Monday, July 20, 2009
Potassium is poison
Potassium is poison to my body!
I knew that all too well 18 months ago. Back then I knew that I would do anything not to feel too ill again.
Yes, it meant limiting my diet - but so what?
After a few months, the endocrinologist encouraged me to take some risks as things stabilised and jacket potatoes and a little chocolate came back back into my life every now and then.
The risks have grown more numerous. I want to blame the endocrinologist, who has now handed back my body chemical care to the GP. His recent letter to the local doctor instructed them to monitor levels of calcium.
"Hah" I thought, " potassium must be so stable now that it doesn't need monitoring."
I was enjoying fruit shakes in Thailand - melons and pineapples are high potassium items and had been off limits, but they became delicious drinks.
I made some for myself at home - and then this weekend I have gorged on cherries.
It is summer - time for lots of soft fruits.
And salads!
I have had tomatoes - and beetroot in the last week.
And now I feel some of what I felt those three times I was admitted back into hospital with hyperkalaemia (high potassium).
The nausea and head aches upset my balance. I seem to feel the need to breathe more deeply to get extra oxygen within me.
Last night was a bad night. Feeling bad at night always sends the mind into turmoil, but I started to wonder if I would be back in a hospital bed and receiving the medication I had had intravenously before to get the potassium down quickly.
By the morning I realised that the cure might be in my own hands - or mouth!
I would have to eat the very limiting low potassium diet that I had started out on.
New blog friends maybe can hear just how limiting that is some time.
I did feel so queasy - but I am a determined soul when I have a mind to be. I went to the shop - with rice for lunch rather than a potato to bake in the micro wave.
I took paracetamol and an anti sickness pill and survived well for almost all the day.
It was quite a busy day - Bill and I both sold items.
I have had another good week.
We have been in Pilgrims a year now and the accounts show that Bill and I have taken almost the same amounts and our profits are nearly the same - the good and bad months even out.
I mostly enjoyed he day.
It was just in the last half hour that waves of nausea returned.
As we drove home times merged together. Was it 18 months ago and Bill was driving me to the The East Surrey Hospital or were we going home from the shop?
I shall shortly take another paracetamol and antisickness pill and go to bed.
Some comments on facebook have suggested that I might have a bug - goodness there are so many going round just now. And who knows who might have swine flu? This is certainly not swine flu.
If it is a bug, then it will pass - quickly please!
But I won't feel my efforts to cut back on the potassium will have been wasted, for it is where I ought to be.
I hope I don't need assistance from the doctor - but the doctors feel like my friends and supporters so I shall not hesitate if I need help.
Sorry - life seems one long moan at the moment!
But it would be really good if I have now got to the bottom of feeling so very below par.
I knew that all too well 18 months ago. Back then I knew that I would do anything not to feel too ill again.
Yes, it meant limiting my diet - but so what?
After a few months, the endocrinologist encouraged me to take some risks as things stabilised and jacket potatoes and a little chocolate came back back into my life every now and then.
The risks have grown more numerous. I want to blame the endocrinologist, who has now handed back my body chemical care to the GP. His recent letter to the local doctor instructed them to monitor levels of calcium.
"Hah" I thought, " potassium must be so stable now that it doesn't need monitoring."
I was enjoying fruit shakes in Thailand - melons and pineapples are high potassium items and had been off limits, but they became delicious drinks.
I made some for myself at home - and then this weekend I have gorged on cherries.
It is summer - time for lots of soft fruits.
And salads!
I have had tomatoes - and beetroot in the last week.
And now I feel some of what I felt those three times I was admitted back into hospital with hyperkalaemia (high potassium).
The nausea and head aches upset my balance. I seem to feel the need to breathe more deeply to get extra oxygen within me.
Last night was a bad night. Feeling bad at night always sends the mind into turmoil, but I started to wonder if I would be back in a hospital bed and receiving the medication I had had intravenously before to get the potassium down quickly.
By the morning I realised that the cure might be in my own hands - or mouth!
I would have to eat the very limiting low potassium diet that I had started out on.
New blog friends maybe can hear just how limiting that is some time.
I did feel so queasy - but I am a determined soul when I have a mind to be. I went to the shop - with rice for lunch rather than a potato to bake in the micro wave.
I took paracetamol and an anti sickness pill and survived well for almost all the day.
It was quite a busy day - Bill and I both sold items.
I have had another good week.
We have been in Pilgrims a year now and the accounts show that Bill and I have taken almost the same amounts and our profits are nearly the same - the good and bad months even out.
I mostly enjoyed he day.
It was just in the last half hour that waves of nausea returned.
As we drove home times merged together. Was it 18 months ago and Bill was driving me to the The East Surrey Hospital or were we going home from the shop?
I shall shortly take another paracetamol and antisickness pill and go to bed.
Some comments on facebook have suggested that I might have a bug - goodness there are so many going round just now. And who knows who might have swine flu? This is certainly not swine flu.
If it is a bug, then it will pass - quickly please!
But I won't feel my efforts to cut back on the potassium will have been wasted, for it is where I ought to be.
I hope I don't need assistance from the doctor - but the doctors feel like my friends and supporters so I shall not hesitate if I need help.
Sorry - life seems one long moan at the moment!
But it would be really good if I have now got to the bottom of feeling so very below par.
