My potassium is 2.9. Usually at 3.5 they have you in hospital with potassium IV. Since Doc just watched me hobble in to his office on Hubby's arm. He knows I am better... as I could not walk into the ER or out of it on Friday. LOW POTASSIUM CAN CAUSE HEART ATTACK. I already left sided heart disfunction (which goes in to left sided failure).
At ER on Friday night
Paramedic took me to my room as the staff was busy and my BP was 85/53 and I was having chest pains. Pain level at 8, throwing up and diarrhea. I had taken 2 Humira and it did not not slow down the freight train (because Crohns wasn't the problem) Told Hubby he expected me to just slump over at any time and figured he was the best person at the spot to deal with it. Hubby told him they could tag team it as he was retired EMT. plus squad driver.
RN took one look and called for blood work, and all the heart crap stat. PA came in and started hooked up IV but was nice to draw blood since he taking my only good vein. They did a small amount later to run second test for heart attack. NO heart attack but definitely heart event with stress. Still was at level 8. pain
Meds for throwing up. Had to wait for ct scan to show nothing was blocked before they could give me a pain shot. NO blockage, gave me standard morphine (that's all I can take) It did not kick the pain down. Still at level 8. Not throwing up (such a relief) but went through 8 diapers in the 3 hrs. we were there. Said potassium low. So as I was being releases I asked what meds was being sent to pharmacy... Potassium. Doctor has already been in an out making comments about I have crohns. I asked for pain meds to get me through until I could see my doctor. He refused. I could see my primary for pain meds for my crohns. Nothing for diarrhea, nothing for throwing up, nothing for pain. PA could not understand it and mixed the powdered potassium and wondered out loud why I wasn't just given the pill. When I immediately threw it up and he wiped up the floor, washed and dried my crocs so my feet wouldn't get wet. He pulled what was in the that powder, Printed it off and told me to make sure my doctor saw that. It has citric acid. Citric acid is know to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and sever stomach cramps.
I walked in hanging by my fingernails on that cliff and walked out wondering how to harm myself without screwing it and causing more pain. Thoughts on our 30 children, grandkids and great grandkids pasted through my mind. It was great grandbaby that had to have four surgeries since birth 3 months ago to get her shunt to work correctly that stopped me. I could imagine her tiny little foot kicking my in the butt. She worked so hard to come home and I was giving up over a butt head's belief. I had crohns so I should just accept the pain. IT was not the crohn's causing the problem but the potassium.
I hadn't been able to hold anything but water down since Tuesday the 7th (Hubby said politics has made me sick). Call primary early Monday morning and leave message including I had thought of self harm until I thought of baby. I was in, blood work drew. Meds for pain, throwing up, diarrhea and potassium. He filed a complaint at that Hospital. He is checking my blood work again on Thursday, got the hospital Hubby has voice therapy to take his order and run it so I don't have to drive so far. IF it is still down, I will be in hospital until it is up enough I am not in danger.
My GI and my GI PA was through the roof. I was not told to follow up with them (I did request it be after Tday as I want to get the potassium fixed first). Was not sent records I was even in. Full review of the doctor and his orders concerning me are under review. The fact that several of the staff heard him tell me I had crohn's I could talk to my primary and ignored I was a heart patient and GI patient with level 8 pain and no meds to cover Friday night to Monday was shocking. The nurse at my GI office called and asked how I was doing. She doubts if the doctor remains on staff. In this hospital , it's not 3 strikes you are out, it's one strike and you are out. He didn't even follow protocol. Said the RN and the PA and the ct scan tech all reported him also.
We will see where that goes.
Meantime I am limited up as I get to shaky to walk. I have no strength. But I have to eat solid food with the potassium. Yesterday I cut up 3/4s of a cheeseburger slider in to 8 pieces to have 1 before each pill and 1 at the end to get rid of the nasty tasting crap. I actually held it all down with sips of water in between and puke meds 30 minutes before I started. Now down 30 lbs. I look like Mother when she was on Chemo
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