Question: Hi iv been going through a really tough illness. I first had bronchits bad then got gastritis. I kept being put on waiting lists despite crying out for doctors to help me in a and e depts. I have fibromyalgia n the bronchitis already had me bedridden. Every time I'd try get up on feet I'd wake up with full blown flu like symptoms. It ended up I got so low on potassium I nearly had a heart attack. I have felt awful since n was constantly dehydrating along with palps weakness dizziness lbp. The doctors kept saying the potassium was normal but i research it myself n all symtoms were of this so i started consuming alot of potassium n my blood pressure went up and the dehydration symptoms ceased. However I am still really weak n its so hard trying to get potassium into you every day especially as im decient in it. They won't give me a supplement, have you any idea how long it will take to build back up in the body? I feel cofused n not myself and exrememly weak i wake up with bad cramps in legs every morning. Its also been discovered months later that i had h pylori infection in my tummy n this is why i felt so bad also, I knew they were missing something...I'v just started the antibiotics for this, how long will it take for these to work? they are also makiing me feel sick n i found it hard to eat today. A few weeks ago my k was a 3.4 n since i started consuming lots of potassium its a 4.2 not sure what is is today as i feel so so weak n also had low phosphate..i really wish i wasnt battling eleclites now on top of everything iv suffered enough. If I miss one day of not consuming the 5000mgs a day im doing i really feel it,,,my body must be so depleted in this mineral.

The hospital has all the bloods results as I got them all done through there. I will try to get them by phoning the hospital and see can they be emailed or sent to me but am not sure if ill get them to you on time but ill try.

All of this started in August, on 1st precisely when I developed bronchitis and got the gastritis in the middle of August(by consuming too much garlic capsules to try cure the bronchitis really stupid i realise now). I lost 1 stone in weight in the first week of the gastritis due to being really ill and not able to eat. I was also advised not to eat much for a few days to let tummy heal but it did not. The leg cramps started in September. The low potassium was the start of October and since that the legs cramps got seriously worse, my legs were covered in bruises and not from banging them. I was extremely weak also. I tried to get a pillow that fell behind the bed and my heart squeezed and palpatated along with nausea dizziness and weakness. I was in hospital when this happened n they done nothing to investigate it only checked bp and listened to pulse manually. I believe this is all low potassium/not enough for my body, it has been 2 months at that stage without eating properly. I was discharged the next day from hospital but my heart was very weak and I couldn't do any physical activity. I continued to get lbp, heart palps, overheating dehydrating, dizziness when eating, unbalanced and I was physically in bits. I was consuming 4 litres of water per day at one stage in early November - coz I couldnt quench my thirst n felt like I was gonna pass out. When I took dioritite it got better. I then started consuming more potassium after that n some of those horrible symptoms eased off.

Now the present date I feel more pain in my body than normal. The cramping is in lower legs, I get this everyday. Last week I started to experience dizziness headaches and nerve pain in my arm fingers and chest. I never had nerve pain before from my fibromyalgia. My fingers started to burn and loose sensation. This was all one day before my period, which are very heavy - I have endometriosis and I'm currently off the pill microlite which controls the heavy bleeds and pain. Some of that nerve pain has subsided alittle bit this week. The burning in fingers has gone away. All this nerve pain started after getting too low on potassium. My left shoulder blade area is my worse for pain n its stuck in a ball of muscles that is pulling up into my neck, arm, chest and back. I'v had physio a number of times but it keeps relocking again.

Yesterday I woke up feeling pain in all my body and feeling sick like I didn't wanna eat, leg cramps and general weak feeling, feel like I can't think straight and had like zero energy. I felt like I couldn't actually push through the day I felt so weak n horrible. I feel empty and weak and emotionally upset at how im still stuck in illness all this time, its very hard to cope with. I feel about 90 years old and don't want to feel physical pain anymore. I'm just hoping these antibiotics work n do something for me as I'm at the end of my rope. I had a lovely figure before all of this 8.7 stone, curvy, now I just look and feel awful but Iv gained a few kils back, when admitted to hospital I was 45kgs, I'm now 48.

Since starting h pylori treatment I have felt nausous - got sick first thing this morning and yesterday white foam today just clear liquid. The yellow tablets are also quite sickening but I am willing to try stick this out as it maybe the medication working n killing off the bacteria. My appetite is gone again and I am like nearly having to force food in rather than enjoying it. I am also burping alot and have to clear my throat alot, I have asthma also. I am taking the ventolin to control this and so far it is working. I had two asthma attacks a couple of weeks ago where i woke up at 3am with my airway partially blocked off. I feel like the cells in my body are just weak with no energy. I'm taking vitamin supplement, I wonder should I start taking more B12 - this marked at 350 or thereabouts on last bloods and on one other blood test the phosphate was below the minimum.

