Potassium Predicament

My ambitious aim is to bring you updates every Sunday. 
I will start with just the latest of many, to get you up to date. On October 15^th Mom had a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Adeyemo, her primary care physician. As was our necessary practice, I had her go to the lab for blood work the week before. (Sue took her this time) At the appointment with the doctor she told us she was concerned about mom’s potassium levels. ( A Potassium supplement is necessarily added to her pills to counter the leaching that is caused by her diuretics. ) Dr. asked me to remove her potassium supplement and be aware of the foods that are naturally high in the mineral; raisins, potatoes, tomatoes, bananas. Also she wanted me to stop her secondary diuretic as this particular one is also adding instead of subtracting potassium to her system, as well as get another blood test.

Because of the struggle in getting Mom to the lab for blood work I asked the hospice RN if there was a way to get them done at home. As it turns out, they will do blood draws at home. We were so grateful. We had the RN draw the blood and then I took it to the lab that morning: 10/29. October 30, while I was at prayer meeting, Dr called home to tell us that not only was the potassium not diminishing, it was higher, alarmingly so. She was going to call the pharmacy hotline and prescribe a solution for her to drink immediately, to purge her system. (I came home & found mom at the computer reading about how she could die from potassium poisoning.) I was to go to the pharmacy first thing in the morning and get the powder. The doctor was very concerned. We were very frightened and didn’t sleep well.

I went to the pharmacy @ 8:30am to pick it up, only to be told there was nothing submitted, nothing prescribed. I called the Dr’s office. They called the Doctor, who was at the hospital doing her rounds. She is certain that she did call, but would call again. I am sitting at the pharmacy freaking out…

We gave her the solution and then had hospice take another blood test on November 12. Mind you, they have a protocol, and this necessarily takes a few days: blood draw, delivery to the lab, results submitted back to hospice, someone calling me. This can take a while. Eventually the lab told hospice that the blood drawn was insufficient for tests and they wanted more…so more they took, on November 19 she had yet another blood draw. On Tuesday I called her from work to ask her what she wanted for supper. I told her she could have anything she wanted, we would disregard all diets tonight. “Chips and Guacamole!” she says. So we did.

This time the blood test showed that the potassium level was back to normal. I am contantly amazed at the process & I sometimes feel as if I am getting a medical degree bit by bit.  Overall, Hospice has been a tremendous blessing.  They have been terrifically informative, supportive, and a wonderful addition to the family.  Another reminder that we have so much to be thankful for. 

I depend on your prayers. 

Here is a picture taken last year at this time.  We went to the Hyatt hotel for tea with Marie and Wendy Woehl.