My nurse came for a scheduled visit today to change the dressing on my PICC and do my vitals in addition to drawing blood for lab work. My PICC site looks great with no sign of a rash or infection as of now which is great! I talked to the nurse about how I am so ready to be done with the potassium IVs and she was pretty confident that if my levels came back normal today that I would be back to just fluid IVs.
Well, then later in the day I got a phone call from my OB's nurse letting me know that my bloodwork came back abnormal again. My potassium level dropped from 3.7 to 3.5. I guess normal is considered 3.6 so obviously I am very close but it isn't good that level is dropping again. It isn't alarming and actually makes sense since my potassium levels in the IV were dropped but it is disappointing that my body isn't able to maintain the level on its own. My sodium also dropped and is at its lowest point that it has been this entire time at 133. 136-145 is considered normal.
Home health care came out this afternoon with new supplies and they have changed my fluid bags to saline instead of lactated ringers which should help with my sodium levels. They have increased my dosage of potassium to 15 mil equivalents and I will do this for the next week. More bloodwork next Monday and then we will go from there. I am disappointed and frustrated because this was not the news I was expecting or hoping for but it is what it is I guess. It goes to show how much my body has been through in the past few months and I guess it will just take time for things to regulate themselves. I am anxious since next Tuesday I return to work and I was really hoping to be taking a turn for the better by that point. My hope was that by next week I would be down to only one evening IV a day but I am not sure if that is a possibility yet or not. I see my OB tomorrow and hope to talk to him more about what my levels mean and what the plan for the upcoming weeks and months entails.
On a final good note, after I finish the IV I am currently getting, I will be taking my LAST antibiotic dose tonight! 12-15 pills a day for the last two weeks has been crazy so I am SO glad to be done after tonight! Yay! I will just be on my oral and injectable Zofran now plus the twice daily IVs. I will update tomorrow after my OB appointment.
was thinking of you all day. wanted to call lois but the day got away from me. so I read your blog and received the update. wish you were feeling better but I think it is just around the corner. one bag a day will be a big boost for you, and at work you may feel better. Jane used to say that was where she healed after her mastectomy as she never had time to think about herself at work and time would fly by with no worries. Maybe the same for you. we are doing well here. picking hydrangeas and admiring my morning glories...does not take too much to make me happy. the simple things in life are oftentimes where the joy is...
ReplyDeletetake care...sending love to you. marlene