Very low iron
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Topic: Very low iron
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Subject: Very low iron
Date Posted: 08 July 2009 at 10:08pm
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Well it seems i am suffering from this again and even worse than I did with Caden!
The iron stuff isnt working, its only brought my stores up from 5 to 7, and my heamoglobin is even lower than it was a month ago and Ive been taking iron stuff!! So my MW is going to talk to the specialist and see what he says, so I think its either going to be iron jabs, or a blood transfusion  I really dont want a transfusion!
So who has encountered this?? Who has had the iorn jabs and what did you think of them? I know they hurt like hell are meant to not be very nice! Im so scared  ------------- |
Replies:
Posted By: monikah
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 9:21am
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youve probably already been doing this but i got mine tested at 4 the other day and so i got iron pills but was told to take them with orange juice as it helps the absorption. also make sure you arent drinking tea or anything too as it stops you absorbing them. sorry if you've already heard those ideas and i dont know bout the jabs :(. big hugs though. iron levels this low make you feel like youve been smacked in the face with a baseball bat ------------- 
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Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 9:58am
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I haven't had iron jabs before, but I have just had a series of B12 shots (5 days worth - one each day) and they hurt like the devil (feels like a chunk of solid lead being inserted into your muscle and then you get a dead arm for a couple of hours afterwards), and I have to get them monthly until I stop bfeeding, and then 3 monthly from then on, as my body doesn't absorb B12 through food (it's linked to folate and iron etc). The way I got through it, is by telling myself I would feel better after they had finished the series.
Sorry not much help, but I just thought I'd let you know how I get through the injections!!! |
Posted By: my4beauties
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 10:32am
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I've mentioned this to you before Sheza, but I really don't think iron jabs are as bad as they say they are. I started getting them in Dec last year - one every 2 weeks for about 6 weeks, then monthly after that for a couple of months. It brought my stores up heaps, and even though I haven't had one since April, my stores are still up and in a good place - especially with being pg again.
I'd definitely take the iron jabs over having a transfusion!! And honestly - they don't hurt anymore than getting blood taken, and it's put in just above your butt cheek, and may feel a little brusied for maybe 5 mins after. ------------- My babies: R (9),G (7), J (5) http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 11:53am
| I didn't have iron jabs though i was threatened with them.. but I had B12 ones and apart from the sting of the needle piercing my skin I didn't think it hurt at all. Also when I had my ectopic I had to have 2 very fat needles shoved into my butt/hip area and alot of fluid pushed through and what the nurse told me to do was the best advice ever for getting those types of injections. Make sure you relax your muscles when its being done. If you are tense it will hurt more than if your muscles are relaxed. I did that with those 3 jabs and they didn't hurt. |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 2:44pm
Thanks girls
Yeah I remember you telling about you getting the iron jabs Italiah, I will see what my MW says to me when she rings, which she said she would do when she had spoken to the specialist. I SO dont want to have to have a blood transfusion I would rather try iron jabs first.
Do the jabs cause constipation as well or make you feel yucky?? I know the pills do... When i do my grocerys Im going to grab some floradix as I know that helped last time, and my nana transfered me some money to go and buy heaps of red meat, bless her 
Im just so worried about it, and no wonder Ive been feeling grumpy and blah lately! My haemoglobin is 85 ans my stores are 7(they were 5 so the spatone did something there). My haemoglobin was 90 when I staretd the spatone a month ago, and it hasnt lifted my levels, or it has and baby has sucked it straight back out! ------------- |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 2:51pm
| spatone doesn't have very high levels of iron in it so its probably not enough by itself |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 3:03pm
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Yeah I was wondering that and Im going to ask my midwife if she can perscribe me an iron liquid like the hospital gave me when I was discharged after I had Caden.
In the mean time though I will keep taking 2 sachets of spatone in 100% orange juice, better than nothing I guess ------------- |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 4:04pm
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My midwife just called me and she has spoken to the hospital consultant and they want me to come in for an iron infusion
So my MW will ring me back with my appointment day and time which will be in the next few days. It will take a few hour's aparently, but I have no idea how they do it....its different to a blood transfusion sahe said but along the same lines or something, I guess they will tell me before they do it, whats involved. ------------- |
Posted By: my4beauties
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 6:15pm
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All the best for that Sheena.
BTW - the iron jabs don't have any after affects. It goes straight into your blood stream.
Red meat, as much as it is good for you - won't help that much in your case. You'd need to eat a cow a day probably
Also, just thought I'd mention, that even though my diet's been crappier than crap since I've had MS, my iron is still great (was tested last week!). But I'm still going to keep up with iron jabs every few months, at least until after I've had the baby. So the jabs help to get your iron up - and it stays up ------------- My babies: R (9),G (7), J (5) http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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.Posted By: cealz
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 8:41pm
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Good luck with your transfusion Sheena. Sounds yucky but it will be good to get your levels back up.
I had low iron when I was pg and my midwife suggested Thomsons Organic Iron from the health shop. it was great and didnt have the side effects. She rang the company and they said you can take up to 5 a day. (I only took a couple though) They bought my level from about 15 back up to 20 within a few days. I got my iron tested a couple of days ago and it was 9, so back on the pills for me Hope you get it sorted ------------- 
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 10:27pm
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Thanks cealz
My iron is too low for the pills to get it back up before baby is due Thats why they are getting me to do the iron fusion thing, it will get my iron back up right away, so if i go into labour between now and 40 weeks I will be ok (had a big bleed during my c section with my son and needed a blood transfusion so my MW doesnt want me to have to have that again if I end up with another c section and bleed etc)
Im carrying on with the spatone though, and will do after I have the fusion thingy as well. ------------- |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 19 July 2009 at 9:31pm
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I ended up in middlemore on friday for the day(12 hours!) and had to have a iron infusion!
I had 500mls of iron pumped into me over 6 hours! I feel SO SOOOOO much better, I have colour back in my face and my bad moods have gone! I was so badly anemic that my skin on my face was dry and peeling, so were my lips. My HB had dropped to 80 by Friday
I have a blood test in a week to make sure the infusion has brought my levels up to where they are happy, other wise it will have to be done again. ------------- |
Posted By: my4beauties
Date Posted: 20 July 2009 at 12:33pm
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That's great Sheena. Hope it's worked enough so you don't need to go through that again. ------------- My babies: R (9),G (7), J (5) http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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