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Hi Wayne,
Did I read somewhere on here that you thought your problem might be your magnesium level? Surely that would've been done when the hospital did routine bloodwork as part of your electrolytes.
Did I miss something? Luce
Tex -- magnesium level
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Hi Luce,
Around here, doctors and hospitals virtually never check serum magnesium levels. My doc had to call the lab to see if it could even be done.
The ER doc didn't check for it either. Now, if a patient shows signs of heart distress, while they are in the ER, then the staff will typically administer magnesium, by way of an IV, but I doubt that they ever check the serum level before doing that. My doc admitted, (volunteered the info, in fact), that a majority of the general population is magnesium deficient, and doctors almost never test for it. He didn't say why. 
Incidentally, in addition to IBDs, Celiac disease, uncontrolled diabetes, and a few other issues, underactive parathyroid gland is another cause of magnesium deficiency, FWIW. On the other hand, hypothyroidism has the opposite effect, strangely enough.
I'm not sure that serum levels of magnesium are of much value anyway, for determining a magnesium deficiency, since the body is going to automatically try to maintain "correct" serum levels, regardless of the cellular level, and it will tend to do so at the expense of cellular levels, if necessary.
Look at your old tests. I'm guessing that none of them show magnesium data. I could be wrong, of course - maybe that's just a Central Texas tradition of some sort.
As I mentioned in a response to a post by Barbara, I had them send a blood sample to the lab this morning, to see if they can find anything of interest in my serum magnesium level. I'll be surprised if it shows anything, though.
Since on the average, I'm feeling a little cruddier, and a little weaker, each morning, I picked up some magnesium tablets at the pharmacy, that supply 60% of the RDA, (my approximate long-term daily shortfall), and I took one with dinner, (lunch, for those of us of non-German ancestry. )
On the negative side of the ledger, (contraindications of a magnesium deficiency), is the fact that in the ER, all my other electrolytes checked out fine, (the ones that they checked, at least), and if I were severely deficient of magnesium, that should adversely affect my potassium and calcium levels, at least, (I would think). My potassium was fine, and though they didn't check my calcium directly, I would assume that the troponin test would be a reflection of calcium involvement, since that test is used as a diagnostic marker for various heart disorders. (The troponin level was fine, too).
Wayne
Around here, doctors and hospitals virtually never check serum magnesium levels. My doc had to call the lab to see if it could even be done.
The ER doc didn't check for it either. Now, if a patient shows signs of heart distress, while they are in the ER, then the staff will typically administer magnesium, by way of an IV, but I doubt that they ever check the serum level before doing that. My doc admitted, (volunteered the info, in fact), that a majority of the general population is magnesium deficient, and doctors almost never test for it. He didn't say why. Incidentally, in addition to IBDs, Celiac disease, uncontrolled diabetes, and a few other issues, underactive parathyroid gland is another cause of magnesium deficiency, FWIW. On the other hand, hypothyroidism has the opposite effect, strangely enough.
I'm not sure that serum levels of magnesium are of much value anyway, for determining a magnesium deficiency, since the body is going to automatically try to maintain "correct" serum levels, regardless of the cellular level, and it will tend to do so at the expense of cellular levels, if necessary.
Look at your old tests. I'm guessing that none of them show magnesium data. I could be wrong, of course - maybe that's just a Central Texas tradition of some sort.
As I mentioned in a response to a post by Barbara, I had them send a blood sample to the lab this morning, to see if they can find anything of interest in my serum magnesium level. I'll be surprised if it shows anything, though.
Since on the average, I'm feeling a little cruddier, and a little weaker, each morning, I picked up some magnesium tablets at the pharmacy, that supply 60% of the RDA, (my approximate long-term daily shortfall), and I took one with dinner, (lunch, for those of us of non-German ancestry.
)On the negative side of the ledger, (contraindications of a magnesium deficiency), is the fact that in the ER, all my other electrolytes checked out fine, (the ones that they checked, at least), and if I were severely deficient of magnesium, that should adversely affect my potassium and calcium levels, at least, (I would think). My potassium was fine, and though they didn't check my calcium directly, I would assume that the troponin test would be a reflection of calcium involvement, since that test is used as a diagnostic marker for various heart disorders. (The troponin level was fine, too).
Wayne
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Mary Beth,
My BP seems to be back pretty much to normal, and I feel a lot better this morning. Even the lip numbness seems to be gone. I only took one magnesium tablet, (250 mg), about 24 hours ago, so I'm probably just having a placebo effect - that's a little to much improvement, too soon.
Thanks for asking. My appointment with the neuro is coming up in less than an hour.
Tex
My BP seems to be back pretty much to normal, and I feel a lot better this morning. Even the lip numbness seems to be gone. I only took one magnesium tablet, (250 mg), about 24 hours ago, so I'm probably just having a placebo effect - that's a little to much improvement, too soon.
Thanks for asking. My appointment with the neuro is coming up in less than an hour.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.