Management

Having a family member with a chronic illness puts an enormous strain on family relationships. Everyone must adjust and learn to cope. Tasks not only must be reassigned and the household routine upset or interrupted, but additional time and energy may often be devoted to caring for the patient.

Patient's Name:

Birthdate: ________Height: _______Weight: _______

Address:

Primary Physician:

Emergency contact:  Name:                                             Relationship:

home phone#                                         cell #                            FAX:

Patient's Name:

Birthdate: ________Height: _______Weight: _______

Address:

Primary Physician:

Emergency contact:  Your emergency contact should be someone who can speak for you when you cannot advocate for yourself.
Name:                                                                               Relationship:
home phone#                                         cell #                            FAX:

Clinical Signs

Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis is a genetically determined disorder which causes attacks of weakness and flaccid paralysis. Attacks last from 10 min to 1 hour, very rarely up to 1-2 days. Some patients experience only a few attacks over their lifetime, others have attacks every day. Diagnosis is suggested by attacks of weakness during which the patient's serum potassium is above 5.0 mmol/l or rises at least .5 of a mmol/l above their normal level when not in an attack.

Patient's Name:

Birthdate: ________Height: _______Weight: _______

Address:

Primary Physician:

Emergency contact:  Your emergency contact should be someone who can speak for you when you cannot advocate for yourself.
Name:                                                                               Relationship:
home phone#                                         cell #                            FAX:

The regular colonoscopy prep can cause a hypokalemic episode in a patient with hypokalemic periodic paralysis. This colonoscopy prep, adapted to avoid hypokalemia, has been used by numerous patients with HypoKPP on the HKPP Listserv without provoking an episode afterwards. 

Colonoscopy Prep:

Day 1 Normal diet with an herbal tea laxative before bed.

Day 2 No solid foods, milk products or liquids with red or purple coloring; Suggested liquids are low sodium chicken stock, tea without milk, and water throughout the day.