Severely anemic, poor labs

severely anemic, poor labs, I also need a doctor that understands how to treat D.S problems that is either in Washington state or Oregon......... Your not supposed to be lower than and eleven and I am a six..... I see the doctor tomorrow for a possible blood transfusion or iron infusion or maybe both....

Hopefully the doctor you're seeing today is a hematologist, because that's what you need. They don't necessarily need to understand the DS, they just need to understand malabsorption. Hopefully they've had RNY patients before. That was my experience finding a hematologist. I've been as low as 3, but never needed a transfusion - only ever had infusions.

Not sure if you are pre- or post-menopausal, but if you are pre-menopausal, you obviously have another thing going against you - monthly periods. Some DSers just have issues absorbing oral iron. That was my cir****tance because even after my periods stopped, I still tended to be low. Only thing that has helped recently is a new infusion drug - Injectefer. Infusion was two years ago and still maintaining +200 ferritin.

Good luck.

Yes he is a hematologist.... I looked at my labs last night it said my ferritin is at a three. Its my hemoglobin that is at a 6.1 . It is my primary care that thought I would maybe need a transfusion...... They said it makes you feel immediatly better, so I would like to have one.... I have felt pretty bad for such a long time..... I am also my husbands caregiver, as he suffers from M.S .. It has been hard care giving with no energy... I also have to start taking vitamin A shots so I dont go blind....... Uhg, so many other deficiencies which is why I really need to see someone that knows about this..... Thank you for your response, it did answer one of my questions....

Sorry I have the same issue. My levels keep changing because Im trying to adjust with dosage and brand....because I get constipation. But next month I will get another reading to see my new levels

Sorry I have the same issue. My levels keep changing because Im trying to adjust with dosage and brand....because I get constipation. But next month I will get another reading to see my new levels

Iron supplements that have ferrous, such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, etc, are very constipating. Theme iron and carbon iron are not constipation. Give one of them a try.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. My issues are similar and there have been many blood transfusions and iron infusions since about three years post op.

After much searching I've found a hematologist who has made all the difference and is the first doc ever to be able to help me sustain acceptable results.

I'm in Washington but if you can't find someone to treat you sufficiently where you are you might want to consider making the trip. Rainier Hematology and Oncology in Puyallup with Dr. Kathleen (Ludwila) Martin. She treats these issues very seriously and has been a godsend and an eye opener for me. If you're interested I'll dig up her phone number.

disclaimer: you may have something else actually going on so unless you've got a diagnosis you might have to do some testing or provide some history. It's easy to assume what's going on when you see numbers like yours but it's 100% necessary to have a hematologist *****searches all options.

Once levels get as low as yours it can take many treatments to get them up to or near normal.

Blood transfusions certainly can make a person feel better soon afterward. Handle it now and push for what you need. My last transfusion was five units. Yep. 5. Dr. Martin had me tracked down in the grocery store. That's how pro-active she is, and how dedicated. I hung out in the ICU for a couple of days.

You don't want to get yourself into that situation just because no one is paying attention. Any readings under eight should get you sent to the ER asap - a "normal" healthy adult should have between 10 and 12 units.

Good luck and stay the course. It can suck for awhile but it can get better. It can even get "normal" believe it or not.

Thank You so much for your response. Yes, I would appreciate her phone number... absolutely..... I am at this moment receiving my first two units of blood, and then the hematologist has me set up with two iron infusions after that. He is also advising me on my low vitamin D3, and such.... I do like him, and he has said that he has treated other bariatric patients in the past..... I think I will give him a few weeks to see what kind of results we end up with.... It would be nice if I got lucky and have found someone in my area that knows what he is doing.... I still would like to have your doctors phone number for back up..... Thank you so much for the information.... Im hoping for a miracle...........lol

Rainier Hematology/Oncology
Dr. Katherine (Ludwila) Martin
253-241-4296

There you have it. I'm really glad your own doc is paying attention now and giving you some blood. Two units is substantial and I'm glad it's being addressed.

As far as the Vit D, many of us supplement significantly. I take 50,000IU twice per week personally. There are people who take even more, and people who don't need to supplement much at all. Most docs would cringe at the higher numbers but eventually come to terms with larger doses if labs pan out and improve.

Good luck getting better. If you think of it and have a moment maybe you can check in and let us know how it's going. It can take a long, long time to get blood situations in order so once you're in a good spot make sure to stay vigilant.

Yes, because im so low with the vitamin D3, he told me to take the 50,000.00 unit pill for four days in a row, and then twice a week after that... My primary "in the beginning" to take the same pill only once a week. You have made me feel better about taking such a big amount. I was a bit nervous about it. The only thing is, is that these pills I get from the pharmacy are in "oil" form, not "dry". I told him my concerns, being that we are supposed to always do the dry because of the way we get rid of any extra fat from our systems.... Can I ask if your pills are oil or dry?