I stopped to talk to the pharmacist who filled the prescription for the potassium supplements. I explained the situation to her about not tolerating them very well and she made some very helpful suggestions.
She recommended that I dissolve the tablet (it's HUGE!) in my low cal gatorade drink (which is about the only type drink I can tolerate right now) and drink it over a half-hour's time frame. I need to eat something at the same time. Since my potassium levels are low, she said that eating potassium rich foods was not going to be enough to restore what's been lost through illness and that it was important for me to take the supplements.
With some mild trepidation this morning, I did what she suggested. No problem! I wasn't quite able to drink the entire gritty mixture, but I'd say I got at least 3/4 of the tablet in me. No queasiness, no vomiting.
The evening supplement was even better as I was able to drink the whole thing down to the almost last grain. (Yuk.) However, once again, no upset stomach and no side effects.
My cough is diminishing, but it is still rather irritating when it does crop up. Slight sore throat. I'm no longer having to take narcotics for pain relief, but still have to take ibuprofen periodically.
I enjoyed meeting a cyber friend who has connections to this area. She and I were diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at the same time and we were introduced via a mutual friend. What's interesting about this is that our mutual friend lives in Malaysia! At the time of my diagnosis, I was in China and Debby lives in Michigan. She had not heard of my recurrence and our friend in Malaysia told her! After one year of praying for each other, she and I got to meet today. She is now "no evidence of disease" and we praise God for his mighty works in both of our lives.