Aa
Help HGB 4.8!
After changing quite a few doctors due to Katrina yesterday I went to see a new doctor and after seeing me so pale she made me do a new lab.
She requested to get the results right away and after seeing my HGB at 4.8 she said I need blood transfusion right away! I told her I don't want transfusions and I'm willing to take Procrit instead starting tuesday.
My last lab on October 10 had hgb at 10.5 I then stopped interferon and rebatol on December 29 since it didn't work at all...
I have these very important questions since I have to make a decision in a couple of days.
IS procrit gonna take a while to kick in? How long?
Is transfusion a big deal and side effects? She said I'd need 3-4 units...
Monday I have another test and I have to decide if Procrit or transfusion....I guess if the HB is lower I'll have to decide for the best.
I can't believe my hgb ain't raising yet!!
She requested to get the results right away and after seeing my HGB at 4.8 she said I need blood transfusion right away! I told her I don't want transfusions and I'm willing to take Procrit instead starting tuesday.
My last lab on October 10 had hgb at 10.5 I then stopped interferon and rebatol on December 29 since it didn't work at all...
I have these very important questions since I have to make a decision in a couple of days.
IS procrit gonna take a while to kick in? How long?
Is transfusion a big deal and side effects? She said I'd need 3-4 units...
Monday I have another test and I have to decide if Procrit or transfusion....I guess if the HB is lower I'll have to decide for the best.
I can't believe my hgb ain't raising yet!!
I am not knowledgeable enough but I think you need to rely on the doctor here and get the trnasfusion. THe Procrit does take some time - maybe a couple of weeks or more to kick in - and your hgb is too low to wait.
Please rely on the doc for this one
frijole
Please rely on the doc for this one
frijole
I have never even heard of a HGB at 4 before - at 9 I kept fainting and passing out 4 doesn't even sound like possible!
I would do WHATEVER my doctor told me to do right now. I mean you must bein such agony it would be worth it!
Blood is screened very well these days and at 4? I would do it for sure. I remember how absolutely tremendously horrible nine was.
I can't even fathom it.
Do whatever the doctor says to protect your life.
I would do WHATEVER my doctor told me to do right now. I mean you must bein such agony it would be worth it!
Blood is screened very well these days and at 4? I would do it for sure. I remember how absolutely tremendously horrible nine was.
I can't even fathom it.
Do whatever the doctor says to protect your life.
I would do what the doctor says at this point. I took procritt 8 times.. and really don't know if it worked or not because I failed to get blood tests. I do know that it takes about 3 shots or so .. just to raise the reds just a tad. Good luck!
PS Procrit and Epogen are marvelous drugs BUT they take a while to work - weeks.
It seems that something deathly could happen to you at that level. I've never heard of it being that low before. I would really think they'd admit you to the hospital already
It seems that something deathly could happen to you at that level. I've never heard of it being that low before. I would really think they'd admit you to the hospital already
See this site for more information: http://www.medical-library.net/sites/_cbc_interpretation.html
Please...Stop what you're doing and call your MD or go to ER!
Your hbg is dangerously low! Hang in there, it'll be ok, after you get some blood. Prayers are going your way. SilverAngel
Your hbg is dangerously low! Hang in there, it'll be ok, after you get some blood. Prayers are going your way. SilverAngel
Please...Stop what you're doing and call your MD or go to ER!
Your hbg is dangerously low! Hang in there, it'll be ok, after you get some blood. Prayers are going your way. SilverAngel
Your hbg is dangerously low! Hang in there, it'll be ok, after you get some blood. Prayers are going your way. SilverAngel
PS You say you can't believe you HGB is not raising yet but how long have you been off the meds? You know that they hang in your body for some time after you stop I believe.
Call your doctor NOW. I do NOT believe you are a viable candidate to wait for procrit which would take 2 - 4 weeks to work anyway. I dont know why your doctor is not insisting on immediate treatment.
You could bein ICU or something by after Christmas.
Please this is really worrying me I've never heard of anything like this before.
Call your doctor NOW. I do NOT believe you are a viable candidate to wait for procrit which would take 2 - 4 weeks to work anyway. I dont know why your doctor is not insisting on immediate treatment.
You could bein ICU or something by after Christmas.
Please this is really worrying me I've never heard of anything like this before.
Just wanted to add some urgency to my last post...Do not wait over the weekend to make a decision.
Hemoglobin of 4.8 is at a critical level. I'd emergency page my doctor now and confirm that this indeed is my correct hemoglobin level.
