Anyone else dealing with anemia post-op?

Pam, please be careful, taking more than 2 tablets is probably way too much iron!!!

You should call your dr. if you have any questions about your dosage. Also, I think its a good idea to get a follow-up blood test for anemia to make sure your numbers are coming back up to normal.

I was and still am getting mine checked about every 4 weeks.

This thread has a lot of good information, please read through some of the earlier postings to see how we've progressed.

I hope you feeling better soon, keep us posted!

thank you all for your helpful insight. i have read all of the threads and had DH double check my iron when he got home. turns out i had the right iron, just wasnt taking the 2 pills a day (as prescribed by my doc). so, i'm determined to stay on top of this!
p.s. had a cbc done 2 weeks ago, doc told me to stay on the iron. guess i just got lazy with the dosage, not thinking it would make much of a difference. boy was i wrong!!
thanks again ladies for all the help and support!!

I don't know if this is related or not but I have many of the symptoms that you describe such as dizziness, nausea, light headedness, weakness, unsteadiness, as well as getting numbness, tingling in random parts of my body and no insight as to what might be wrong. Help, running out of energy to contend with this. Had CBC and Ferritin studies which came back normal - what could this be?

Heather, if it's not your iron, it could be a B12 deficiency. Maybe try a multi-B vitamin supplement and see if you feel better, they work pretty quickly. But of course you should check with your doctor as well.

Hope you feel better soon!!!

Heather, even if your iron levels came back normal, you still may need iron. a multivitamin couldnt hurt. someone posted this website a while back. check it out: http://www.anemia.org/patients/faq/

out that I do have anaemia and low blood pressure as well as well as other things going on too. I am now on Iron supplements and have to be retested again in a month.

Wow. I'm severely anemic, but have been instructed to NOT take iron!! I have actually been anemic since October due to heavy bleeding for a long time, and was on iron prior to surgery. After surgery, my hemo was 8.3, but my doctor told me that my body is so used to being anemic that it will heal on its own and she did not want me to continue the iron therapy. It's up to 9.0 as of Monday, so I'm slowly recovering, but I haven't taken any iron pills. My doctor said she didn't want to cause me any stomach upset by putting me on iron. After reading these posts, it seems very unusual that I am NOT on iron.

yeah that does seem unusual; however, iron does mess up your stomach and colon (makes me constipated).

I think it is unusual for a dr. not to recommend iron supplements for an anemic patient , but maybe your particular doctor had a good reason. Did she advise on certain foods to eat that are iron-rich, for example red meat, spinach, beet juice, lentils?

If you feel any symptoms, like weakness, being tired, dizzy, chest pains, you should talk to your talk your dr. again asap. Please take care of yourself and feel better soon!

Unless you have a past history of stomach upset wih iron, try it. You do not need a prescription. Do check with your doctor in case there is a secret reason you should not take it. I am unaware of iron causing stomach upset. Iron can cause constipation but a stool softener like Colaze (did I spell that correctly?) worked fine for me. I was surprized at how long it takes for your body to make blood.