Low Potassuim Danger!

I have been doing very well with my weight loss - lost 102 pounds so far. I am working out - exercising so I can decrease the amount of extra skin sagging - so I try very hard to stay on track. However, for a few days, now I have been feeling a little weak and not quite myself.

Friday morning, I was into my usual routine - I had just gotten dressed for the day, and I was going to walk my dog.Then I began to get some pains in my chest - at first I did not think much about it, until it started radiating down my left arm - my arm and fingers began to get numb. I sat down to relax, but the pain stayed with me for 10-15 minutes. After the pain passed, I took my dog out for a walk, but I still did not feel quite like myself so I came back home.

About an hour later I went to the store, but the pain started again and I drove myself to the hospital emergency room - I thought I was having a heart attack. I was examined, and they admitted me to the hospital for tests. They found that my potassium level was way too low. It should have been 3.5 - mine was 2.5. So they gave me some potassium - I could not take the pills, of course, because they were too big for my LAP-BAND® to permit. The other choice was by IV, but I was told by both the doctors and the nurses that this would be very uncomfortable because it would burn. So I asked them if there were a 3rd choice, liquid, and they said yes.

So I started taking this liquid potassium, which also burned going down and tasted terrible. I asked my doctor why the potassium level was so low, and what caused the problem that brought me into the hospital. He does not believe I had a heart attack, and he began telling me why potassium levels go down. As he was talking, a light bulb went off, and I realized what was happening. He mentioned that not enough food as well as vomiting could cause this potassium deficiency and numbness in the arm.

I have been throwing up when I eat something that does not agree with my band, so this seems to be the problem. Also, I'm not eating enough food. All the tests I took in the hospital came back negative for a heart problem, fortunately. The answer for me is to increase my potassium intake - unfortunately, I hate bananas and orange juice does not agree with me because of the acid. So, I started my first banana in the hospital - making that face that children make when eating something they hate, and I ate 1/2! YEA! LOL. I ate 1/2 not because that was all I could eat, but because it was all I could stand! YUK.

So what I am trying to say here is if anyone out there is throwing up a lot, and also not eating enough, have your potassium level checked. Potassium is called Natural Diuretic as it easily gets absorbed by our body and almost 85-90% of it is excreted from our bowels and kidneys (urine). Because of its alkaline property, it is a very important mineral which helps our body system to maintain of pH level balanced and also to maintain proper level of water inside body. The most important function of Potassium in human body is to keep blood pressure under control and help in intra-cellular nutrient transfer. It also helps in keeping acne, some type of allergies, fatigue, kidney stones etc. problems at bay.

It is very important to take healthy and Potassium rich diet everyday in order to keep our body functioning properly and feel healthy.

I'm ok - this is something I will have to deal with - I will start eating yucky banannas and drink diluted orange juice. Maybe one day bananas will grow on me and I will be able to tell you I love them.