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Low serum sodium

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
trophywench

trophywench

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
This is something I've had for yonks and has never caused me a problem as far as I'm aware, other than Drs banging on about it but none suggesting anything sensible to raise it. (Did want me to drop my ARB, did ask to re-try an ACE but refused - tried other types all with horrific side effects but no effect on BP (the side effects increased it anyway) so eventually allowed to go back on low-dose Losartan plus low dose Doxasozin) Always been 'around 130' - sometimes a bit over 130 sometimes a bit below - only once in the last 20 years can I recall one of them saying for that test - it was 'normal' (135 - 145)

I went for my phleb appointment on Friday, prior to my GP annual D review next Friday.

Saturday morning Pete happened to look through the front door (obscured glass) and looked like some post on the mat in the porch - yep a postcard - he was on the way to the bathroom to wash and then dress so he just thought the postman was early (lunchtime normally) and dropped the card over the back of the settee on my lap and went about his business. Card from the NHS Out of Hours service saying a clinician had called at our house at 04.35am about someone with my name living at our address and to please ring 111 quoting a Case number asap.

So - entirely baffled - I did. Operator looked at the case number and said she'd have to put me through to the Out of Hours service to discuss - fine - they needed to call me back. Apparently the test came up with the answer of 122 which could have caused all sorts of things, had I been running at higher levels normally and it was sudden. I pointed out if whoever had posted the card through our letterbox he was all of 3 ft away from our bedroom window - and nobody had knocked thumped or yelled otherwise we'd have heard them - so it obviously wasn't that urgent, was it? He wanted me to see my doc on Monday morning and get new bloods taken there and then, as they'd know all about by then since 'we will have written to them' - I said I'd ring them Monday afternoon since I have plans already for Monday morning, miles away - and didn't think I was THAT urgent. He then told me he had known people who'd lived with low sodium for yonks to be perfectly OK down to about 115 - but I had to promise to get bloods taken on Tuesday am (Phlebs there don't do afternoons and only one daily collection from there)

According to the online appts service, quite a lot of available slots on Tuesday morning anyway. Will be interesting to see 'what happens next' !
 
I hope it turns out to be something that can be easily sorted.
 
It's reassuring in a way, that if bloods results come back with a potentially serious problem ( and they weren't to know if your blood sugars were suddenly elevated or not) they won't just wait til Monday morning to set the ball rolling....you could have been seriously ill by then.
 
Hope that they get you sorted, and good to hear that they take action about weird results.
 
Quite a surprise really but odd it was urgent enough to send someone out to me at 4am, but not urgent enough to make enough noise to wake me!

Bearing in mind it was noon before they rang me back, what if I'd been alone and lying collapsed?
 
trophywench said:
This is something I've had for yonks and has never caused me a problem as far as I'm aware, other than Drs banging on about it but none suggesting anything sensible to raise it. (Did want me to drop my ARB, did ask to re-try an ACE but refused - tried other types all with horrific side effects but no effect on BP (the side effects increased it anyway) so eventually allowed to go back on low-dose Losartan plus low dose Doxasozin) Always been 'around 130' - sometimes a bit over 130 sometimes a bit below - only once in the last 20 years can I recall one of them saying for that test - it was 'normal' (135 - 145)

I went for my phleb appointment on Friday, prior to my GP annual D review next Friday.

Saturday morning Pete happened to look through the front door (obscured glass) and looked like some post on the mat in the porch - yep a postcard - he was on the way to the bathroom to wash and then dress so he just thought the postman was early (lunchtime normally) and dropped the card over the back of the settee on my lap and went about his business. Card from the NHS Out of Hours service saying a clinician had called at our house at 04.35am about someone with my name living at our address and to please ring 111 quoting a Case number asap.

