Reply to Anonymous
Drip Drop has trivial potassium in it and if wasting potassium is a problem for Kitty, it won't solve it. I have the same problem. I don't know what causes it . . . I don't have a colon at all now, but I had that as a problem before that, so it is worse than ever. I manage it two ways. I don't use the Drip Drop because it really only has salt and sugar in it, plus trivial amounts of potassium and magnesium. It will encourage the small bowel to update the fluid you drink, yes, but if she wastes potassium, it isn't going to help her much if she isn't supplementing with potassium in addition. She can try drinking V8 juice . . . in fact, if she adds her Drop Drop directly to V8 juice and drinks that instead of plain water, she might solve her problem with that alone. One cup of V8 has 470mg potassium. (If she finds that plus the DripDrop gives her too much salt, she can get the low sodium V8 juice.) In addition to V8, I get potassium tablets (400mg) that dissolve in water . . . I add one to a serving of applesauce or to a hot drink, no flavor to it. These are easy ways to increase potassium. (I need about 2800mg a day; I am 130 lbs and 5'8" women vary a bit in what they need, but I roughly target that a day.) Cramps show she isn't getting enough of something, though. For food, I also eat avocado (like an apple!) and bananas. But the easy go-to for "extra" potassium is to dissolve a tablet of fizzy potassium into something I am drinking (or eating, like applesauce).
This, though, is all in addition to my basic go-to . . . I drink one liter of water (about four cups) with one scoop of Zero 1000. I buy it off Amazon. It is the same recipe as Dr. Berg's electrolyte supplement. In it, you are getting potassium and magnesium supplemented; I don't think I need to spend a lot of money on sugar and salt, frankly, that is freely available in my kitchen and easy to add to fluids. For rehydration, the recommendation is two scoops, but to just maintain hydration, I use half that, one scoop. One scoop has 1,000mg of potassium in it, along with 1/3 of the recommended magnesium/day. So, I drink two liters of this a day (about 8 cups), so my baseline on any day is 2,000mg of potassium and 2/3rds of my magnesium, just from that. The rest of what I do to close the remaining gap is with V8, fizzy tabs, or regular food (banana, avocado). I don't seem to need to supplement much with salt or sugar, enough of that being in the basic electrolyte drink I use or just from food in general. I make sure to drink V8 in the morning because it has salt in it. Everybody will vary; my problem beyond basic electrolytes/hydration is just the potassium really. The electrolyte drink I use basically takes care of everything without my having to think much about it.
Oh, magnesium. I also use a lotion with magnesium in it . . . from Ancient Minerals, also off Amazon. I rub it onto my knees and feet and lower back, and it eliminates background pain from arthritis/age. The magnesium is absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin, but it also gives localized benefit from the specific absorption site. It doesn't sound like magnesium levels is an issue for Kitty, but I thought I would mention it. She might benefit regardless for other reasons.
BTW, I also don't absorb potassium very well in pill form . . . in my electrolyte water and fizzy drinks, it is always fully dissolved. I also found it to be somewhat irritating to the linings, and so I like to let the water sit at room temperature and fully go into solution. With that, I haven't had any further trouble. I do know that the tendency for potassium levels to drop can create huge problems for someone, really very serious ones, and I am glad that you have gone to the ER to manage it when you have had to do so.
BTW again! I usually get up twice in the night to empty my bag, and I take a big swig of my electrolyte-water when I go back to bed. I try to complete drinking a glass of it by the time I get up in the morning so I don't go from say 10pm to 10am without drinking anything, thus guaranteeing that I start the day dehydrated and behind the curve. Right away when I get up I have a little salt (right out of my hand!), and have a V8 shooter. Then decaf with collagen powder, Bulletproof creamer, some coconut oil (a big mug, another two cups). None of this takes much time to do and I feel good for hours, plus start my day with five cups of fluid under my belt, from two cups overnight plus my decaf plus the V8. Then I casually pick up more fluid throughout the day; I go for a walk and drink a container of coconut water, another 1.5 cups with yet more potassium, around 700mg!, and I have bone broth with dinner, another cup. Then I usually drink my water in addition whenever I feel like it at my desk. I get all kinds of fluid this way without having to think about it very much, and plenty of potassium.
I hope that something here is helpful to you. Everybody varies and everybody's individual problems are unique, so no one solution fits all. But some of these suggestions might be useful. The electrolyte supplement with 1,000mg of potassium is essential for me. Dissolving the DripDrop into a glass of V8 might help. Coconut water helps. The fizzy potassium tabs (400mg, but still) can help. Specific foods can help, like bananas and avocados, for me. I am several months in from my colon removal now, and things are starting to even out. I don't have cramps anymore and I also am starting to do these things more automatically, so I don't have to think about it all the time. I just drink when I get up in the night, do some specific things along with my morning coffee, make my electrolyte drink, and get on with things. Life is slowly starting to feel more normal again without everything revolving around fluid maintenance! I hope that it goes this way for Kitty as well. : )
