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Need help with severe anemia

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Posted 10/20/2014 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
I do not qualify for a transfusion, just a couple of ticks too high. The whole 8 nights I recently was in the hospital, they debated it and even once barged in and said it was urgent that I be transfused. Then they never came back and blamed "lab error". (Which is baloney IMO modern labs do not make that kind of error.)

So now, I am extremely weak both physically and mentally. I was prescribed ferrous gluconate 3 x daily, but feel like this will take forever to improve my numbers. I also have iron bisglycinate and have ordered Floravital liquid which should be here tomorrow.

I can barely get up out of the chair to walk across the house. Taking a shower does me in for hours. I really feel as if my case was mishandled at the hospital. Maybe they just didn't want to give up the type O for me.

If you have any tips on how I can get to feeling "normal" I'd appreciate it. I am going to Hawaii on 11/8 and would sure like to be able to stay awake for it.
Posted 10/20/2014 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
I have chronic anemia and have for a long time now. I go for IV iron infusions periodically. I am doing them right now. My hematologist is giving me a more concentrated one right now called Feraheme.

Oral iron will never get you up if you are that low. These infusions help me immensely. I recommend seeing a hematologist for this. Have your doctor refer you to one.
Posted 10/20/2014 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
I too had severe anemia when I was hospitalized for 10 days awhile back. I was just above the threshold for a transfusion so I didn't get one either. How long has it been since you've been home from the hospital? I'm not discounting at all the role of how weak being anemic makes you feel, but I will say that when I got discharged from the hospital I could barely walk for a few days and going up and down the stairs was tortuous. I think it was partly due to being in bed for 10 days. It takes a bit for the body to get going again. Also, the weakness is prob from everything combined (the illness, being in bed, the drugs, anemia). Did your GI prescribe the iron supplements or were they on the discharge papers? My GI didn't want me taking any iron. He feels it's really harsh on the colon. I did eat a lot of foods with iron, but it takes a LONG time to get your levels back up doing it that way. So long as you're not bleeding any longer that isn't too bad if you can deal with feeling weak. If you are still bleeding though I can see how you need to do something more immediate.
Posted 10/20/2014 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, I was hit head on and hospitalized in 2013, I told them my GI was awful and I need the infusion I read about here. They setup a 2nd 'hat rack' and injected 4 bags into me over 4 days. Problem solved !
Ongoing with UC it is an issue, I just pulled self-pay labs and I was low on RBC, a little bit low however I can feel it in my workouts so more navy beans and spinach I guess. Oral pills tend to worsen UC.
Posted 10/20/2014 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
The iron pills were prescribed and sent home with me from the hospital; they are just standard ferrous gluconate like you can buy anywhere. I am supposed to see my GI tomorrow and I will insist as much as I can that he send me out for an urgent consult with a hematologist. I ordered the Floravital from Amazon and hopefully it will assimilate better regardless. Edited to add Discharged from hospital on 10/11 admitted 10/03
Posted 10/21/2014 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
I had the Feraheme too. I had to get it several times a year until I stopped bleeding.

I think an infusion of iron makes more sense than a transfusion. There is much more iron in an infusion.
Posted 10/21/2014 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
Infusion helped me. I also ate a lot of liverwurst (surprisingly delicious) and clams which are both high in iron and didn't bother my gut.

It only took me one iron infusion to get my numbers into low-normal range. But you have to do it soon if you want to feel the effects on your trip. I think it took me a few weeks to feel stronger.

Are you on high doses of Pred? That can also make you feel weak.
Posted 10/21/2014 10:46 PM (GMT 0)
In Poland, people with severe anemia (often during chemiotherapy) are advised by doctors to eat beetroot soup every day, it really works miracles for anemia. First, you prepare vegetable broth (4 cups), then you add 1 kg of peeled and cut into slices beetroots, cook it for about 25 minutes (on low fire). You leave it until the next day. On the next day, you take the beetroots and vegetables out of the soup, add some freshly squeezed lemon juice (I also add some red wine) and cook it for a few minutes. It's eaten (or rather drunk) hot, best together with empanadas or croquetes.
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