Our last member of the electrolyte family, sodium, is important for your body's balance of fluid and water. It is the most plentiful ion outside your cells. Without the right balance, your muscles won't work properly. And without the right balance, your blood will be too thick or too thin, because it will have too much water, or not enough.

Salt is a form of sodium you've probably heard of. Healthy kidneys remove extra sodium in the urine. Most people with kidney disease need to limit their salt intake.

Too much sodium in your blood, hypernatremia, can make you very thirsty, raise your blood pressure, and give you headaches. Most often, if this happened you would retain water. It can also make your tissues swell up with fluid, a problem called edema (uh-dee'-ma). Too little sodium, hyponatremia, can cause bursting of red blood cells, low blood pressure and feeling faint, muscle cramps, headaches, nausea and vomiting, seizures, and even coma.

Electrolyte results outside your target range can usually be helped through food and fluid changes. Your dietitian can help you learn which foods to eat in moderation and which ones you can enjoy more often.