Easy, cheap blood level test?

Is there an easy, cheap way to know where blood levels are at?

My brother works as a long haul truck driver. His schedule is very unpredictable, so doctor's appointments are nearly impossible for him to get.

He needs transfusions every month or so, and wants to know when to get to a hospital before the whiteouts begin. Would blood pressure machines provide the information he needs? Are there more subtle signs to look for? Or is there some other simple way for him to test blood levels? Perhaps a machine he can buy?

He's been diagnosed with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease by doctors in three different states. None of them can pin down which of these he has, or stop the pain and bleeding. He *is* on medication.

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi AspiringCarbon,
Hemoglobin levels should be estimated.
When it is low he may develop symptoms like breathlessness, tiredness and so on.
He will become pale. This pallor can be seen on the inner side of the lower eye lids, tongue and palms. The hemoglobin would be less than 7 gm% ( Approximate value) when the skin creases in the palm become pale.
You can use hemocue  to get an approximate value of hemoglobin.It is similar to using glucometer in diabetics.
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The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.

- Ratnakar Kini M.D.

[AspiringCarbon]

Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

Just in case someone else reads this, information on the HemoCue Hemoglobin systems can be found here:

http://www.hemocue.com/index.php?page=3004

While extremely useful, these are by no means cheap. The HB 201+ runs around $600, and the microcuvettes (needles) run another $140 or so. You can find them at some medical supply houses, and online. The test requires that you take a sample of your own blood.