Low sodium - salt pills?

Steve said:

My mother has a low sodium problem (possibly the least of her problems, since the cause is small-
cell carcinoma). The doctor has her eating potato chips and other salty snack foods. Just
wondering why a simple salt pill wouldn't do the trick. When she was in the hospital recently,
they didn't have salt pills, and told her they had no idea where she'd get them. Aren't these
routinely taken by athletes, etc, to avoid dehydration?

Eating chips is probably the least of your mother's problems, since she has small cell carcinoma.
(which I think is what my mother had).

Here it says "Avoid salt pills: Salt pills are too concentrated, need a lot of water for adequate
dilution and can lead to vomiting and diarrhea."
coach.caSnackFluids2.pdfOpen ↗

And why aren't you on alt.support.cancer for these questions and/or more information that gets
posted at times..? there's also private ACOR email lists at www.acor.org

J-not a doctor

J said:

Steve said:

My mother has a low sodium problem (possibly the least of her problems, since the cause is small-
cell carcinoma). The doctor has her eating potato chips and other salty snack foods. Just
wondering why a simple salt pill wouldn't do the trick. When she was in the hospital recently,
they didn't have salt pills, and told her they had no idea where she'd get them. Aren't these
routinely taken by athletes, etc, to avoid dehydration?

Eating chips is probably the least of your mother's problems, since she has small cell carcinoma.
(which I think is what my mother had).

Here it says "Avoid salt pills: Salt pills are too concentrated, need a lot of water for adequate
dilution and can lead to vomiting and diarrhea."
coach.caSnackFluids2.pdfOpen ↗

And why aren't you on alt.support.cancer for these questions and/or more information that gets
posted at times..? there's also private ACOR email lists at www.acor.org

J-not a doctor

PS<http://www.vh.org/adult/provider/radiology/LungTumors/ParaneoplasticProcesses/Text/SIADH.html>

SIADH is most common in cases of small cell lung cancer with up to 15% of these patients presenting
with hyponatremia.While SIADH is a relatively common cause of hyponatremia, there are other
mechanisms that lead to hyponatremia in lung cancer patients.Tumor produced atrial natriuretic
factor (ANF) is secreted by some small cell carcinomas leading to serum sodium wasting and
hyponatremia without elevated ADH.