Acidosis in ER - Is it Reversible?

November 5, 2019 7:02 AM

IKYNMD - and here is the back story. I've been sick with a few issues - with many symptoms for at least 6 years. Only recently (last 3 months) it's been confirmed that due to high calcium and PTH that I'm basically dealing with a parathyroid issue.

But I've been feeling really crappy. To the extent where I basically am almost confined to a recliner all day. I can walk around but really have a lot of fatigue. So, I've been trying a lot of various things in order to feel better.

Taking vitamin D (recommended by endo doc), vitamins, drinking a lot of water, eating well - and a few radical things as well. One of them was a protocol involving hydrogen peroxide. Without getting into it (and no judgments please unless you know what I'm dealing with you have no idea), I ingested too much and basically wound up in the ER with some burning and palpitations. They ran labs, one of which was blood gasses and my PH was below 7.35. If I recall correctly around 7.31. All other labs were ok. Treatment was IV's because of dehydration, had a chest x-ray, and I was sent home. There was no mention of the low PH on the discharge papers.

Is this due to the hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia? Could this be due to the hydrogen peroxide? Fast-forward, there is no residual after-effects from the ordeal, but I am concerned. I went to my GP and he said - in these words unfazed *I don't know why the ER orders these tests anyway, they really mean nothing,* and he left it at that. When I asked about the possibility of having metabolic acidosis he said in 30 years he saw it once in a patient after they took a certain medication.

I self-test urine strips at home due to hematuria in the past and noticing that my urine PH is always acidic - roughly at the 5-6 mark.

I am no longer doing the protocol, in case anyone is wondering. There were some benefits to it, but am not recommending it.

Re the hyperparathyroidism, I'm still in the process of getting all the tests done and then endo docs will know how to proceed.

Any replies regarding the PH would be greatly appreciated.

posted by watercarrier to Health & Fitness (2 answers total)

IANYD, and this is not specific to your situation, but as a general rule, our bodies are pretty competent at maintaining an appropriate pH-- When you are dehydrated, as with illness or plausibly with your hydrogen peroxide treatment, it's common to transiently experience alterations in pH /metabolic acidosis. (for example frequently kids with stomach bugs are acidotic in the setting of lots of vomiting/dehydration). When the acute illness/insult resolves, the body pretty quickly returns to status quo-- I would not worry about it if your doctors are not worried about it. Your urine pH is not particularly helpful in determining pH inside your body-- one of the ways your body maintains it's usual pH is via renal excretion of acids..
Definitely discuss your concerns with your PCP and endo-- they will have much more specific/relevant info for your particular case!
posted by BundleOfHers at 7:25 AM on November 5, 2019 [4 favorites]

Is there one food or medication you're eating on a daily basis at the same time? Could you have built up a high ph due to the concentration or lack of a particular protein? Creatine in weight loss pills, or gammahydroxybutamine (?) in workout pills perhaps? I think I heard about the use of H3o in reducing perceived elevated levels of yeast in the digestive tract but it's very dangerous. Have you checked the ratio of bad/good digestive bacteria levels since the hydrogen peroxide? Maybe a yogurt will help.
posted by The_imp_inimpossible at 4:34 PM on November 5, 2019