More fun with anemia
May. 16th, 2011 09:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
firefly124Actually, first off, apologies to those who had commented on my last post that I just replied to. I didn't know they were there. *kicks LJ and Yahoo!Mail both, as either could be at fault*
So, at the last follow-up with my GP, after taking Floradix for a month, my hemoglobin supposedly dropped to 10.1. Cue referral to a hematologist. Cue me ceasing to keep downing the $40/bottle supplement that I'm apparently not absorbing.
After a month of not taking any sort of iron supplement, hemoglobin came up to 11.9. Normal range for women, for those scratching their heads, is 12-16. Buh?
Hematologist thinks the 10.1 was a lab error, as everything else has been in the mid-11s. Looking at the trends all laid out nicely with her, I kinda have to agree. As she explained it, I could also see why my GP and rheumy were saying it doesn't really look like a bleed. My red blood cell count is fine. My hematocrit is fine. This means there are plenty of cells, they just don't have enough hemoglobin (the stuff that actually carries the oxygen around your body) in them. Iron stores are also low, but the hematologist said she'd expect that to take awhile to come back up even once my hemoglobin is back to normal.
Of course, just to be sure, I've got an appointment with my GI doctor to decide whether to scope me for a bleed. Oh joy. And meanwhile, have some ferrous sulfate with a side of Colace. Oh frabjuous day. Could I not just resume taking the stuff that was, apparently, being absorbed after all? Actually, I'm splitting the difference between the two, in hopes of not tying my gut completely in knots.
Follow-up hematologist appt is Thursday. Period, of course, decided to arrive early, so I have a call in to see whether she wants me to come in anyway or delay a week or so. Could be she'll want to see if that has any impact. Could be she'd rather get a clearer picture of what effect the change in iron supplementation has had by waiting. Guess I'll find out when the office calls me back.
In other news, the semester's almost over. Had my stats final Friday, which seemed absurdly easy. Most of my tutees had their finals today or will do tomorrow. Then I'm off until at least Memorial Day, possibly June, depending on some budgeting decisions. I've registered for the 1-credit yoga course this summer to keep my student status. Only 5 in it so far, so it's debatable whether it'll run. *crossing fingers that either I get a nursing job before summer starts or the course runs* Stats made sense, as most post-ADN nursing degrees require it. Yoga is obviously just me sacrificing the equivalent of two weeks' pay for the potential to work another 10 weeks or until I (hopefully long before that point, FFS) find a damned job. Paying for more than a single credit, though, when the course doesn't count towards anything, would be kind of pointless.
So, at the last follow-up with my GP, after taking Floradix for a month, my hemoglobin supposedly dropped to 10.1. Cue referral to a hematologist. Cue me ceasing to keep downing the $40/bottle supplement that I'm apparently not absorbing.
After a month of not taking any sort of iron supplement, hemoglobin came up to 11.9. Normal range for women, for those scratching their heads, is 12-16. Buh?
Hematologist thinks the 10.1 was a lab error, as everything else has been in the mid-11s. Looking at the trends all laid out nicely with her, I kinda have to agree. As she explained it, I could also see why my GP and rheumy were saying it doesn't really look like a bleed. My red blood cell count is fine. My hematocrit is fine. This means there are plenty of cells, they just don't have enough hemoglobin (the stuff that actually carries the oxygen around your body) in them. Iron stores are also low, but the hematologist said she'd expect that to take awhile to come back up even once my hemoglobin is back to normal.
Of course, just to be sure, I've got an appointment with my GI doctor to decide whether to scope me for a bleed. Oh joy. And meanwhile, have some ferrous sulfate with a side of Colace. Oh frabjuous day. Could I not just resume taking the stuff that was, apparently, being absorbed after all? Actually, I'm splitting the difference between the two, in hopes of not tying my gut completely in knots.
Follow-up hematologist appt is Thursday. Period, of course, decided to arrive early, so I have a call in to see whether she wants me to come in anyway or delay a week or so. Could be she'll want to see if that has any impact. Could be she'd rather get a clearer picture of what effect the change in iron supplementation has had by waiting. Guess I'll find out when the office calls me back.
In other news, the semester's almost over. Had my stats final Friday, which seemed absurdly easy. Most of my tutees had their finals today or will do tomorrow. Then I'm off until at least Memorial Day, possibly June, depending on some budgeting decisions. I've registered for the 1-credit yoga course this summer to keep my student status. Only 5 in it so far, so it's debatable whether it'll run. *crossing fingers that either I get a nursing job before summer starts or the course runs* Stats made sense, as most post-ADN nursing degrees require it. Yoga is obviously just me sacrificing the equivalent of two weeks' pay for the potential to work another 10 weeks or until I (hopefully long before that point, FFS) find a damned job. Paying for more than a single credit, though, when the course doesn't count towards anything, would be kind of pointless.
