Hemoglobin low pre-op SAH 20 days

Hello,
I went for my pre admission blood work today. My hemoglobin is so low, 6.3, that I was told to go to the emergency room for a blood transfusion. The nurse actually asked me how I'm walking around with it so low.

I didn't go for the transfusion, I have an appointment with my regular doctor on Monday. I don't want to have to postpone , my surgery is Nov 19. I'm hoping that 20 days is long enough to fix this.

I have to tell you this is the last thing I expected. A blood transfusion on Halloween, really.

Mary

large fibroids, abnormal bleeding

Mary Bernadette...
Are you on iron supplements?

With a hemoglobin count of only 6.3 I do not know even with iron supplements that 20 days will be enough time to bring the count up!

I am scheduled for TAH 12/9/08..13cm fibroid, enlarged uterus, cyst on one ovary.

Last month I went to the E.R. dizzy, ready to passout, and my heart was racing..due to a ulcer that had completely bledout.

According to my GI doc all the symptoms that I went to the E.R. for were because my hemoglobin count was 5 when I was admitted! The ulcer had already bledout..so the racing heartbeat, dizziness- is the body and the heart working much harder to provide oxygen to the brain and to move the blood around when the hemoglobin count is too low!

I was given 6 pints of blood..2 weeks later another blood test at my gynos office...results- hemoglobin count at 10!

My gyno wants the count to be 12 before surgery..she put me on 325mg. iron 2x daily!

Please check the need for those transfusions with your doctor BEFORE Monday...delaying may set your body up for larger problems than delaying your surgery!

P.S. (FYI)..There is more than one form of iron..before starting any iron supplements check with your doc first..what works for one may not be good for another..OK??

A cousin of mine has had a few transfusions and said she felt so much better afterward. Please do check with your doctor before Monday (if you have not already called the office). Now that Halloween is over with, Saturday would be a good time to get the transfusion.

20 days is not enough to bring up your iron by pills. I have been anaemic on multiple occasions. The last I am just coming up from. In August it was really really low (we use a different scale to you) but my doctor put me on 325mg of iron 3 times a day and I was taking 12 provera (now down to 8) in addition to that so that I do not have a period before surgery and lose any more iron. Basically, I was told it takes a minimum of 6 weeks to get the iron into your stores and then you build up from there. Do talk further with your doctor and don't ignore this. It's serious.

There are alternatives to getting a blood transfusion. My level was a 7 before I had gallbladder surgery and my doctor referred me to a hematologist for iron infusions, it is a more concentrated form of iron and gets into your blood stream quickly, it was very effective, within 2 weeks my level was at 10 and good enough for the surgery. It must last pretty well too because I had a TAH 6 months later and my hemaglobin was at 11, I was taking iron supplements a couple months before the TAH too.

Anyway it wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor about iron infusions too instead of a blood transfusion.

Best Wishes to you =)
~Dawn~

If you do not wish to go straight to ER for a blood transfusion I would suggest you put in an emergency call to your regular doctor ASAP! You are taking a big risk not following the medical advice you received today. I tried waiting for a transfusion when my hemoglobin was at 7.5 -- I was in the hospital so under a very close watch. I didn't want a transfusion but it was took risky to put it off. Without a miracle it is highly unlikely your hemoglobin will be high enough to withstand surgery in 20 days unless you have some type of transfusion or iron infusion. Please don't wait until Monday! S

Mary,

I agree with sdcw90 and weiser, you need to get this under control now. I have had iron infusion for the last 12 years (every 2 to 6 months) b/c of anemia. I have a syndrome that doesn't let my body absorb iron. I am due for a VH on 12/12. I have lab work done every 3 months to check my hemo and ferritin level. At my checkup a week ago, my hemo was 11. VERY GOOD to be 3 months since an iron infusion. If you do an iron infusion, take a book, it takes a while for this but you will be feeling WONDERFUL the next day. I am due for blook word this week to check my ferritin level. Pray for me that it is still up. BUT most important, GO GET YOURS CHECK OUT.

I will be praying for you!
Wackyone

Thanks everyone.
I just switched primary care doctors. I've never seen her before. Insurance coverage is an important factor for me too. I know it shouldn't matter but it does. To be perfectly honest I haven't had a blood test is over 10 years at least.

The thing is I'm not dizzy or tired I don't feel any different than I've ever felt (as far back as I can remember). I feel normal working full time, living my life.

Thanks sdcw90 about the iron infusion information.

Mary

Hi Mary

Two things ... when we have ongoing anemia, we redefine normal. So at the moment I am feeling pretty good and when I get my blood work back this week, I am sure that my good will be at the bottom end of normal (hopefully on the scale after 3 months of iron build up). Its kind of like when I used to wear glasses. I got a new pair one day and when I put them on it was like a fog lifted. I thought, "that can't be right" and put the old pair on and a literal fog descended. I looked closely at the old glasses, and they were so scratched. I had been looking through that for several years and it all seemed normal to me until I had the new ones to compare. Our iron can be like that, we live with it so low for a long time, we think its normal until we are really well and then we realise what we thought was normal, is not.

Secondly and more importantly. You are heading into major surgery and your body has to be a certain level to cope with this. Your surgeon will not do the surgery if they do not feel your levels are high enough. it creates unnecessary risk. So, you need to do whatever you can, to get that iron up - if you don't want the transfusion, go for the infusion. Pills just won't do it in 20 days and you need to do something.

Hugs

Sassiekiwi

I had 8 transfusions prior to surgery and 2 more post. I do not know what my level was preop, but it took about 6 weeks to get my count up to 11. That count was raised by having the 10 transfusions AND taking 325 mg of iron each day for 6 full weeks.

I entered into surgery with such low blood count that a crash team was on stand by during my surgery. I was told my low blood count could cause stroke and/or cardiac arrest while under anesthesia. However, my surgery was considered an emergency and necessary to stop the bleeding and ultimately save my life. My surgeon didn't have the option of postponing it. If he'd had a choice, he probably wouldn't have placed me at risk.

Please follow your doctor's advice and get your transfusions. Your health should be your highest priority. Postponing this could place you at life-threatening risks you don't want to have or delay your surgery indefinitely!