Hyperkalemia?

One of the causes of tachycardia and arrhythmia is high blood potassium or hyperkalemia. I thought this may be causing my increased heart rate. However, my potassium levels from monthly labs have been pretty normal.

Interestingly, the two times my potassium levels tested high were not from the monthly labs from dialysis. From the WebMD site linked above,

Normal blood levels of potassium are critical for maintaining normal heart electrical rhythm. Both low blood potassium levels (hypokalemia) and high blood potassium levels (hyperkalemia) can lead to abnormal heart rhythms.

The most important clinical effect of hyperkalemia is related to electrical rhythm of the heart. While mild hyperkalemia probably has a limited effect on the heart, moderate hyperkalemia can produce EKG changes (EKG is a reading of the electrical activity of the heart muscles), and severe hyperkalemia can cause suppression of electrical activity of the heart and can cause the heart to stop beating.

The last time my heart rate went crazy, I thought I drank a lot of suanmeitang, which is a Chinese sour plum drink. There’s no nutrition label on the source but it seems sour plums have very high potassium levels. If the potassium results from the dialysis labs are inaccurate, i.e., too low, then the extra potassium may push me into hyperkalemia.

Right after walking on the treadmill yesterday, I ate a bowl of French Vanilla ice cream. The nutrition label said for a serving size of 2/3 cup, there was 173 mg of potassium, or ~4% of DV. I probably had a bit more than one serving but is ~250 mg of potassium enough to trigger arrhythmia? I guess if my potassium levels are already too high.

If my arrhythmia is triggered by a spike in blood potassium levels, will it drop when the extra potassium is metabolized? Or is my heart stuck on the high pulse rate?