Low Potassium and anxiety?

There are several reasons for low potassium...and I would recommend just waiting to see what you doctor says after more tests.

Try not to worry about it, as it is probably nothing to worry about, and something that can be remedied.

Also do not google search, as you will tend to become fixated on the worst case senario, when there are other benign reasons for this finding.

I know that all of this is a lot to shoulder right now...but realize that so far, your other tests have been showing good results.

You will get your answers soon, and I am sure that all will be well with you.

Keep posting...we are here to help you through this time.

S.C.

Littlewing, I was terrified but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I had known my potassium and sometimes calcium was low for over a year now, only nobody would listen to me, even my doc yesterday I was the one who asked for the kidney and liver panel's she wanted the cbc. I'm just kinda happy that I now know that something might be done or I will have an answer for it, I just hope it's not fatal.

Any words you send my way, HELP! Trust me, I'm grateful to have anyone to talk to me about the things that go on, it helps me cope and I appreciate it fully. I even enjoy trying to help back.

-Jess

Thanks mrs.unique, it helps to know a fellow woman is going through the same thing. Hope yours turns out well, I'm sure it will.

My blood results was normal but they still want me to take the potassium. Nurse said that what keeping it normal. I asked what making it low she said...Don't know sometimes it just does it. Think positve & read something enjoyable.(that's not google) . Try to get that google stuff off your mind & Remember all the other blood work good.

Low Potasium has been a problem for me for the past 6 months to the point where I needed to take 80 mEq of Potasium..................my Dr. went looking for the cause and found the diuretic I was on for BP was causing me to lose Potassium in my urine. We did a 24 hour urine collection and now that we have the answer the medication was stopped and my Potassium supplement was reduced to 20 mEq of potassium per day.
My hubby is always following me around telling me to eat bananas...........I am beginning to look like a monkey. Other foods that will provide your body with Potassium include Dark Leafy Greens (Spinach), Bake Potatoes with skin, Dried Apricots, Baked Acorn Squash, Yogurt, plain, skim/non fat, Avocados, Fish (Salmon) and mushrooms for a starter for you.

I suspect you will be fine so kick the anxiety to the curb and follow up with your Dr.

Be well,
Kitt

Jess,
Each lab may use a different lab value but if your being test in one lab you should be able to keep a table of what your potassium readings are. Our lab considers Potassium, serum: 3.5 - 5.0 mEq/L as in the normal range.

Diarrhea is a major contributor to low potassium if you are afflicted with it seriously. Medications can cause a change in your labs as I mentioned before.

May I ask what dose replacement your Dr. put your on?

Stkitt, 10 meq.

I also have these spells that make me really bone chilling cold, always usually has something to do with going to the bathroom, either I have to go poop, or I have just pooped, and sometimes when I have just pooped I'll get so freezing cold nothing can help me, I drink a bit more water thinking that I must be slightly dehydrated and it will take awhile like an hour to come back up, then I'm okay, sometimes this happens with a bad stomach ache too, then I might be fine for a month or so, and then bam, I'll get those chill things again, and like now, I was taking a nap, was laying in bed with my jeans, sweater and blanket on, not sweating but felt the chills and woke up, had to go poop, no diarrhea, just chilly this time.

Living like this or going through this is driving me crazy.

On a side note I constantly feel like I have to pee now.

Post Edited (Jessiepooh) : 3/9/2013 6:43:02 PM (GMT-7)

Not yet but have been wondering about that, I feel like I'm going to go crazy, since I don't have insurance they can hardly do too much for me, once I get some paper work turned in Monday, hopefully I will get medicaid (sp), I feel like I have things that aren't right with me physically, I've felt that way for awhile now, it seems since I really haven't had a full time doc until just recently, that nobody will really try to help, you might get assigned a follow-up with a doc here or there, but they don't usually dig too deep, they just are always figuring it's going to be the easy or cheap fix, but since I got this new doc that's taken me in for awhile, she's helped more, but like she says in her own words "you need insurance so I can check a few more things out".. it really really sucks to be in this situation which I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Not only do I have anxiety, but I really have things that are going on too, of course I always think it's the worst, and it could be even, I have a 12 year old son with Down Syndrome who needs me, we just got told yesterday that we have until June 1st to move out of our house, landlord wants to make it an office (we're near his business), I don't know what to do at this point, I have had an upset stomach for a few days now, blood work is coming out okay, but not deep tests, I get bone chilling cold when I have diarrhea or have to poop sometimes for the past 1.5 years, and randomly cold chills sometimes, I have what feels like a uti half the time due to increased urination, now low potassium, yeast under my right breast that I can never seem to get rid of, I get swollen lymph glands under both arm pits, more on the right side, seem to run a low grade fever once a month around ovulation, I can't stand this any more, I really can't.

