Low sodium blood level

Yes - when my sodium levels were borderline (I cannot remember if it was during or after antibiotics) my PCP stressed NOT following a low sodium diet, and adding salt to foods. This was not tough for me - I love salty snacks and popcorn, so I quickly switched to salted cashews and adding salt to my bi-weekly batch of popcorn.

I too have had low sodium levels around 130 with Bronchiectasis and MAC.

Yes Sue so let me get this straight after or during you added salt to your diet and did you get low sodium in your blood or did that balance it? I for one Stayed on my low sodium diet during and after my 3-4 week course of antibiotics & steroids for a recent lung infection, and immediately after those were done that’s when this happened.

I eat as much salt as I want and don’t worry about it. The doctor told me that the best way to control low sodium is with fluid restriction as opposed to increasing your sodium intake. I keep sodium tablets on hand in case I have symptoms of low sodium but I am strict about my fluid intake so that rarely happens. Remember that an occasional few extra ounces is not going to make your sodium plummet. It is what you do on a consistent, daily basis that counts. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

Thank-you again Mary Jane. I hope you don’t mind if sometime I send you a private message to discuss this issue. I’ll send my Phone# also so we can talk on the phone about it. I believe I can learn so much from people who have experienced this, and get some good sound advice.

I stopped the low sodium diet when my sodium fell to 130 and stayed for2 months (on the advice of my PCP.) I had been on a low sodium diet for years due to a family history of hypertension & my husband having sodium-sensitive HBP. So I still cook low-sodium, but am liberal about eating salty snacks, and use it freely on my veggies.

So I assume, once you dropped the low sodium diet and your sodium increased, did you still have to follow any kind of fluid restriction? I am currently on fluid restriction for one week will redo blood work and hopefully sodium level is increasing from the 125 I was at prior to fluid restriction. I have been adding salt liberally to my food and salty snacks along with drinking Gatorade & Powerade which does have sodium in it. This fluid restriction of 1 liter of fluid per day makes it a lot harder to do proper airway clearance without hydration to help thin the mucus. This Bronchiectasis is such a roller coaster disease a lot of damned if you do’s and don’t. But 🤞I hope by not doing low sodium diet it will do the trick for me.

Spider109,
I’ll be happy to talk to you anytime and try to answer any questions you might have. Once you get your sodium under control you may be able to slowly add more fluid back in until you are not quite as strict as you have to be right now. I had weekly blood tests for a while until I was able to settle on the right amount.

My sodium never fell low enough for the doc to ask me to restrict fluids. That would have been awful!

To mariegrace and Spider109,
I have had bouts with low sodium with wanting to stay hydrated.
For myself, much like Sue, I increased my intake of salt (I hardly ever salted anything before my diagnosis with BE). I buy salted nuts, seeds and whole grain crackers. I also keep Coconut Water on hand to have, that helps also to keep me hydrated. When I do have low sodium I know because my feet and legs will cramp. Haven't had that happen since I increased the salt intake with all I have been doing I mentioned above. So far it has worked for me.
Barbara