Severe Anemia

I posted this on the WLS Grad board, but I thought maybe i could get some help here too!  Thanks! I had RNY in May, 2006.  I have been a success story.  I've reached my goal of 125 and stayed there.  I have felt great and had NO complications whatsoever.  I have often felt and thought that "I am a thin person"

I am an active 45 year old woman, eat a well balanced nutritious diet high in protein, take my vitamins & minerals, drink only my water ****asionally a sugar-free hot choc), and sleep great.  I have a good life and I know of 3 people that have had RNY (they say) because of me.  Also, all my labs have been great.

Saying all that, it's difficult for me to write this.  About a month ago while visiting my daughter in Savannah I passed out in a Homegoods store.  My heart was beating so hard you could see it through my clothes.  I was totally disoriented for about 2 hours and my heart continued to beat that way for quite some time.  Being as stubborn as I am, I refused to go to the doctor until I got home to NC.  When I got home I made an appt and went to the doc.  I had been feeling kind of bad through the holidays, but I just thought it was the stress of a normal life.  2 new grandchildren, stressful job, home, husband, holidays...

The doctor's office called that afternoon and said that I must "rush to the ER", because my "labs were critical"  They said I could not drive.  My husband took me.  Well to make a long story short (I know, too late for that) my hemoglobin and hematocrit were 5.8 & 19.  Normal is 12-16 & 45+.  My iron levels were normal.  Many other levels were very low due to low red blood cell count.  But all my vitamin and iron levels were normal!  No internal bleeding, no cancer.

They gave me 3 blood transfusions and a 4 day hospital stay.  I've been tested, poked, prodded, mri'd, & ct'd.  My blood is now up to 10 & 25.  still not great but I am able to walk around although I am symptomatic. (severe exhaustion, numbness, dizziness, disorientation, slurry speech, memory loss, headache...)

They found some spots on my brain.  the radiologist thought MS.  The nuerologist yesterday said no, spots and symptoms are associated with low red blood cell count.

The hemotologist and my primary care doc (oh yeah, and my dear husband) think it has something to do with my surgery.  My bariatric surgeon says no internal bleeding and labs are good and he's staying out of it.

Have any of you ever experienced or heard of anyone experiencing this before??

I see the hemotologist again Monday.  If course of treatment, massive doses of iron, vitamins, some drugs... isn't working, he is going to give me a bone marrow aspiration.  if it is working, i will continue on treatment, maybe having to have regular blood transfusions, and call it MAL-NUTRITION!!!

Help if you can!!  Thanks so much for allowing me to ramble.  The last thing I want is for this to have anything to do with my surgery.  I love my surgery.

Sincerely,
Deborah

There are many, many reasons this can happen. It looks like your medical practitioners have been very thorough.  Your best bet - see the Hematologist and see what they decide is the best course of treatment. If it is a side -effect of your surgery, then so be it. You can't take the surgery away, you will need to learn to deal with this new issue with the post-op body that you have. You are doing the best thing that you can do in this situation. good luck!

I had my orginal surgery almost 10yrs ago and during my 8th year (go figure it took that long!) was also rushed to the ER for blood transfusions and after had to under go 3 months of 3xper week IV iron infusions....my blood is now normal and just need to have regular labs checked.  It took almost a year to recover and during that time it was extremly stressfull for me and my family!  Good Luck and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  After seeing almost 5 different specialist no has actually put their finger on why or how I crashed especially since it happened after my 8th year! Take Care, Katia

Deborah, In the years after your surgery, what was your ferritin level?   I really think that this is the most important iron test.  A lot of doctors don't order a ferritin test.  It is a test of your iron stores.  I really watch my ferritin level as my other iron levels are fine but my ferritin is under 50.  I am trying to get my ferritin above 100.  If I were you, I would get copies of all your lab results and track them on an Excel file.  Good luck!