blood transfusion?

Has anyone been told by their doctors that they might need a blood transfusion? My blood counts were quite low due to fibroids, but now I have finally gotten my counts up to about 11 12. My doctor doesn't seem too worried about my needing a blood transfusion even though he stated that my fibroid is now larger than a mellon. My mother called and now has me worried about whether I should have stored my own blood. I go off BC pills for a couple of weeks before surgery and I will start bleeding heavy again so my counts will drop, I figure. My surgery is june 18th so I don't even think I would be able to do it so soon to surgery. Has any one else had to have a transfusion where their blood counts were in the normal range to start with?.

thank you,
debbi

I asked my doctor about giving my blood incase I needed a transfusion. My doctor said to not do it. I lost very little blood. If your doctor is not concerned then just listen to what your doctor advises.

{{HUGS}}

Patty

I also was concerned with the blood loss as I was borderline anemic before surgery. Since I couldn't give with my low blood levels, I pursued my hubby giving for me... just in case and since he and I have the same blood type. Found out there was a lot of red tape to do this AND then my dr. convinced me that wasn't necessary either. In all the years that he has been doing hysters, he only had to do one transfusion and then, he needed TONS of blood. Not just what we would have stored. And he assured me that the blood from the blood banks were so much safer now. He said if I picked 10 people to give for me and he were to choose 10 different donors from the blood bank --the odds were that a significant percentage of my people would fail their tests and would be turned away. Hope this helps ease your mind!!

Best wishes on your trip to the castle!!

I asked about transfusions too, and my doc said that he does a transfusion for a hysterectomy about once every two years. And he does a lot of them! He said they're really rare even when blood is low because he only uses them in life-threatening situations.

Hi,
I am 2 weeks post op, my surgery took longer than expected due to the amount of blood loss, however, did not need a transfusion.
Everything went fine.
I agree, a transfusion is a rare need. It is always good to speak with your doctor about this, however...
I am sure you will be just fine.
DeniseL

Hi all...

Well, here I am...little Ms. Exception!

I believe in being prepared for any contigency (control freak) and have banked blood for all my surgeries. This time I banked the two units...my doctor agreed it was good to have in case of emergencies.

My surgery took three hours, and there were massive adhesions in addition to the huge fibroids. Everything was stuck together, and had to be dissected apart. I lost over two units of blood.

The morning after my surgery, I got my two units back. I had been passing out while sitting in my chair next to the bed...thought I was falling asleep. The transfusion took the better part of the day, but it didn't hurt and I was fine after that.

Just goes to show that it's good to be prepared. If I had to plan another surgery, I would do it again in a minute. It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

Karen

thanks for all your advice and thoughts. I am feeling better. I would have loved to banked my blood before surgery but I am still bleeding so heavily that I go down in my blood count every month and it takes all month to get it back up.
Its nice to hear that most surgeries go pretty well. I am hoping mine does too.

thanks,
debbi

Debbi,
Your doctor I am sure knows your history. Don't be afraid to remind DD before surgery. I had a talk with him right before my procedure. We went over what was taking place again. That made me feel better. Speak up and ask questions.
Drink lots of water, cranberry juice and apple juice. Anything to keep you hydrated. Do this before you surgery as well as after.
It will all be over soon and you will feel great!
No more anemia!
Best of everything to you!
DeniseL