@sksnow, the whirlwind you're going through is standard. I've been giving talks on lung cancer awareness and pre-screening, and have teamed up with a nurse from our local cancer institute. We start with an outline of my journey, and I describe "The Whirlwind" that always follows a cancer diagnosis. It makes sense. Once the doctors know cancer is in there, they want to get rid of it as fast as they can.

Unless you graduated med school, you're not supposed to know what to do. That's why we go to our doctors. Your Oncologist needs to be your friend. Tell them about your concerns and ask his or her advice. Don't wait for your next appointment; call his or her nurse. If you're plagued by questions and don't know your Oncologist nurse's first name, you're not calling often enough. 😉 If you're worried about your sodium level, which IS low, ask if you should get a referral to a Nephrologist.

As to dehydrating yourself, my Nephrologist tells me to "drink to thirst". In other words, don't drink because you think you should; drink when you're thirsty. He says thirst is one of the most powerful human needs. Trust that your body won't let you dehydrate.

Lastly, you can't raise your blood sodium level by taking in more salt. The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, my Oncologist, and my Nephrologist all agree on this issue. Low sodium means you're peeing out your salt. At my stage, I can keep my sodium level at 132 even with a cup of coffee in the morning and about 1 qt of water the rest of the day. But when I was 126, I stopped coffee because it made me pee.

I know, firsthand, that what you're going through is hard. But hang in there and keep smiling. Laughter really is the best medicine. Trust your doctors and take everything you read on the Internet with a GIANT grain of salt.

Except for what I write. You should absolutely take everything I write to heart. Lol! 🙂 All the best to you.

I’m 77. Jan 23 was diagnosed with Afib. A cardiologist put me on 50 mg losartan,50 mg metoprolol, and Elequis. I could barely walk thru my house. I also started sleeping issues. The cardiologist said “you are having nightmares. Let’s cut metoprolol to 25 mg.” I didn’t think I was having nightmares but added a sleep app to my cell phone. Sure enough, I was calling for help, moaning in my sleep. Finally he said no more metoprolol. I told my GP and he had never heard of it. Looked it up and said, “yes, it can cause nightmares.” It also causes fatigue. Discuss your symptoms with the Dr. There may be options.