ANSWERS TO MOJO'S QUESTIONS

[Guest guest]

Hi Mojo,

To answer your questions.

1- I have no Idea why my potassium level was so low ......I drink water all the day long, and eat bananas and dried prunes as snacks for the Potassium. I HAD been feeling very tired, and just napped most of the day before. I have Not been taking Diuretics. they make me deathly ill.

2- Yes they started me on an I.v. with Potassium immedately, they had to keep watering it down.....till they got it at a concentration of .5 cc per 100 cc of saline or (whaterver they were using to water it down with) per hr......before I could tolerate it going into my veins......Man it was like they were pushing fire through my veins. I have had Potassium in I.V. before, and NEVER had it burn like this.....I asked the doctor Why , and he said that Potassium is so caustic, that a lot of people just can't tolerate it at high levels........This has happened a couple of times before and I wound up in the hospital with them Pushing Potassium I.V.s

3- I had no warning signs except for feeling really tired the day before. I am hoping to find a new doctor closer to me so that I can keep a better check on things like that.....a few weeks ago I felt that I might be low on Potassium.....having legs cramps and such, I went all the way to FT. Worth to have my PCP do blood work to check it.....It was on a Friday, and on Monday I called and asked for the results . I was told that everything was perfectly normal at that time.

What else can I do to take care of myself.....you say that O.J. is good to keep on hand also? I will keep that in mind, and get some cans of frozen concentrate to keep in my freezer.

I am having legs cramps today.....but I think is is just from the walking I had to do yesterday when I went grocery shopping. I use a little electric cart at the store, but they don't come home with me and unload and put things away for me. LOL

I also had to do some shopping at Walgreens for my Calcium suppliment and such...so I'm really tired today.......It is like 108% and the ozone is in the orange ......so I did my shopping in the very early hrs. Thank goodness for 24 hr markets !

MY WEEKEND IN THE HOSPITAL

Dear Friends

I have not been on line the last couple of days ....first, I was Hospitalized overnight when My blood pressure went sky high on Saturday morning...(.221/119) , and my potassium level was way down. I just knew something was not right, and called 911 and was transported to the E.R. After they did an EKG, chest exray, and blood work, it was decided to keep me overnight to stablize me. They also put me on I.V. with steroids ,to get this nasty rash under control. . I did not have the chance to notify anyone to put me on "NO Mail" or do it myself.....so of course when I got home Sunday afternoon, my Emails were bouncing, and Yahoo had cut off my account.

I finally got reinstated, then "Lamar" (my computer) started having some problems. Then I lost my Instant messenger.

Anyway I'm back up and running now. ........I just called the Hospital and had them fax a request for my Medical Records of my stay in the hospital this weekend to my Apt. Managers fax machine , while I am at it I will get the Records of when I fell and broke my Leg in 2/ 2000 ....I was taken to the same hospital at that time.

I also called my Insurance Co. and asked them to send me a list of their providers , so I can try to find a PCP closer to me, and who has hospital priveleges at a Hospital closer to me. I need someone closer, and who will be able to take care of me when I need to be hospitalized.....besides I am just not too happy with my old PCP anymore.

So its a doctor search all over again !! Hopefully, I can find a good one this time .....I have not had much luck with doctors lately.

The Doctor on call and who took care of me....added a new blood pressure medication to be taken along with the 5mg. of Norvasc I have been on. He prescribed 0.1mg. Clonidine HCL. to be taken 1 tablet twice a day. .........So now I get to see if I am going to have an allergic reaction to THIS medication. The I.V. s of 70cc of Solu Medrol(sp) every 6 hrs. has done wonders to clear up the rash that has been plagueing me forever......Plus I was given a tube of hydrocortisone cream 1 % which is helping too, and .....I'm taking 25mg. of Benedryl every 4 hrs.

I would like some feedback on this new blood Pressure Medication, Clonidine HLC ....if any of you have taken it and how well it has worked for you ,

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