If so, I'd head to the hospital right away to confirm the hemoglobin (they can do it right away) and then do what the doctors suggest including a transfusion. If you can't reach your doctor, I'd still head to the ER, explain the situation, get re-tested and follow doctor's instructions.
Hope things work out.
-- Jim
Hemoglobin of 4.8 is at a critical level. I'd emergency page my doctor now and confirm that this indeed is my correct hemoglobin level.
If so, I'd head to the hospital right away to confirm the hemoglobin (they can do it right away) and then do what the doctors suggest including a transfusion. If you can't reach your doctor, I'd still head to the ER, explain the situation, get re-tested and follow doctor's instructions.
Hope things work out.
-- Jim
I agree w/Jim & everyone else. I know what it is like to operate with hgb of 9, like nygirl...do not wait!!! this is not to scare you but it is cause for alarm. good luck
Go to the hospital NOW. 4.8 is lower than I have ever heard of. Mine gets below 10 and I can't function.
The other reason to get to the hospital ASAP is that your hgb drop may not be from treatment, which would be the first guess. It could be from something else as well so you really need a workup. I'm hoping you just got the number wrong -- 4.8 is very low and fortunately your doctor caught it in time.
-- Jim
-- Jim
Is it possible you are talking about WBC or RBC at that low number? It doesn't seem possible that you are even functioning with a HGB at that low number.
In any event, it seems prudent to follow the advice of your doctor.
Pirate
In any event, it seems prudent to follow the advice of your doctor.
Pirate
Like Pirate said, first confirm that the 4.8 is for Hemoglobin, and not something else. You should have your own copy of your blood reports.
If the 4.8 is for Hemoglobin then it appears to this non-professional mind to be dangerously low and transfusion is the answer, not Procrit as Procrit is slow acting.
That said, the first thing I'd do would be to repeat the Hgb at the hospital to double-check. Hemoglobin tests can be run almost immediately at a hospital.
I would also not wait until Monday. If my hgb was 4.8, I'd head to the hospital right away, get re-tested to confirm, and do whatever the doctors told me to do.
-- Jim
If the 4.8 is for Hemoglobin then it appears to this non-professional mind to be dangerously low and transfusion is the answer, not Procrit as Procrit is slow acting.
That said, the first thing I'd do would be to repeat the Hgb at the hospital to double-check. Hemoglobin tests can be run almost immediately at a hospital.
I would also not wait until Monday. If my hgb was 4.8, I'd head to the hospital right away, get re-tested to confirm, and do whatever the doctors told me to do.
-- Jim
That is really low, so low that you would not be able to walk, or even get out of bed. I would ask for another blood test some times labs make mistakes. I've seen it happen before and it's very common. Your a 4 but before you were a 9, so maybe who ever wrote the report miss read the results. Like a 4 can look like a 9 if the Doc's hand writing is not good. I would get another blood test ASAP before making up your mind. I have never heard of a 4, it sounds impossible.
Good luck and hope all works out,keep us informed.
Have a Happy Holidays.
Bob
Good luck and hope all works out,keep us informed.
Have a Happy Holidays.
Bob
Just realized you were a 10, still that kind of drop is unheard of. It could still be a lab error
Bob
Bob
Makau - I hope that you've found some answers and that you are well. Let us know how you are when you can.
Everyone else - Anyone have an idea of where anemia becomes a long-term concern? Far from Makau's critical situation, I'm at 7.5 and limping along OK. Having come into this a few watts short of a 100w bulb, I'm hoping to salvage some lost cognition when I come out the other side. Anyone know where the worry point would be?
Everyone else - Anyone have an idea of where anemia becomes a long-term concern? Far from Makau's critical situation, I'm at 7.5 and limping along OK. Having come into this a few watts short of a 100w bulb, I'm hoping to salvage some lost cognition when I come out the other side. Anyone know where the worry point would be?
When I was in the hospital for anemia my symptons were due more to how fast it dropped than the actual number. I think I was in the low 11's then. I remember one of the doctors or nurses saying they see people in the 4's. A re-test, however, always makes sense when you get results like that.
Goof said prev: "Having come into this a few watts short of a 100w bulb, I'm hoping to salvage some lost cognition when I come out the other side...
Anyone know where the worry point would be?"
-----------------------------------
I'd say when your wife starts using you as a night light...
-----------
Seriously, there have been discussions before about the effects of long-term anemia on post-tx but mostly speculation. My speculation has been it just can't be good having your brain and other organ tissues oxygen deprieved for long periods of time. A google search did not come up with any satisfying answers as I guess the drug companies aren't motivated to spend money on verifying the damage their drugs can do.
Since most of us are in a state of long-term anemia (Procrit or not) for most of treatment, this is one more reason to carefully weigh the risks and rewards of "treat or not to treat" as well as the risks and rewards of how long to treat.
Have you had your iron stores tested recently -- specifically ferritin and trans-ferritin uptake?
I snipped this post from Nursey over at Janis. You can double-check her numbers but conceptually she explains the whole irons stores concept very well. I know that for example in the Sweedish High-dose riba studies, most ended up on iron supplementation.
-------
...I'm an anemia speaker so I should be able to answer this, right?....LOL....
Iron is needed in the production of red cells, so during therapy with Procrit, you are going to need some iron....which can be obtained from IRON STORES.
Serum FERRITIN estimates the amount of iron you have in storage. Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)estimates the amount of iron immediately available for red cell production.
Think of it this way...the Ferritin is like the money in your savings account. You can't use it right away...first you would need to transfer it to your checking account...and the Transferrin Sat is like money in your checking account...ready to be used right away...
If your Ferritin is below 100 and your TSAT is below 20% that means your iron stores are low. This is called ABSOLUTE IRON DEFICIENCY...and you will need iron supplements or else the Procrit won't work.
Functional iron deficiency, with normal ferritin levels but low transferrin saturation, is presumably due to the inability to mobilize iron stores rapidly enough to support increased red cell production.(the bank took too long to transfer your money from your savings account to your checking account).
To provide enough iron for red cell production, guidelines recommend that Ferritin be maintained between 100 and 800 (THIS MEANS YOURS IS OKAY).....and the Transferrin Sat be maintained between 20 to 50%...
###
Anyone know where the worry point would be?"
-----------------------------------
I'd say when your wife starts using you as a night light...
-----------
Seriously, there have been discussions before about the effects of long-term anemia on post-tx but mostly speculation. My speculation has been it just can't be good having your brain and other organ tissues oxygen deprieved for long periods of time. A google search did not come up with any satisfying answers as I guess the drug companies aren't motivated to spend money on verifying the damage their drugs can do.
Since most of us are in a state of long-term anemia (Procrit or not) for most of treatment, this is one more reason to carefully weigh the risks and rewards of "treat or not to treat" as well as the risks and rewards of how long to treat.
Have you had your iron stores tested recently -- specifically ferritin and trans-ferritin uptake?
I snipped this post from Nursey over at Janis. You can double-check her numbers but conceptually she explains the whole irons stores concept very well. I know that for example in the Sweedish High-dose riba studies, most ended up on iron supplementation.
-------
...I'm an anemia speaker so I should be able to answer this, right?....LOL....
Iron is needed in the production of red cells, so during therapy with Procrit, you are going to need some iron....which can be obtained from IRON STORES.
Serum FERRITIN estimates the amount of iron you have in storage. Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)estimates the amount of iron immediately available for red cell production.
Think of it this way...the Ferritin is like the money in your savings account. You can't use it right away...first you would need to transfer it to your checking account...and the Transferrin Sat is like money in your checking account...ready to be used right away...
If your Ferritin is below 100 and your TSAT is below 20% that means your iron stores are low. This is called ABSOLUTE IRON DEFICIENCY...and you will need iron supplements or else the Procrit won't work.
Functional iron deficiency, with normal ferritin levels but low transferrin saturation, is presumably due to the inability to mobilize iron stores rapidly enough to support increased red cell production.(the bank took too long to transfer your money from your savings account to your checking account).
To provide enough iron for red cell production, guidelines recommend that Ferritin be maintained between 100 and 800 (THIS MEANS YOURS IS OKAY).....and the Transferrin Sat be maintained between 20 to 50%...
###
how serious can anemia get?
http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_serious_anemia_000057_3.htm
http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_serious_anemia_000057_3.htm
As I stated in a earlier post, I am geno 2B and also have thalassemia anemia ( mediterranean amemia) which runs in families. I am an 11, and my Dr. in NY will start me on procrit when I start my tx the first week of Jan. He said any thing lower then 9 is not good. You need to see a Dr. ASAP, you need to see a hematologist( blood Dr.) Then again it could be some thing else causing the problem. But you need to check it out right away. As NYgirl stated at 9 she was fainting. Please follow through aqnd again it could be a lab error.
Take care and God Bless,
Try to have a happy Holiday,
Bob
Take care and God Bless,
Try to have a happy Holiday,
Bob
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
