Potassium Deficiency

[Terrilein]

OK, I was in the hospital for 24 hour observation after a car accident and they ran blood tests on me and found out I've got a potassium deficiency. I'm not looking into what foods are excellent sources of potassium besides bananas - I'm allergic to them - but I'm kind of at a loss here. A lot of the foods listed on one site are items that I eat regularly. How on earth can I have a potassium deficiency then? Is this a common occurrance in pregnancy and what effects might this have on me and the baby???

[chattyprincess]

Not sure of the effects on you and baby being pregnant but my mother is consistently potassium deficient. They found out because she was starting to suffer really bad memory loss/forgetfulness (at 45!) and ran a ton of tests and it came up she was b12 deficent and potassium deficent. From what I understand with her problem there is just no way that eating a diet rich in those sources high in potassium is enough. She has to supplement. Did they check your magnesium levels as well? If you are low in that also then you cannot properly absorb/use potassium.
Did they give you i.v. potassium while in the hospital? alot of times this is enough to bump up your levels and make them easier to maintain. I am not a professional so I only know what I know from what my mother has said, its definetly worth talking about in depth with your hcp though.

[Terrilein]

For my stay they put me on magnesium tablets just to prevent any cramping/contractions - I was on magnesium in the first trimester, too, due to irritable uterus. The nurse showed up in the middle of the night though and I told me I was getting potassium, too, because I was deficient. In the morning, they added an iron tablet as well. AFAIK my iron levels are fine - I get tested for that on a regular basis. I guess I'm just curious if it's normal in pregnant women to be deficient - as in the baby is depleting my stores for his own growing needs. I just can't remember hearing from anyone or anywhere that potassium is so important. I do take a pre-natal, but it's by no means a multivitamin. It only has folic acid, iodine and B12 in it. I get the rest of my minerals and vitamins the good old fashioned way . . . well, except for salt. I take tablets to get enough salt in as well.

Edit: Funny about the memory loss though. My memory is horrid and it's just so much worse now. I wonder if I've been dealing with a potassium deficiency for quite a while now or if I'm just getting old. And maybe potassium deficiency in pregnancy might explain preggo brain. I wonder if those scientists doing that study thought to check those levels.

[BarnMomma]

Coconut water is very high in potassium!