Want to thank everyone for their input about the potassium. My

In Reply to: Can't find potassium chloride tablets to posted by buy over the counter. Anyone know why? Thanks. nm on Thu, Sep 09 2021 at 03:42 PM CDT:

My lab work in July 2021 showed my potassium to be low, so my PCP gave me an Rx for potassium chloride ER 10 mEq for 30 days. When I finished the Rx, I was supposed to get another blood draw for the potassium level, which I did.

I sent a fax to my doc's office on Thurs., Sept. 2nd, to let her know that I would be getting the lab draw for potassium on Friday, Sept. 3rd. If I had to take potassium permanently, I asked her if she would send the Rx to a particular pharmacy.

The last two times that I had to have blood work done, I stopped going to her office for them (too many extraneous charges) and instead I drove myself to the lab facility that she uses. I just get the referral from her.

I received an email from the lab on Sat., Sept. 4th at 7:16 a.m. that said my results were ready. My potassium was 3.5 (low-normal).

I waited a few days and never heard anything from the office. I called the doc and told the gal who answered the phone why I was calling. I asked if the doctor had looked at my labs yet and did she want me to take potassium chloride permanently? The front desk/billing gal pulls up my lab results on her screen and proceeds to try and interpret them (no, no, no, wrong, wrong, wrong). No one in that office has ever done anything like this before. I immediately reminded her that I just wanted to know if the doc wanted me to take potassium permanently? I asked her about the fax I sent, and she didn't know anything about it. So, I sent the fax again. She said she would ask the doc about the potassium, but I haven't heard anything.

I was asking you all about the potassium because I was trying to see if I could get potassium on my own, but that mineral is a little tricky to use.

Some of my lab results were wonky from earlier this year, but I paid more attention to my diet (severely reduced the amount of fruit/fruit juice/soda/iced coffee I was consuming and started including water on a regular basis). By Sept. of this year, my lab values were back in normal range, except glucose at 106.

By the way, I'm the gal who had posted a thread earlier this summer (July) about having problems with my PCP. I was asking you all questions about how your doctor offices do things. I'm going to respond to your input in my earlier thread.

I will be getting another PCP. Something has happened. The way this doc runs her office has completely changed since 2020. My yearly evaluation is coming up in November, but I'm looking for a new doctor. On another forum, I'm collecting info from folks in my area about their doctor experiences.

Thanks for reading, folks.

Follow Ups:

• Definitely get another PCP. And why is glucose 106 a problem? If your potassium is low normal, it's still normal. SM Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 02:25 PM CDT (5)
  • I'm not diabetic and would like to keep it that way. Normal fasting glucose at my lab is 70-100 mg/dL; 106 is pre-diabetic. sm Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 03:46 PM CDT (4)
    • Keep in mind that if your size requires fewer calories than the average male they use for their numbers, you will also require less of everything else. sm Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 06:08 PM CDT (1)
      • I didn't know that about reducing sodium intake to reduce need for potassium. Thanks! nm Another poster. Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 07:05 PM CDT (0)
    • Except you aren't potassium deficient, just low normal which means you're in the normal range. sm Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 05:54 PM CDT (1)
      • On 07/30/21, my potassium was below normal at 3.2, which is why I was Rxd potassium pills for 30 days. My Sept. 3rd lab test showed potassium as ... sm Sun, Sep 12 2021 at 04:38 PM CDT (0)
• Absolutely do NOT take potassium on your own w/o doctor's input. Too much or too little potassium can cause heart attack/heart problems. Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 01:52 PM CDT (1)
  • Yeah, thanks. nm Sat, Sep 11 2021 at 03:58 PM CDT (0)

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