Question:
Should I take Potassium w/o my Dr telling me to?

I'm almost 3 months post-op. I've been reading about the importance of potassium. BUT I won't be seeing my surgeon for 6 months from now and I won't have my blood work done until a week before that. So, what I wanted to know is should I get myself some potassium pills? Or do I need to contact my surgeon? Also, I can't seem to tolerate bananas; and even if I did, I can't tolerate protein supplements so every meal is protein, protein, protein. What would you guys do? Thanks~    — [Anonymous] (posted on December 3, 2001)

December 4, 2001
I don't have a comment on the pottassium issue, I do however have a suggestion on the protein thing. I personally cannot drink a protein drink. They make me gag like crazy. After trying all types of protein bars I have found and stuck to Designer Whey brand Chocolate Expresso. I try to eat one of these everyday for lunch. I do however remember hearing that bananaas are horrible for post ops. But don't quote me on that one.. Good Luck
   — Kristina P.

October 9, 2003
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER take Potassium supplements without your Doctor's knowledge. As a nurse, let me fill you in on the dangers of Potassium supplementation. Your muscles need a specific amount of sodium and potassium for muscle contraction. Your most important muscle is of course, your heart. The balance between the sodium and potassium is very precise. If you take too much potassium, your body's first reaction is a violent one: It dumps everything in an attempt to bring everything back in balance. This is a horrible thing to see. I have had to take care of Dialysis patients who are puking and having explosive diarrhea (all at the same time) because they ate something with too much potassium. Since their kidneys aren't functioning by removing the excess potassium in their blood, (first thing that a healthy body would do), their bodies go to the next line of defense: they try to 'shed' potassium with severe GI symptoms, like those listed above. If you continue to overide this defense and just keep taking Potassium, that balance in your bloodstream between the potassium and the sodium is upset and in extreme cases, you will simply cause your heart to stop beating. No warning. No going back. Dialysis patients have the opportunity to get the excess potassium removed from their blood with the other toxins and waste products when they go in for their dialysis treatments. Do not ever attempt Potassium supplementation without close medical supervision. There is a very narrow range in normal blood values. You have to stay in that range to keep your heart beating. You would need constant lab draws just to make sure you were still in range. Potassium depletion is very rare and is usually seen in patients who take very large amounts of insulin. But those are patients who are under a doctor's care anyway (or so we would hope) I cannot stress this enough: Danger! Will Robinson! Danger! Hope this helps in your decision. Have a nice talk with your doctor. And let him help you make a healthy choice. Don't do it on your own! Loving care and concern, Mary Cole
   — Mary C.