Potassium 15, dizziness, exhaustion, please help!!!

[ill13632]

I had a potassium level of 15 but the doctor didn't treat it after trach surgery is there anything I can do RIGHT NOW to treat it?  I've been drinking a lot of soda and have some nebulized albuterol but these are only short term
I've been having lower back pain and trouble urinating


This discussion is related to High potassium level.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello, agree with you pseudohyperkalemia is typically caused by hemolysis during venipuncture. Because red blood cells have high concentration of potassium, hemolysis can lead to high potassium levels in the bloodstream. Have you been diagnosed with NAFLD? The liver enzymes can be raised due to NAFLD. If your bilirubin values are raised then the yellow stools can be due to the liver disease. How is your urine? Just to note besides liver disorders the AST and ALT levels are also raised due to muscle injury and medications. Regards.

[ill13632]

the nurse pricked my arm 3 times, then my level came back normal, they said it was hemolysis.  my arm didn't heal there was splotchy red under the skin with my liver at AST ALT 80/260.  I still have yellow stools, maybe I had liver damage with cirrhosis NAFLD from anesthesia?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The normal range of potassium is 3.5-5.2 mmol/L. Increase in potassium level (> 6.5 mmol/L) is considered a clinical emergency because it is associated with high risk of cardiac arrhythmia and, ultimately, cardiac arrest. If plasma potassium is > 8.5 mmol/L, it will inevitably lead to lethal cardiac arrest. So, it is not possible to have a value of 15. Please recheck the values.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.