sodium levels

sue5749
sue5749 Member Posts: 170
in Caregivers #1
Has anybody here ever had low sodium levels? My husband has been in the hospital since Wednesday evening with low sodium levels and pneumonia. He saids that he was feeling real weak. He had a low grade fever that is why I took him to the ER. The doctor said that his sodium level was 126 but he wanted it to be at least 135, so wanted him to stay for another day. Last weekend he was in the ER for high sugar levels and dehydration now this. I was giving him extra fluids now they don't want him to have extra water with his peg tube feedings just 4 ozs to flush him tube out. They have him on Lasix. So it is so trying to figure out how in the world to get every thing balanced out!

Comments

  • Barbara53
    Barbara53 Member Posts: 652
    #2
    hormone confusion
    Hi Sue, I've heard of this associated with lung cancer and maybe some others. Some tumors release hormones that confuse the liver and kidneys so they don't know whether to retain or release water. If sodium levels go too low the person feels very sick and disturbed.

    It sounds like he's not doing well, so aren't you glad he's getting help from the pros? Thinking of you darlin'.
  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #3
    Barbara53 said:

    hormone confusion
    Hi Sue, I've heard of this associated with lung cancer and maybe some others. Some tumors release hormones that confuse the liver and kidneys so they don't know whether to retain or release water. If sodium levels go too low the person feels very sick and disturbed.

    It sounds like he's not doing well, so aren't you glad he's getting help from the pros? Thinking of you darlin'.

    hormone confusion
    Thanks so much for your replay! I was getting ready to take my husband hope from the hospital this morning when the doctor came in about 4 pm and said your husband has a rear bacteria infection and that he does not want him to leave the hospital. They have to find the (right) thing to give him to fight this bacteria infection. So scared and worried.
  • palmyrafan
    palmyrafan Member Posts: 396
    #4
    Low Sodium and Dehydration
    Well, you certainly are singing my song.

    Last January and February I ended up in the E.R. It took 2 5-day visits for the doctors to figure out that I was severely dehydrated which caused my adrenal glands to function lower than normal. We also discovered that my thyroid was underperforming (due to radiation therapy in 1996 for brain tumors). This resulted in dangerously low sodium levels.

    During my hospital stays, the doctors gave me sodium tablets and started me on Prednisone (for the adrenals) and Synthroid for the Thyroid. While I have always drank a lot of water, apparently I got dehydrated last Labor Day Weekend and didn't realize it. That started a downward spiral of dizziness, fatigue, positional vertigo, headaches, etc.

    Now I see an endocrinologist every 4 months to monitor me and my meds. He is very pleased with the progress I have made since February and while he is weaning me down on the Prednisone (7 mgs maintenance level) I will probably need to be on the Synthroid the rest of my life.

    Talk to the doctor before changing your husband's diet to accomodate the sodium. His doctor may want to watch him and see if he is able to self-correct the sodium levels. My doctors tried originally but found that I needed the sodium tablets to help "spur" my body to start producing the right amounts.

    Good luck.

    Peace,
    Teresa
  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #5
    palmyrafan said:

    Low Sodium and Dehydration
    Well, you certainly are singing my song.

    Last January and February I ended up in the E.R. It took 2 5-day visits for the doctors to figure out that I was severely dehydrated which caused my adrenal glands to function lower than normal. We also discovered that my thyroid was underperforming (due to radiation therapy in 1996 for brain tumors). This resulted in dangerously low sodium levels.

    During my hospital stays, the doctors gave me sodium tablets and started me on Prednisone (for the adrenals) and Synthroid for the Thyroid. While I have always drank a lot of water, apparently I got dehydrated last Labor Day Weekend and didn't realize it. That started a downward spiral of dizziness, fatigue, positional vertigo, headaches, etc.

    Now I see an endocrinologist every 4 months to monitor me and my meds. He is very pleased with the progress I have made since February and while he is weaning me down on the Prednisone (7 mgs maintenance level) I will probably need to be on the Synthroid the rest of my life.

    Talk to the doctor before changing your husband's diet to accomodate the sodium. His doctor may want to watch him and see if he is able to self-correct the sodium levels. My doctors tried originally but found that I needed the sodium tablets to help "spur" my body to start producing the right amounts.

    Good luck.

    Peace,
    Teresa

    solved the sodium levels?
    Hi, New things to worry about, does it ever stop? The doctor in the hospital said that my husband has several bacterias, that he can not take any antibiotics by mouth to treat it, so they are talking about sending him home tomorrow with IV antibiotics. Also is potassium levels where on the high side, omg I am so worried about him coming home tomorrow and I have to give him his IV antibiotics also check in insulin levels so they don't go up to high or to low, and what about all this other stuff. I am not no nurse or a doctor. I am just so worried. I know he wants out of the hospital so bad, as I too want him home. They were talking about a nurse coming out to the house to show me how to give the IV antibiotics. Just so scared!
  • palmyrafan
    palmyrafan Member Posts: 396
    #6
    sue5749 said:

    solved the sodium levels?
    Hi, New things to worry about, does it ever stop? The doctor in the hospital said that my husband has several bacterias, that he can not take any antibiotics by mouth to treat it, so they are talking about sending him home tomorrow with IV antibiotics. Also is potassium levels where on the high side, omg I am so worried about him coming home tomorrow and I have to give him his IV antibiotics also check in insulin levels so they don't go up to high or to low, and what about all this other stuff. I am not no nurse or a doctor. I am just so worried. I know he wants out of the hospital so bad, as I too want him home. They were talking about a nurse coming out to the house to show me how to give the IV antibiotics. Just so scared!

    I don't think the doctors would release your husband unless they considered him "stable" enough to go home. However, once my doctors considered me stable, my insurance company demanded that I be sent home.

    I was asked if I wanted a Visiting Nurse Association Nurse to come by the house to check up on me. The docs still wanted blood pressure readings, my temp taken, etc. Unfortunately for us, she only came by once. After that, she never showed up again. Not sure why.

    However, if you have insurance and they will cover it, you might try contacting a local Visiting Nurse Association group to see if they can at least stop by to show you what you need to do and how to set a good routine for doing it. Or ask one of the nurses at the hospital to show you what you need to do.

    Good Luck!

    Teresa
  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #7
    palmyrafan said:

    I don't think the doctors would release your husband unless they considered him "stable" enough to go home. However, once my doctors considered me stable, my insurance company demanded that I be sent home.

    I was asked if I wanted a Visiting Nurse Association Nurse to come by the house to check up on me. The docs still wanted blood pressure readings, my temp taken, etc. Unfortunately for us, she only came by once. After that, she never showed up again. Not sure why.

    However, if you have insurance and they will cover it, you might try contacting a local Visiting Nurse Association group to see if they can at least stop by to show you what you need to do and how to set a good routine for doing it. Or ask one of the nurses at the hospital to show you what you need to do.

    Good Luck!

    Teresa

    visiting nurse
    I am suppose to go to the hospital tomorrow morning to talk to a social worker there to see if our insurance will pay to have a visiting nurse come out to our house. Hope so, would make me feel a lot more comfortable just to know that there is someone knowing what is going on with him. There is just so much to know with all his numbers so up and down. The last 2 weeks he has been in and out of the ER. First with his sugar going up to 500 and being dehydrated and then coming home a few days and back to the ER for low sodium levels and come to find out bacterial infection and his potassium level being high. Just so much to know. I will do what I can, just hope it will be the right thing. Thanks for responding! I come here every evening. It just seems this is my new life. Know one else really knows what we are going through as before my husband was diagnosed I didn't either. Sue

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