Low sodium...what can they do?

Hi Everyone,

Mum was sent into hospital as an emergency on Friday due to her sodium levels having gone from 128, 129 and 124, she has incureable metastatic lung cancer and is taking a targeted inhibitor drug. She was already on a reduced fluid intake, after spending overnight in hospital they have reduced her fluid to 750ml and stopped her duiretic and blood pressure medications. It went up to 128 again. Now we are waiting to see what happens. They mentioned not wishing to do a transfusion as it can cause more problems and medication to increase sodium comes with bad side affects. Just so worried about Mum. Now to top it off my partner and myself have tested covid positive and I'm Mum's full time carer and we all live together. So far Mum is negative. Any advice on sodium levels would be so much appreciated.

Jane 

  • I've had sodium problems for years, I've found certain foods can help, I'll give you a few. Processed meat and cheese, broccoli, salmon carrots sweet potato, spinach pickles cottage cheese,tins soup sauces, cherry tomatoes,cured ham, canned meat, sardines and anchovies   there you can have a lovely meal from some of those . there are loads of others good luck with your mum , and you and your partner's covid, hope it's gone soon .

    Billy

  • Hi Billy,

    Thank you for your reply. I will certainly try to introduce some of these foods into Mum's diet although she has had no appetite much recently. I had a chat with the GP this week concerning Mum's low sodium on request of hospital and I asked if there were any foods or anything I personally could do to help Mum with this and he said no, he said giving Mum certain foods won't make a difference because it is something that is happening in her body and it is more complicated than that. He seemed really despondant to be honest. They have taken her off her water and blood pressure medication for a while and he said eventually he will have to introduce these back again so then I'm thinking won't the problem just return? It just seems really problematic at the moment. She is struggling on the low restricted fluid in take too. Hope your doing ok. Take care.

    Jane

  • It's same with my body and sodium going low food does help to rise it a certain amount which is better than none . shame she's got to drop fluid intake you could do vegetable smoothies .

    Hope things get sorted. ,  im having meds adjusted because of other problems cropping up it certainly doesn't help.

    Billy