Elevated Potassium Levels

KDDavis

Hi everyone!

I'd like to pose a situation and see if anyone else has experienced this. I am 13 weeks post rad for tonsil cancer and things are progressing well. Like many here, I subsisted on many bottles of Ensure and Boost for quite a while. Last week I began experiencing significant back pain to the extent I could not get comfortable. So, we went in to the ER at night (on an Army post). It was around 11PM. After they checked vitals (heart rate was 53 BPM which was unusually low for me) I went and laid down only to wake up an hour later with no pain whatsoever. So, we left. The next day I went in and asked the doctor what may have happened. We were thinking kidney stone or something. She sent me to get a CT scan to check for any stones but I've not heard back yet. However, I got a call yesterday afternoon that the bloodwork came back and showed I had elevated potassium levels (5.7 when 5.3 is normal). She has me coming in again today to get a second sample because apparently a high percentage of elevated potassium levels are caused by bad samples (sits around too long before testing, etc.). I have to admit that because of that incident of incredible back pain that I think something else is going on other than a bad sample. I'll find out today.
So, has anybody else out there experienced anything like this? I hope everyone is doing okay out there.

Kent

Hondo

Hi Kent

Sometimes the level of potassium can be affected by the Kidneys depending on is they are working right or not. With you just being out of treatment 13 weeks you still have a lot of rad and chemo in your body and all of that is passed out through the urine.

Hope you’re testing today goes better.
Hondo

Skiffin16

Back Pain
I also had my tonsils out STGIII SCC HPV+.... Ironically I had for several months lower back pain. My chemo MD had me in for chest x-rays, CT, ultrasounds, everything she could think of....my blood levels were good.

We never did find anything and eventually they have gone away....

I did have low potassium once during chemo, and she put me on extra potassium for 10 days, no problems after that though.

One measure for kidney function is the GFR on your blood tests, just an FYI.

Best,
John

tesa

Skiffin16 said:

Back Pain
I also had my tonsils out STGIII SCC HPV+.... Ironically I had for several months lower back pain. My chemo MD had me in for chest x-rays, CT, ultrasounds, everything she could think of....my blood levels were good.

We never did find anything and eventually they have gone away....

I did have low potassium once during chemo, and she put me on extra potassium for 10 days, no problems after that though.

One measure for kidney function is the GFR on your blood tests, just an FYI.

Best,
John

My mother's potassium level
My mother's potassium level went up about a month after completing radiation for paranasal cancer. It stayed that way for about a month. At first they thought it was a sample error since that's usually the case.
Anyway, after being high for a month it went back down to a normal level. She hasn't had any more problems since with her potassium. The doctor wasn't really sure what caused it. He was reluctant to attribute it to the radiation, but I think that is what caused it to become elevated. She had never had high potassium before.

KDDavis

Skiffin16 said:

Back Pain
I also had my tonsils out STGIII SCC HPV+.... Ironically I had for several months lower back pain. My chemo MD had me in for chest x-rays, CT, ultrasounds, everything she could think of....my blood levels were good.

We never did find anything and eventually they have gone away....

I did have low potassium once during chemo, and she put me on extra potassium for 10 days, no problems after that though.

One measure for kidney function is the GFR on your blood tests, just an FYI.

Best,
John

John, I had my blood
John, I had my blood retested today but don't know the results yet. The other parts of the first blood test came back fine. A CT scan found that my gallbladder has an enlarged wall and they will do a ultrasound to check it tomorrow. I'm not too worried about that though.

It's just so hard not to think that every little ache and pain that I feel isn't a resurgence of some type of cancer!

Kent

KDDavis

tesa said:

My mother's potassium level
My mother's potassium level went up about a month after completing radiation for paranasal cancer. It stayed that way for about a month. At first they thought it was a sample error since that's usually the case.
Anyway, after being high for a month it went back down to a normal level. She hasn't had any more problems since with her potassium. The doctor wasn't really sure what caused it. He was reluctant to attribute it to the radiation, but I think that is what caused it to become elevated. She had never had high potassium before.

Tesa, as odd as this may
Tesa, as odd as this may sound, it is reassuring to read of your Mother's experience with elevated potassium. I think that as good as radiation is at killing cancer that it wreaks havoc on other parts that are tough to handle. Thanks for the note.

Kent

KDDavis

Hondo said:

Hi Kent

Sometimes the level of potassium can be affected by the Kidneys depending on is they are working right or not. With you just being out of treatment 13 weeks you still have a lot of rad and chemo in your body and all of that is passed out through the urine.

