okay so potassium has the sodium combating properties of lasix then, but potassium also works on maintaining the correct blood vessel pressure. also, i understand that lasix drains potassium, and magnesium, so he will have protection against sodium from the med, but no potassium support for the blood vessels or general magnesium support.
i gather you won't be able to get chard into hubby (it has mg and k). would he drink a high potassium fruit smoothie drink? i convinced a picky-eater friend who recently dealt with a gout episode to try arthur's very berry, it's got a few different fruits and no added sugar. i wonder if something like that could at least help your hubby restore lost potassium.
i thought a bit about the unilateral aspect of his problem. i have run across the odd reference to "sided-ness" of certain nutrients and thought i'd have a quick google on that.
this next thing i'm going to say is not something i've investigated for any kind of validity and i have to say that i am skeptical about a preference of a nutrient to affect one side of the body or the other. but here goes
For instance, phosphorus and zinc have both left-sided cell receptors, so if either level is low in ratio to calcium, calcification would only take place on the left side of the body, whereas the cell receptors of manganese or magnesium are right-sided, as a result, any calcification would develop on the right side of the body only.
and
Many therapeutic agents cause renal Mg wasting and subsequent deficiency. These include loop and thiazide diuretics, aminoglycosides, cisplatin, pentamidine, and foscarnet... Refractory hypokalemia [jl: low potassium] and hypocalcemia can be caused by concomitant hypomagnesemia and can be corrected with Mg therapy. The dose and route of administration of Mg in the treatment of hypomagnesemia is dictated by the clinical presentation, the degree of Mg deficiency, and the renal function.
so even though my initial thought was to go for e, c, and zinc for the vessels, and after the tysabri/edema info and loop diuretic treatment adding the potassium/magnesium twist, plus the right-sidedness according to that quote...
i would probably see if i could get him to try the E C and zinc to combat the edema, and probably also magnesium and potassium if only to replenish from the lasix treatment - but that also might help with the swelling too.
magnesium and vascular health..
Magnesium affects blood pressure by modulating vascular tone and reactivity. It acts as a calcium channel antagonist, it stimulates production of vasodilator prostacyclins and nitric oxide and it alters vascular responses to vasoactive agonists. Magnesium deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension with epidemiological and experimental studies demonstrating an inverse correlation between blood pressure and serum magnesium levels.
tt: i read that snippet about mg and BP and thought of you!
maggie mae i don't know if you saw the last few posts on the CCVI thread too, there was an article that reminded me of your hubby's case too.