7 weeks and low potassium?
7 weeks and low potassium?
I am 7 weeks pregnant, and I had blood work the other day which came back and said my potassium levels were low. My doctor asked if I was vomiting and I said no, he asked if I had any diarrhea and I said no. He prescribed to me potassium chloride for 10 days. I have severe fluid retention in my legs, and I wondering if anyone knows if that could be related to the potassium levels. I did a bit of looking around on Google, and I saw a few sites mentioning kidney function and potassium levels. Has anyone else had this issue?
I know why he asked If was vomiting and had diarrhea
I have researched and low potassium can cause fluid retention
I am not vomiting, I have said this in original question
Filed under: Potassium and Being Sick
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Potassium is found in the food you eat– therefore, if you were vomiting or having diarrhea, you would not be absorbing it well. That’s why your doctor asked you about that. It would have nothing to do with the fluids in your legs. Do you know what your levels were? 3.5-5 is normal, so you may have only been on the slightly low side. You probably just aren’t getting enough in your diet. Potassium rich foods include bananas, potatoes, and tomatoes. There are more foods that are good too– do a search. Don’t worry about your kidney function– if your kidneys were not functioning properly, they would not be able to excrete the potassium and your levels would be high, not low.
It depends on how low your potassium levels are, if it is lower than 3.0 then you will need to watch this closely. You didn’t answer as to whether or not you are vomiting because this will cause a low potassium level. It is common in pregnancy for it to be slightly low so no concern unless it is below 3.0. The swelling usually will not be form the potassium level