A locum in my doctors surgury tried to say it was psychological which I knew was absolutely wrong. Unfortunately this theory of anxiety induced anorexia carried through in the hospital n they didnt really bother doing much with me as - I think this is very sad as I kept saying over and over its my stomach not my head. My tummy was very sensitve n i coud feel the lining of it when i put food in and my tummy would literally spurt up food it didn't want like a cucumber one day and a yougurt another. Gaviscon really hurt it n this again took about 2 days to heal as it made me so sick. I got sick as least 4 times in the hospital and I dont think they even believed me - I thought I was going to die in there I was so hungry and sick. There was a couple of nice and good doctors who were agreeing to do loads of tests but then come other medical team would come along and oviously someone changed the plan. I since met one lovely understanding doctor who believed everything i said n also was concerned - she witnessed me dehydrating that day and organised a holter monitor bloods(alot of bloods were done for thyroid cortisol etc all came back normal). I also told her that while in the hospital I bled alot during one bowel movement, it was bright red blood and about a pint of it came out. I was constipated before I went the toilet so it must have ripped something in me. There was white tissue in the bowl too. This was just ignored also - this lovely doctor couldn't believe this either. Unfortunately I didn't get back in with this doctor as she works in a medical assessment unit in a hospital and you have to get who your given so changing different doctors all the time didnt help. The last time I was there I seen her and she smiled at me, I should have asked to see her at that stage - I'm sure they would have if I had of asked but that didn't happen. I was so appreciative to her. She told me to keep sipping water and if am drinking more than 3 litres per day to come back to her which I did but got a different doctor who just sent me home again.

Sorry for all the long story - I know its complicated. If someone had of just believed me at the start n found to the bottom of it all n helped me would have been much easier without getting low on potassium n near heart attacks n malnourishment etc..

Thanks for your help,
XXXX

Hi Albana,

I'v rang hospital and they said have to post out blood results and it has to be requested by my own gp so this is going to take a few days so i will probably not get them to you on time.

I'v been having a really dry mouth yesterday and today and feel very lethargic this morning, I am still concerned about my potassium. I had some palpatations but they were only mild but still. I rang my gp to ask him about clarithomycin depleting potassium and he told me I had to speak to the prescribing doctor in the hospital. I rang the hospital and the nurse they said they only test for h pylori give the treatment and if any concerns like that it would have to be your gp. The secretary at his office keeps arguing that it is the prescribing doctor???wth is going on like...my doctor is absolutely useless. They keep arguing with me. I told her I want to speak to a doctor and not a secretary, I asked what am I meant to do, I shouldn't have to be making phcalls all over the place, am not even well. The nurse in the hospital however did advise that the antibs can cause you to feel unwell etc..and to keep eating small amounts n keep well hydrated etc..she told me to get my doc to run a blood test to check the actual potassium and that if i am loosing it, it will show up...makes sense to me alright...she said my gp can ring the hospital in the morning and get the results to save posting time. He is sooo unhelpful like a doctor can ring any department they like and get onto things quickly anytime they like.

Thanks for your advise, I am taking fortisip drinks, I know I'll put the weight back on eventually and I totally agree with you if out of balance things not gonna work properly..I do understand the supplements can be dangerous as it will start messing with the electrites. This electroyte business is really horrible n i wish i never had to know what they even were. I was never even aware of this before, I was never starved to death before...Its very hard to get it back in balance and it takes time for it to build back up in the body. I don't think I have any questions left to reply but iv requested bloods now through gp so if i get them ill send them right on. They did say last time i was there they'd check my vitamin d. A stool sample I had done showed elevated MCH 32.8 and Eosinophils at 0.41. I had a problem with worms aswell recently..no wonder my body is feeling so bad. I took the over the counter medication a few times for the worms but didnt seem to work so the last time i took the highest dose which is 2 morning and night instead of one - symptoms do seem to have improved but not sure if that signifies they are not fully gone as I still have itching around anus and vagina - I just know I have vaginitis as well as I'm very sore down there too. How can you have so many things at once, its dreadful my poor body but I think I had alot of this stuff already underlying as I was itchy before I got sick n had a std test n didnt even have thrust was all clear so must be vaginitis. Oviously its gotten worse since all the illness. It is really sore in the upper part of vagina. Also that urine sample said I had a mixed growth which am not surprised as I' oviously covered in bacterial infections.