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low hemoglobin

about 3 months ago, my hemoglobin was about 14. when i got my blood checked about a month ago, it was already down to 9.9. my doctor decided to put me on iron pills for a month and see if that helps. is it bad for it to drop that fast? (by the way i'm 17)
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Avatar universal
i just went to my doctor today and found out that after a month on the iron pills my hemoglobin is now up to 12, but i still don't know why it dropped so low that fast.
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Avatar universal
I think you/a parent should schedule an appointment with a hematologist, a specialist who treats anemia and other blood disorders. For insurance reasons, it may be necessary to ask your primary care doctor for a referral. If he/she won't give you one, I'd recommend seeing a new one because you have a right to get this looked into by a specialist.

   That is Very low and such severe anemia can be dangerous. The hematologist can do further testing to see what's causing the low levels to be sure the treatment you've been giving is appropriate. I began seeing a hematologist when pills weren't raising my levels very quickly. After some more time on the pills, she determined that, in my case, iron infusions were necessary. Now, my levels are going up quickly. If the levels become very low, a blood transfusion could be needed. I hope you can find a good hematologist, if that's what you choose to do!
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