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Suggest Treatment For High Pulse And Shortness Of Breath
Question: i was recently hospitalized for copd. While there. my potasium shot up tp 5.9. They called in a kidney doctor and he stopped my diovan and changed my diet. Also gave koexelate(sp?). The potasium went down to 3.7. They discharged me with ne answer as to what happnd and put me back on a regular diet and my old meds. ?????? When I got home, my pulse shot up to 122 at rest and I am short of breath and pulse ox is down to 93% on 3 liters. My baseline in 98% on 2. Any ideas???
Brief Answer:
high heart rate and shortness of breath and high K
Detailed Answer:
Hi there, thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic.
Ive gone through your information and i have a couple of thoughts. But the first thing i need to start with is that. YOU SHOULD GET BACK TO THE DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. Persistent shortness of breath and high heart rates in a background of altered electrolytes can cause heart arrhythmias that need specialized care. If these symptoms are persistent, no answer you get here will provide the help you need. \
Now that that is out of the way. Lets discuss your case in some detail.
You have a known history of COPD and you have recently been treated with diovan. High potassium levels in the hospital can be a side effect of the diovan or due to other medications and IV fluids. The diet change was probably to put you on a low potassium diet while the numbers were of. Koexelate is a medication which binds to the potassium that you take in, orally and prevents its absorption into the blood stream. So that was also to bring your levels to normal.
Now, i really can't say WHY they didn't explain what was going on, but from the information you have given me, it sounds like the high potassium levels are due to the side effect of one of the medications you were taking. If you have any existing kidney issue, then the possibilities are far wider.
In your situation, especially with the high heart rate and difficulty breathing, I would seek treatment at your local emergency room or at the same hospital you were discharged from. I would ask them to check my kidneys for any damage and go through the medications i am taking in detail.
COPD is a tough disease to manage and sometimes you need to be put on steroids or try new inhalers etc. If you have an infection, that worsens the COPD in general. But in any of these situations, hospital level care is required and you need to be seen by your doctor in person.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions and I will do my best to give you the information you need.
Vinay
high heart rate and shortness of breath and high K
Detailed Answer:
Hi there, thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic.
Ive gone through your information and i have a couple of thoughts. But the first thing i need to start with is that. YOU SHOULD GET BACK TO THE DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. Persistent shortness of breath and high heart rates in a background of altered electrolytes can cause heart arrhythmias that need specialized care. If these symptoms are persistent, no answer you get here will provide the help you need. \
Now that that is out of the way. Lets discuss your case in some detail.
You have a known history of COPD and you have recently been treated with diovan. High potassium levels in the hospital can be a side effect of the diovan or due to other medications and IV fluids. The diet change was probably to put you on a low potassium diet while the numbers were of. Koexelate is a medication which binds to the potassium that you take in, orally and prevents its absorption into the blood stream. So that was also to bring your levels to normal.
Now, i really can't say WHY they didn't explain what was going on, but from the information you have given me, it sounds like the high potassium levels are due to the side effect of one of the medications you were taking. If you have any existing kidney issue, then the possibilities are far wider.
In your situation, especially with the high heart rate and difficulty breathing, I would seek treatment at your local emergency room or at the same hospital you were discharged from. I would ask them to check my kidneys for any damage and go through the medications i am taking in detail.
COPD is a tough disease to manage and sometimes you need to be put on steroids or try new inhalers etc. If you have an infection, that worsens the COPD in general. But in any of these situations, hospital level care is required and you need to be seen by your doctor in person.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions and I will do my best to give you the information you need.
Vinay
Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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