Can anyone answer a question for me?

Tomorrow makes 10 weeks post op for me. TAH. I have been so exhausted. I went to the doc for follow up. My blood count is still 10.5. DOc put me back on iron. My question is...Is this level low enough to cause symptoms of fatique , dizziness, and breathlessness? Or is it still my body recovering? What is the normal range? 12-16?? What are the other symptoms of anemia? Thanks so much! You have all been so great!

I see that you have endo. I read, that endo, can cause fatique, even exhausion, plus also dizziness. If your number was flagged has low with the blood count. I think that it could cause those things that you mentioned. I don't know about breathlessness though!? I just said think. It may be good thing to ask your doctor.

Is this number low enough to cause fatigue? Thank you!!

Yes!! Definately!! I had anemia with my heavy bleeding, and my hemoglobin wasn't as low as yours. I was exhausted! I teach at a university, and I could barely get through a class period (50 minutes). Then it was all I could do to drag myself up 1 flight of stairs to my office. And my doctor didn't put me on iron supplements. So, I'd say that your number is certainly low enough to cause you to have fatigue!!

Thanks! Do you remember how low yours was? Is the normal 12-16

Just a few quick suggestions, I lost a lot of blood during my surgery, so had low iron after surgery as well.

Eat iron rich foods with citrus, like spinach salad with mandarin oranges, iron-fortified cereal (Total etc.) with strawberries, meat sandwiches with slices of sweet red pepper. The vitamin C increases your iron absorption.

Artichokes are even higher in iron than spinach. If you like artichokes, indulge yourself!

Also cut down on your coffee and tea consumption, as the flavenoid compounds in coffee and tea reduce iron absorption by about 50%.

(I'm a nutritionist)

I think my hemoglobin was about 13, and I think normal is 14 to 16.

Girlfriend, if you knew how low my hemoglobin was before I had surgery, you would certainly freak out. My hemoglobin was only 5.0 and I had to rush to ER and get 3 pints of blood transfusion. Yes, it was that bad!

Normal hemoglobin for women is 12 - 14. Just try to eat iron-rich foods as much as you can. I had to stop my iron pills because they caused me extreme constipation and I couldn't stand it any longer. So I just try and do well on my iron-rich food intake. Raisins are also good for anemia, green leafy vegetables, red meat..

About the breathlessness, yes, it is a sign of anemia because if there is not enough blood in your oxygen levels, then the brain does not get enough air. Thus, shortness of breath can occur. Considering your history, you may want to consult with your doctor though about why that is so. It could be a result of a few other things.

I hope you feel better.

Wow! That is low. Mine was 7 after surgery and they made me stay in the hospital until it went up to an 8. I was on iron for 2 weeks but was told that I could stop. That was until my recent follow up where he checked it again and seen that it was 10.5. Thanks for your help!

Hi ,

I think that yes the breathlessness, fatigue and dizzyness can be caused by being anemic. My level hasn't gone up but at least now it isn't still falling (it went down 6 wks after surgery). It has leveled out at 9 so I add lots of iron ( pills, veggies, etc.). I'm sorry that your energy isn't back , I understand .