I try to talk to my bf/husband about things, but he's a virgo, he doesn't talk too much unless it's about scientific stuff, he doesn't understand why I get anxiety, and he doesn't worry about anything, my parent's have heard enough totally, they don't know what to do for me and they also think that nothing is wrong and or I worry too much, I have no one else to talk to at all, so I stay quiet about things, I sit in the bedroom most of the time, feeling like crap, bladder hurting etc. I've not been much of an out going person most of my life, I'm pretty shy for the most part, I noticed that people can be cruel when I was in school, I never related, growing up around mostly adults, it was hard for me to understand other kids, they were mean to me, each other etc. I've been bullied, I've seen and stopped others from being bullied because I have never liked that, so anyway, I have always stayed to myself mostly, I don't like how people will purposely cause drama or life difficulties for others, so I don't have any friends because of this. I'm going down this road with nothing more than this website for support and I'm scared, lonely, annoyed, tired.

Don't worry though, I won't be hurting myself, I just want to get things off my chest and this helps.

Thanks for reading. -Jess

Thanks for being here Larry, it means a lot.

I've been trying to keep this rash dry, it flares up and sort of goes away for a bit, no matter what I do for it.

Full plate yes, I will never turn my back on God though, no matter how hard or bad things get, that's the important part.

My son can't do walks very well, he also has other problems along with DS, he has ADHD, and will run off very easily if he feels like it. I had been going to the gym until the sinus infection started just before last week, then all these other symptoms started to flare up, I'll head back that way soon enough, feeling much better on the sinuses, they're almost fully cleared up now.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward!

-Jessica

[@ mrs.unique
I am glad you spoke up with your question as I want to help as much as I can. Potassium is both an electrolyte and a mineral. It helps keep the water (the amount of fluid inside and outside the body's cells) and electrolyte balance of the body. Potassium is also important in how nerves and muscles work.


Potassium levels often change with sodium levels. When sodium levels go up, potassium levels go down, and when sodium levels go down, potassium levels go up.

A potassium level that is too high or too low can be serious. Abnormal potassium levels may cause symptoms such as muscle cramps or weakness, nausea, diarrhea, frequent urination, dehydration, low blood pressure, confusion, irritability, paralysis, and changes in heart rhythm.

Low blood levels are more common than high. Thus a low dose of Potassium may take care of the problem.

I have always had the tendency to run low especially if I have been ill - I take medications that can cause loss of Potassium and my Dr. identifed the culprit that has been giving me problems for the last 4 months by doing a 24 hour urine collection. The lab can check the amount of Potassium excreted in that 24 hours and compare it to normal. My level was 3 times normal so we stopped the medication and weaned the high dose 80 mEq of Potassium I was started on by NP and now I am fine and holding a good Potassium level around 4.2 - 4.4 mEq. I had been dropping down to 2.7 mEq which was to low.

My current Potassium dose is 20 mEq per day but I have just completed 6 months of chemotherapy which accounts for why my Dr. wants to see my Potassium well into the normal range.

10mEq of Potassium Cl daily is a very common dose for people who have a potassium that is border line low. You should do well at 10 mEq and balance that with a diet high in Potassium.

Remember to be your own best advocate and follow up with your Dr.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

Jess,
I understand how you are feeling right now as normally I am not a huge worrier about my health and I do have a fairly long list of problems. When I am not feeling well my Potassium often comes back lower then normal and we either dose me up with IV Potassium or I take low dose Potassium until my lab values return to normal range.

One thing you may want to remember on a visit to the Drs. or ER is to request that in ordering labs the Drs. includes a CBC ande Differential as well as a Basic Metabolic Panel. These two tests will give you a lot of info including your electrolytes ( Potassium/Sodium) and your blood counts ( Hemoglobin, White Blood Count, Platelets). I am sure your Dr. will problably haved ordered these anyway and other labs but if you make it a patient request be sure to state why if they ask you what makes you feel like you need these tests. Turning down a patient request for these basic tests would not look good on your medical record.

From reading your posts I can see how much you have on your plate so do keep on talking with us as we know where your coming from and what your going through.

Kindly,
Kitt

Mrs. Unique, thanks for any and all prayers sent my way, I will do the same for you.

Stkitt, I usually always ask for a cbc, liver and kidney panel, had never thought to ask for metabolic and differential. My doc I think ordered those possibly as she was talking about calcium being a little low with the potassium and I've been slightly anemic for over a year, but usually they get the tests done right after my period which can lower it slightly they say.

Any words of encouragement are appreciated, it feels good to log on here and have people to chat with.

Thank you all *hugs* SC, Mrs. Unique and Stkitt