Brief Answer:
Need supplements also; need to change BP meds

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. I agree that your doctor should have measured your potassium levels prior to prescribing the water pill (furosemide or lasix), but this is not a common practise as all/most cases with fluid retention (i.e. symptoms of fluid retention are swelling in different parts of the body like feet, face, etc; difficulty breathing, and a few others) are treated directly with diuretics which are to be administered at the earliest.

As for treating your low potassium levels with diet only; there are a few approaches to treating any deficiency. Treating with diet only takes time to help correct the deficiency, whereas the use of oral supplements or injected forms of supplements helps in correction at a more rapid rate. So for example, let us categorise a deficiency into mild, moderate and severe. If the deficiency is mild, it cannot do much damage to the body while we try to correct it and so we can afford to take time to correct the deficiency. If the deficiency is moderate, and we try to correct it only through a diet there can be damage to the body while we try to slowly correct it only through diet, and so we should consider introducing at least oral supplements. And if the deficiency is severe, then we can surely expect damage to the body if we try to correct it only through diet, as this will take time and in the meantime there will be damage to the body. So in case the deficiency is 'dangerously low' then we should certainly consider correction with supplements along with diet, and not just a diet.

I hope you understood that and take your doctors advise to help correct your potassium levels with supplements as well. Now coming to the blood pressure, if the current medications are not effectively working to lower the blood pressure we should consider changing the treatment regimen by either changing the dosage or the medications. So I would say that there is no point in waiting, a change in the regimen will be required.

The swelling is due to the fluid retention ma'am, which is why the water pill was prescribed. We will have to concentrate on the blood pressure and potassium levels now as they are more damage causing. The swelling will have to be dealt with later.

I hope you find my response both helpful and informative. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.

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