Anemia anyone?

Hi --

One of the side effects of all my problems was anemia - to make a long story short - I was back in the hospital after the 1st surgery because of internal bleeding/hematoma -- I had 2 blood transfusions. (I was anemic before the 1st surgery so the hematoma/internal bleeding became life threatening).

Dr put me on iron - and wants me to take 2 pills a day. He told me to start slow - since when I got out I was on antibiotics for a week and hydrocordone..so I started taking 1 pill a day with lunch.

I'm now 2 wks post op and thinking I should start doing 2 pills a day.

I'm scared to up it to 2 since I worry about side effects. I did a little research online to figure out best way to space out 2 pills.

Anyone else out there taking iron - and if so how much and when? And do you have any side effects --??

Thanks so much!!

Melanie

I had blood loss during surgery and received blood transfusion and then had plasma given to me 2 days after. Before surgery I was low, but still considered within normal range. I am now on iron and Dr. only has me taking one a day. I haven't noticed any side effects. I'm 4 weeks 2 days outside surgery. I haven't done any research, but Dr. told me it may make you constipated and to watch for that.
Good luck to you!

I ended up having anemia prior to surgery due to prolonged heavy bleeding and had to get a blood transfusion, then was put on iron pills. Again after surgery my levels dropped again and I had to have another blood transfusion and am again on iron pills. I only take one a day. And you have to drink alot of water with it. Only side effect I seem to have is constipation and it does make your stool darker(sorry if too graphic). Instructions on my iron meds are take with plenty with water one hour before a meal or two hours after a meal. It also says if taking it that way makes you nauseated you can take it with a very small meal/snack. Best of luck to you.

Hi kduby4,
After my surgery my Dr. informed me I was severely anemic. I guess 40 something is normal and I was at the mid 20 count. I had lost quite a bit of blood during surgery, and they also discovered I had an ectopic pregnancy. I'm assuming these 2 factors contributed.

Along with the pain meds and antibiotics (for a UTI) she prescribed a
muti-vit with iron. I dread taking these due to past experience of constipation, and I was already severely constipated before my surgery.
So, the only side effects of iron for me is the constipation. Which, sucks as I've tried everything to regulate myself. Hopefully I'll have a normal BM sans laxatives and suppositories VERY SOON!
Wishing you a speedy recovery!

I was ordered to take one Iron pill a day after my surgery due to anemia..I took it until my six week check up and she told me to stop taking it. Actually not taking it I feel more fatiqued and am thinking of maybe taking one every other day on my own .

I was severely anemic prior to my surgery. I found that the brand "Slow Fe" was the easiest on my system. I would take it with food to lessen any upset stomach issues.

Here's my story.....I went in for my 2wks checkup and the nurse did a fingrer prick to check my iron levels which was a 12.1(very good). I had orders to have complete blood work done after my 6wks checkup-last week. The results came back as 28 which is low. My PCP advised me to up the dose of my iron pills from 2 to 3 per day and eat lots of green leafy vegetables. I have done that and am drinking lots of water and other fluids. I just thought it was odd to be good at 2wks and low at six weeks. Is the finger prick less reliable. I thought that maybe it would be because the results can be read right away or could it have been wrong to begin with?

I forgot to mention that I did not receive a blood transfusion during my surgery.

Yes, I was anemic prior to my surgery and since it isn't something that just goes away quickly I'm still working on raising that it to a respectable number. I started 1 slow-release iron pill a day. This is what my doctor recommended to help with nausea and constipation. Along with the 1 iron pill I have added high iron foods to my diet. I find that is a better option than the nausea and constipation, I certainly don't want to make those worse than they already are.

For me the anemia was a result of 10+ months of very heavy clot bleeding. So glad that is over with! I did not receive a blood transfusion.

I was anemic prior to surgery too, and actually wasn't able to schedule my surgery as soon as I would have liked because I had to get my levels up. I used the liquid Floradix iron supplement (doesn't taste very good but you get used to it and it's not constipating) and it worked really well. My levels dipped a bit after and I got two bags of blood, but my cheeks sure were rosy for the first time in a while

(Make sure you're not taking a calcium supplement at the same time as your iron, as the two are thought to kind of duke it out and the calcium usually wins - I can't post a link but a Google search will pull up info.)