Near Death Experience

Hi Everyone Sorry I haven't posted lately. I haven't been feeling good for weeks. I chalked it all up to my anemia. However, I didn't know how bad it was till I went last Friday for my blood work. But the time I got home, I received a phone call from my surgeon requesting me to come back to the hospital. My hemoglobin was so low, he didn't know how I wasn't dead. If I never went for my bloodwork, I would have been dead by Monday. So I returned to the hosptial to have a complete blood panel drawn for a second check and sure enough, my hemoglobin was down to 4 (that of a dead person). So I needed transfusions  and several testing to rule out internal bleeding. My body only had 1/4 of the amount of blood than a normal person. it seemed I was losing blood and no answers. All my tests came out negative. It turned out that I had sever anemia and no iron in my blood and without iron, you cannot produce blood. So now I needed an iron transfusion. One that was 16 hours long and to be done in 2 days. I mad eit throught he first 8 hours. I got almost through the 2nd 8 hours and with one hour left, I became very lathargic, swollen and completely covered with an allergic reaction of a rash in a matter of 30 seconds. By then, 10 surgeons were hanging over me. I received injections and benedryl and in 3 hours everything was cleared up. it was so bad, I almost needed to be intebated. i couldn't walk or close my hands. It was very scary.  but I am home recovering now and doing much better. I have learned through this experience to never assume that what is wrong with you is true. Always go get it checked out. I am thankful for this surgery. I am 2 years out and have lost 150 pounds and thank God this is the first problem I have had in 2 years.  I will keep you posted. Thanks.........................

getting blood is never easy .......im so sorry you had that experience!!!!!  glad your revovering and feeling better......keep us posted!!!!

OMG Marie! What a traumatic experience. I am so sorry to hear that you had to go through that. Are they thinking this anemia was a result of malabsorption? When was the last time you had bloodwork done? I am very happy to hear that you're on the mend. I think you make a powerful arguement for calling your doc even if the slightest thing seems off.

Heal well. Keep us posted.

Hugs and kisses,
Amy

Hi Marie!  Oh my goodness!!!! I cannot believe your story :( You poor thing! How often do you get your labs done? wow - thanks for sharing your story - It reminds us ... how important getting our labs is!!! feel better and keep us posted! hugs, Britt

Wow, I am so sorry this happened to you.  I am actually so glad that you posted your experience because I have anemia now and have for years and I really haven't taken anything for it like I should.  I am going to start taking supplements. Sometimes I am so hard headed that i don't think anything could happene to me.  I am so sorry again that this happened to you but thank you so much for posting so it can be prevented.

I was wondering where you have been. Please, please,please take care of yourself. Thank God that you know your body enough to realize that something was not right. You are so right about not just to assume something and to double check. In your case, it was a matter of life or death. I hope that this problem will be resolved and you get back to your old self very soon. Sincerely, Diane

   Glad you are getting better,  sorry you had to go through so much.

OMG...you were so lucky...I'm sorry you had such a bad time...keep well... Rosemary

Thanks everyone. I am doing much better today. I am under close watch with everything for the next few months just to get my strength back and I have to get my labs done more often now. I was supposed to get them done in July and I never did. Bad me. But I am ok and happy to be out of that hole. Hospitals are the pits. 7 days there drove me nuts. Thanks again everyone..........................

I am SO glad to read that you are doing better.  Thank you for posting and telling us that you missed getting your labs done in July.  It's an important reminder to keep on schedule with all the testing, etc.  We all know how easy it is to put something like that off, thinking another month or whatever will not make much difference.  I think all of us *****ad of your experience will remember next time we decide to postpone getting labs done, etc. Wishing you a fast and complete recovery -- LisaD