So - entirely baffled - I did. Operator looked at the case number and said she'd have to put me through to the Out of Hours service to discuss - fine - they needed to call me back. Apparently the test came up with the answer of 122 which could have caused all sorts of things, had I been running at higher levels normally and it was sudden. I pointed out if whoever had posted the card through our letterbox he was all of 3 ft away from our bedroom window - and nobody had knocked thumped or yelled otherwise we'd have heard them - so it obviously wasn't that urgent, was it? He wanted me to see my doc on Monday morning and get new bloods taken there and then, as they'd know all about by then since 'we will have written to them' - I said I'd ring them Monday afternoon since I have plans already for Monday morning, miles away - and didn't think I was THAT urgent. He then told me he had known people who'd lived with low sodium for yonks to be perfectly OK down to about 115 - but I had to promise to get bloods taken on Tuesday am (Phlebs there don't do afternoons and only one daily collection from there)

According to the online appts service, quite a lot of available slots on Tuesday morning anyway. Will be interesting to see 'what happens next' !
Click to expand...

Pray keep us up to date Jenny!
 
I will when I know anything else myself !
 
trophywench said:
Card from the NHS Out of Hours service saying a clinician had called at our house at 04.35am
Click to expand...

It seems so strange - why is this more efficient than just calling you at a sensible time? And really a "clinician", not just a messenger? Anyway, you'll get it sorted.
 
Jenny I don’t want to worry you but my mum chose to ignore sodium levels a bit higher than 122 by the time it was 122 they rushed her to hospital but couldn’t get them back up ending up at the worse possible situation. I would please encourage you to go to A&E or your GP first thing Monday to get the sodium rechecked because if it has fallen lower it could be very, very serious. You wouldn’t ignore a falling blood glucose that was heading towards very low levels ditto low sodium. I bitterly regret that my didn’t take the action she should have with her sodium levels despite me begging her to. I certainly hope that your levels don’t drop further.
 
When I posted this I thought it was still the weekend (I’m away at the moment and losing track of time). I really hope you speak to your GP this morning.
 
AJLang said:
When I posted this I thought it was still the weekend (I’m away at the moment and losing track of time). I really hope you speak to your GP this morning.
Click to expand...
(That’s one hell of a birthday bash, AJ!🙄)

I hope it’s nothing to worry about, TW. How’s your knee, btw?
 
Even if I wasn't going to a committee meeting miles away this morning I still wouldn't ring till lunchtime Amanda - they are always engaged until then anyway. Hence that is what I'll do, and hence I won't get any blood taken till tomorrow as the phlebs don't work after lunch.

Bloden - now on the list for scaffolding removal as of last Monday - apparently 'in the next 3 months - Day surgery job but still a GA.
 
@trophywench - My serum sodium levels have almost always skirted the lower reaches of the range, during the 5 years I have been tracking things. My scores have been thus:

upload_2018-10-8_8-53-34.png

n/t = not tested

Over time there have been various discussions around this, including with specialists, trying to get to the bottom of some troublesome symptoms, and the unanimous conclusion reached was that these are my ranges, and nothing to be concerned over. Just like lots of other things, we're all individuals and the assay range is a broad guide to a given situation, but that, like other things, those results should be viewed in the round, taking into account other health markers.

I do hope your situation turns our to be similarly "so what", but it makes sense to explore it if there are concerns. Once electrolytes move well out of range, they can be very difficult to rebalance.
 
Ah well, my GP surgery won't be looking at the test results until Tuesday, and the receptionist clearly didn't believe the Out of Hours service telling me to do what they did, merited me asking her to mark it urgent.

She suggested making a telephone doctor's appointment for me, but that won't be till next week ……...
 
Rang again as nothing heard - I asked for a GP appointment asap - Thursday morning with a Dr I've never heard of but has an, err, British sounding surname - unless he's Chinese LOL

My HbA1c last Friday was 54 so I'm not too happy about that, nor with my BP which is now (literally now) elevated at 148/61 pulse 79. That's better than 180/100 after I'd not long washed and dressed earlier …….
 
Good luck with your GP appointment Jenny. I hope that the GP is switched on about serum sodium levels.
 
Good luck with your appointment today.
 
I’m with Amanda on this. Hyponatremia can be fatal. The problem is in some people it has no symptoms, even at dangerous levels, <125.

These are known standard numbers, it’s basic physiology, so you can’t be just a person who has a low sodium. If you’re not careful you could be an ex person with a low sodium.

Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s not just numbers.
 
Let us know how you get on. Take care
 
Saw the doctor this morning who ordered another blood test which I have had and I have a follow up appointment on Monday.
She did say she wondered if I was dehydrated and as my BG was a bit high if it could just be a false reading.
 
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