What does a 5 mean as far as Potassium?

[Biscoe]

I go every few months for blood work..this time my doctor seemed concerned my potassium showed what she said was a 5.. she said to go on a low potassium diet and to have my blood work sooner. I am considered a 3 A mild ..gfr of 59 ,,can anyone advise?

[Hidden]

To better understand the labs I use labtestsonline.org

When you get there go to TESTS and you can find the norms and why the physician ordered a test.

While labs do have slightly different "normal" references they are usually fairly consistent. The lab my physicians use lists the range as 3.5 - 5.1, so you would be at the top end of the range but not high. Based on additional and/or previous labs your physician may see a trend and that's why you were told to ease back.

You can monitor this better by setting up a spreadsheet for all of your labs.

I list the ordering physician and date across the top and the specific test down the left side. In each corresponding box, I list the test result. If it falls in the normal range I leave it alone. If the result is high I highlight it in red. If the value is below the range I highlight it with a different color. It makes it very easy to spot a trend. Since I have the labs run and see them before I see the doctor, I'm usually a step ahead and make changes before I see the doctor.

Best of luck.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Biscoe,

A 5 means you have elevated potassium in you blood. The high end of the normal range can be 5.1 or 5.2 depending on the resource. Remember that for this test, that is a reading at the moment. In other words, at the time of the test, your potassium was high(ish) Depending on what you ate 24 hours before will impact the reading. That is why you should do a couple of labs to indicate if this is a trend. Mine for example, climbed up over a period of lab results. Then I change up my diet and was more aware and it went back down.

Unfortunately, things like veggies are good for CKD are often high in potassium. Potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, bananas and more are not something you want to include in your diet.

There is a lot out there on low potassium foods.

kidney.org/atoz/content/pot...

[Biscoe in reply to Bassetmommer]

I was put on a depression med early the month before by my primary care doctor ..I noticed when I would go to urinate it was not moving like it should, it was retaining . I told my primary care and she said give it some time. after another week or so I had my blood work done for my neurologist and I told her she said get off of that med..which I did by reducing the mg each day.. Do you think that could have caused my potassium value ?

[Hidden in reply to Biscoe]

Try using the site listed, drugs.com

Enter the name of the drug(s) you are concerned about. You will be able to see any side effects and interactions for each one.

If you enter all of your medications you will be able to see if there are further issues. Sometimes it's a medication issue and sometimes it's the dosage. You'll also see other issues like food interactions.

By setting up a free account, the next time you get a new script you can add it to your existing list and find potential issues before you have it filled.

[Sammi_n_Munk]

Hi there, Biscoe! Yeah, been there, done that, and got the T-shirt! From what I’ve been told by doctors in the past, 5 and above, is high. Not sure what your diet plan consists of now, but if you’re consuming anything like potatoes, tomatoes, oranges bananas, nuts, seeds, chocolate, beans, dairy, and other such high-potassium foods and / or drinks, you may want to lean back on those. If you research online, at DaVita.com, you will find plenty of beneficial food and beverage lists for people in all stages of CKD.

The foods you want to steer clear of are foods high in sodium, potassium and phosphorus. With CKD, even in earlier stages, your goal should be to slow down the progression. Drink water daily. This will help with your GFR numbers as well, and flush your system. You may want to ask your doctor what a proper amount of water is for you.

Also, keep away from anti-inflammatory drugs (over-the-counter varieties as well) and little, or no weight-lifting exercise. Doing a little daily cardio exercising is usually okay. Try not to smoke or drink.

Speak to your doctor and ask if she / he could refer you to a renal dietician. If you’re on any prescribed meds, you should ask your doctor to conduct a review of them, to see if anything you’re taking may be contributing to your condition. Antibiotics can also be rough on the kidneys. Be careful with that.

Hope this is helpful to you. Please take good care of yourself, especially now with all that’s going on. All my best to you, and yours! God bless. 😊👍