgent care facility. She is overweight and has high B/P all go along with type 2 diabetes.
Expect her to be admitted to a hospital for evaluation and stabilization.
She is in grave danger of having her kidneys fail. Are her legs and ankles swollen?Does she have trouble breathing. Once her probable diabetes is stabilized she will feel like eating again. The memory loos may be a seperate issue of due to the toxins building up in her body. Take action today.

blannie Aug 2014
Yes, being constantly thirsty is a symptom of diabetes. I'd get her checked for that immediately if she hasn't been checked for that before.

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BarbBrooklyn Aug 2014
I seem to recall that extreme thirst like this can be a symptom of diabetes. I would call her physician.

abc1234567890 Aug 2014
If she is truly thirsty all the time, this is something to bring up to her doctor. I'm not sure how much liquid she's drinking, but my Mom's clinic tells her to drink at least 40 and up to 65 ounces per day of non-caffeinated, non-carbonated beverages for good bladder health. So, if your mother is drinking that much, it's normal. But it's not normal to feel so thirsty.

However, it's possible that she's not thirsty but obsessed with the beverages, too. Is she forgetful? Does she remember how much she drinks? Or, is she bored? Could this be kind of an activity for her? That might seem like an odd question but I find my own mother sometimes makes things to do out of rather ordinary things, if you know what I mean.

Taking her to the doctor, regularly, they might not have mentioned this, but did did anyone mention this and ask what could be causing it?

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