Potassium (again!) for Val

[Guest guest]

Dear Val,

I think there has been a misunderstanding here.  You sent me a recommendation in

an e-mail on the basis that the set of labs done on the 10/08/09 were the most

recent.  I think you have read this date the American way (or, not wishing to

be chauvanistic about this, I wrote it the European way!) and thought that they

must have been taken on the 8th October when in fact they were taken on the 10th

August.

On the basis of this date mix-up you made me a recommendation for potassium

supplementation.  Given that we agree that there has been a misunderstanding is

there anything you would like to change in that recommendation?  I have put the

exchange of e-mails below in chronological order so that you have all the info

you need and don't have to rewrite things unnecesarily.

I am sorry that I did not think about this date business before and for the time

wasting that it has caused.  By the way, I have not started taking potassium

supplements yet. So don't worry. I'm not in danger of ODing on potassium.

Although my potassium seems to be back in range, I believe that T3 or HC wastes

potassium and would not like to get low again.  I have aching arms, legs and

feet and low aldosterone (according to the pupil test).  I think this might be

due to an electrolyte imbalance/deficiency.  Just about everything I tested for

last year showed up some sort of deficiency. What do you think?

Hope you are feeling better and that it's not too cold in West Virginia,  Sorry

about the s***w up.

MacG.

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My Question :

Dear Val,

A couple of months back you looked at some of my labs and said that my potassium

looked low.  So before I go Internet shopping I would like to know how much

should I supplement?

I saw recently in a post that you think that potassium and sodium should be

supplemented together.  I am currently taking 1/2 to 1 teaspoon full of Celtic

Sea Salt per day.

For information here are the labs I sent you before :

Blood tests : 10/08/09   10TH AUGUST 2009

Sodium 139 mEq/l    135-145

Potassium 3.45 mEq/l    3.7-4.9

Calcium    91 mg/l    90 - 107

                2.28 mmol/l    2.25-2.67

Blood tests : 23/09/09  23RD SEPTEMBER 2009

Sodium 141 mmol/l    136-145

Potassium 4.1 mmol/l    3.4-4.5

Chloride    103 mmol/l    98 - 107

Urine tests : 23/09/09 (Over 24H)

Sodium 140 mmol/24H    40-220

Potassium 93 mmol/24H    25-130

Chloride    135 mmol/24H    170-255

Thanks for any help you can give me.

MacG.

Your answer:

Sodium 139 mEq/l 135-145

Potassium 3.45 mEq/l 3.7-4.9

As electrolytes change VERY quickly, you woul duse these labs as they are most

recent. From here oyu need more salt and potassium both. I would start wiht no

less thna 3000mg potassium with these labs and then in 1 week increase salt

another teaspoon. Then in a week get a new electrolyte panel to see what it is

doing.

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Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV