anemia

I was wondering this too, although i HAVE the girlie problems :) I've been anemic since I was 17, found out about the CD when i was 23, and about a month (almost to the day!) after my first hospitalization, I'm back in for a blood transfusion from losing blood (clots as big as my fist!) A DNC fixed that all up, but since my last hospital visit (few weeks ago) I've been "on" again, for an abnormal amount of time. I started taking Yasmin for the anemia when i was 17, and it's works great for me since, but now with the CD, my doctors are fighting over whether i should keep taking it. Anyone else have this sort of situation?

Does CD medicine cause anemia, or is it meds?

Find yourself a good Hematologist. They are usually associated with Cancer Clinics. I have had almost perpetual anemia for years. Several years ago I even bought a hemoglobinometer off ebay and started checking it myself. You can poop out the blood without noticing a change in color and the disease may be preventong you from making iron.
I cannot take oral iron since it gives me the big D, so I just call the blood doc and he gives me an iron infusion and boom! I'm ready for the dance. Plus, I'm not getting anyone elses' body fluids. I got an infusion Monday, four days ago and I'm back running already.
Dave D

i started seeing a hematologist at an oncology center at the first of this month. they just want to monitor my blood...

my b-12 is low, but is improving since i've started to take b-12 supplements. no one thought to check this until i did some research and asked them to check it with my weekly blood work. arg.

i know iron pills can constipate you so i am hesitant to use them, especially after just going through a heck of a battle with colonic inertia. i've tried the all natural way the last few months - more red meat, liver, and natural iron from dessicated buffalo liver and plant iron (floradix) but apparently they are working as well as i had hoped, so i gotta give the iron pills a try. the hematologist didnt want to do iron infusions - he wants me to use the pills first and save the infusions as a last resort. fine...

my GI knows of my plan to get off my meds. he agrees that the 6-mp could be causing this and imho getting off of it is the first step in trying to solve this. i dont want to get a blood transfusion every month or two. sure i am feeling better crohn's wise, but being too fatigued to function is now way to live either. if getting off the 6-mp cause things to go south (which i dont think they will though) the back up plan short term is humira.

thanks everybody!

Hi,

Last year I had anemia, with quite low tests, hb at 8.4, but the only answer I got was to use iron pills and eat red meat. This was in june last year, it took me app 8 months to get fine levels again, and ordinary iron pills didn't help a lot, actually it was floradix that helped me in the end. Prior to the anemia I had no visible blood in the BM, and i just saw a little fresh blood on the toiletpaper now and then. Even if you are low in iron it doesn't mean you are bleeding from somewhere, does it? Of course you need to be examined from top to toe, being on such low levels are not healthy and it sure is a reason. The reason is often low B 12 or that the intestines can't take care of the iron within the food passing because there is an inflamational activity. Anyway, I hope you'll get infusions, you can't have a good, functional life having such low levels, you sure have low energy and fatique. Take care!
Hugs
From Ingrid

I too constantly fight the anemia battle. When I was first diagnosed my hb was at 7. Over the past few years, even with blood transfusions, the highest its been is 10. Like you, it tends to be rather sporadic. All of a sudden you realize you are way more tired and achy than normal. Just recently, it dropped back down and my hemotologist started giving me the lecture about taking my iron pills. And those iron pills are OH so much fun. She keeps suggesting an iron infusion - Dave D, its nice to hear that it works for someone Crazy Harry, I know the anemia makes you utterly exhausted and frustrated, hang in there. I hope it gets better soon.