AAKP hosts National High Potassium Awareness Day

[Bassetmommer]

AAKP is doing their annual presentation May 1st, on living with high potassium or HYPERKALEMIA. Lots of good info, patient stories, recipes and more. Register for their informative discussion with patients and dieticians and doctors.

aakp.org/programs-and-event...

[jodaer]

I missed the 1st 10 minutes and most of the question period but what I saw was great.

[Sophiebun11]

ROFLMAO I hope out of fairness they'll have a HYPOkalemia Day. I am sick of taking those giant potassium pills.

I know I shouldn't be low at Stage 4 but I am. I guess I'm always the odd ball.

I hope the class is great for those who need it.

Thanks for posting, I am kidding with my reply of course : )

[jodaer in reply to Sophiebun11]

Of course, I wish I were low on potassium. I've had to give up a lot of what I like and most is healthy too, But rather give up than take the icky powder that makes you constipated.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to Sophiebun11]

Sophie, if you are low, which is a bad as too high, why are you taking anything?

[Sophiebun11]

My Neph did a blood test and it was alarmingly below normal. He prescribed me giant potassium pills which I take twice a day. I'm now just over the line of being low normal, but not abnormally low.

Being low was causing muscle weakness and balance issues. I had been sent to PT for the problem by my PCP before the low potassium was discovered by my Neph.

It could have caused serious heart muscle problems too. You have to supplement if you are low.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to Sophiebun11]

oh, I misunderstood. I thought you were taking a potassium binder to eliminate potassium. Yes, low as dangerous as too high. I would love to be able to have low potassium and then I could eat all the lentils and legumes I cannot. I love cannellini beans which are one of the highest potassium foods out there. I make a mean white chili when I could eat them. Do you eat legumes or high potassium fruit? I do not thing I even remember what a banana tastes like or oranges.

[Sophiebun11]

I don't eat much fruit at all. I do eat legumes since I'm a vegetarian and they are a good protein source.

I consider myself lucky diet wise when I read about everyone watching what they have to eat.

I am also borderline low in sodium so my Neph said I can eat potato chips since potatoes are high in potassium and the chips are salty. Don't hate me

: )

My recommended diet would make most here sad or envious. I don't have the dietary problems because my CKD is from my autoimmune disease, not HTN or T2D. I have my own crosses to bear, but not when it comes to diet, although I do have a lot of food allergies and sensitivities.

It was too hard to increase my potassium with diet alone, so I take 2 huge pills per day and it's slowly doing the job. I hope I'll get to mid-range normal and be able to stop or take one pill per week. I've been on my Vit D pills weekly for 15 years and am still very low with a level of 8. I guess my IBS flushes out all my vitamins and electrolytes.