Hope you’re testing today goes better.
Hondo

Hondo, a CT scan confirmed
Hondo, a CT scan confirmed that the kidneys appear to be fine and functioning as they should. It's absolutely amazing how absolutely happy I can get when I hear a doctor say "the results are normal".

Kent

Hondo

tesa said:

My mother's potassium level
My mother's potassium level went up about a month after completing radiation for paranasal cancer. It stayed that way for about a month. At first they thought it was a sample error since that's usually the case.
Anyway, after being high for a month it went back down to a normal level. She hasn't had any more problems since with her potassium. The doctor wasn't really sure what caused it. He was reluctant to attribute it to the radiation, but I think that is what caused it to become elevated. She had never had high potassium before.

Hi teas

I been wondering about how your Mother is doing, last I heard she went to MD Anderson for a second opinion.

Hondo

tesa

KDDavis said:

John, I had my blood
John, I had my blood retested today but don't know the results yet. The other parts of the first blood test came back fine. A CT scan found that my gallbladder has an enlarged wall and they will do a ultrasound to check it tomorrow. I'm not too worried about that though.

It's just so hard not to think that every little ache and pain that I feel isn't a resurgence of some type of cancer!

Kent

Hondo,
Thank you for
Hondo,
Thank you for remembering my mother in your thoughts and prayers. She's still at MD Anderson. She's been receiving chemo for the past 6 weeks. On Friday she will go to the doctor for her scan results to see how well the chemo is working. Please pray that it will be good. They felt it was best to try chemo with her instead of surgery.

keep her in prayers as we continue to fight this enemy. We are totally trusting in God to take her through this successfully.

Hondo

tesa said:

Hondo,
Thank you for
Hondo,
Thank you for remembering my mother in your thoughts and prayers. She's still at MD Anderson. She's been receiving chemo for the past 6 weeks. On Friday she will go to the doctor for her scan results to see how well the chemo is working. Please pray that it will be good. They felt it was best to try chemo with her instead of surgery.

keep her in prayers as we continue to fight this enemy. We are totally trusting in God to take her through this successfully.

Prayers
Hi teas, you know it will keep Mom in prayer, I am glad to hear they decided to try the chemo first before doing surgery. Let her know that she has a lot of friends here on CSN.

Praying for Mom
Hondo

Hondo

KDDavis said:

Hondo, a CT scan confirmed
Hondo, a CT scan confirmed that the kidneys appear to be fine and functioning as they should. It's absolutely amazing how absolutely happy I can get when I hear a doctor say "the results are normal".

Kent

Normal
Kent, one day we will need to look up and see what normal is, lol. Glad to hear the kidneys are working as they are needed so much with any treatment to wash out the toxic from the body.

Take care, still in Gods workshop.
Hondo

Skiffin16

KDDavis said:

John, I had my blood
John, I had my blood retested today but don't know the results yet. The other parts of the first blood test came back fine. A CT scan found that my gallbladder has an enlarged wall and they will do a ultrasound to check it tomorrow. I'm not too worried about that though.

It's just so hard not to think that every little ache and pain that I feel isn't a resurgence of some type of cancer!

Kent

Know That....
It takes a very long time to not think that way, at least for me...

I was always one that felt if I let it go long enough that I'd get better...and I always did, until once I didn't.

Now if something is going on for more than a day or so, paranoia starts creeping into the picture.

JG

uju99

my wife at ICU
My wife - had chronic back pain and was vomiting constantly just few days ago. WE took her to emergency. Her sodium level was very low and potassium level was high.

She is now at ICU, they are fixing it.

My wife has Overian Cancer since last 2 yrs. Currently she is taking Cytoxan and has finished first cycle - 21 days. This was her 1 week off.

I don't know Cytoxan has caused this or something else.

Hondo

uju99 said:

my wife at ICU
My wife - had chronic back pain and was vomiting constantly just few days ago. WE took her to emergency. Her sodium level was very low and potassium level was high.

She is now at ICU, they are fixing it.

My wife has Overian Cancer since last 2 yrs. Currently she is taking Cytoxan and has finished first cycle - 21 days. This was her 1 week off.

I don't know Cytoxan has caused this or something else.

Hi uju

Sorry to hear the problems that your wife is having. There are a lot of effects that we all have and get due to the treatment we take for the cancer. I hope she does better and gets well soon.

Thanks for posting here on head & neck and wish you both well
Hondo