I have some results back already

[KICKSTART]

Well i spent most of the day hanging round the hospital to see a doctor and get my bloods done to see if they can find what is making me feel so  Already they rang me this morning with some results my Hemoglobin is very low .its dropped from 10.7 to 7.2 since i had my last blood test. (the nurse even asked me if i was doing my dialysis !) I still have to wait to see if i have a virus as it takes 3 days to grow a culture for it.
I know that iron is going to help raise my levels but has anyone else had low hemoglobin ? How did you feel? What treatment did you have? How long did it take to recover ? Cheers guys 

Ps I forgot to add .. i cant have EPO  because my BP is too high , i was told this morning.

[Joe Paul]

When my  hemoglobin  is low, I feel mostly tired. Right now, it is at 10, and, naps are my best friend. The Nurse said they will increase my Epo, they started that yesterday. I hope they get you figured out soon, and, you start feeling better 

[twirl]

when my hemo is low I feel so tired
I can tell when it is getting higher b/c I have more engery
Kickstart, I hope you feel better
  to you

[twirl]

hit the wrong key
I was getting almost every D day
until I told IHD and Flip suggested that it may be anxiety attacks
and he must have been right
they are much better

[David13]

I know that iron is going to help raise my levels but has anyone else had low hemoglobin ? How did you feel? What treatment did you have? How long did it take to recover ? Cheers guys

Ps I forgot to add .. i cant have EPO because my BP is too high , i was told this morning.

Iron will help raise the hemoglobin level, but it generally takes quite a while to do so.  EPO combined with iron is usually the best method.  Without EPO (due to your elevated blood pressure), you might eventually require a blood transfusion.
At least you are getting some answers.  I hope you start on the mend soon!   

[pelagia]

Is there any chance that they can get the bp down so that you can have epo?  Sounds like iron will take a long time to help.  Hope you start feeling better soon.  It does sound like you need to do as much resting as possible to conserve energy.  If you were over here I would come by with an "eye of round" every week .

[karen547]

I have the same thing with my hemoglobin. I am taking iron in pill form as it makes me sick in iv form. I feel really tired if my HG gets to low, as well as nauseated/irritable. Luckily its working and my levels are rising.

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Kickstart
Don't really know what to say as I havn't had that problem yet except hope you get this sorted and you are soon feeling better. About your blood pressure; has your doctor ever prescribed a diuretic (water tablet) which if you are still peeing could bring your BP down?

[stauffenberg]

You can take all the iron in the world but it won't help to elevate your hemoglobin level unless you have EPO.  The two work in combination, and neither is sufficient by itself.  Usually EPO is regarded as too dangerous to give only to patients with a high hemoglobin level, which you don't have.  The only solution for your situation is to try to lower the blood pressure so that EPO can be given, since you really cannot function at a hemoglobin level below 8.  If it stays there or continues to sink, you will have to have blood transfusions, which is how dialysis patients were treated before EPO was developed in the early 1980s.  The downside of this is that each blood transfusion will increase your panel reactive antibody levels, which will make it more difficult for you to find a compatible donor kidney for transplant in the future.  If you can stand it, try to put off the blood transfusion until your blood pressure can be reduced and the EPO injections can be started.  This will preserve your transplant options for the future.

[KICKSTART]

Thanks everyone ,,interesting comments . I have taken onboard what you say about Epo and i guess just giving me iron is like filling a leaky bucket without fixing the hole in it! Trouble is they havent been able to get my BP under control for over 2 years now as i cant tolerate the medication (yes i have tried loads of different ones) The one im on at the moment has the very least side effect of a continuos cough and i mean 24/7, but i have to tolerate that to gain a little benefit from my BP meds. As for a transfusion not being good for my chances of a transplant well .. im not even on the list and not sure i ever will be , but thats a whole other subject.
Ken , thanks for mentioning Frusemide  , yes i still have a good urine output but Frusemide doesnt work anymore , i have had several large doses in the past with no result.
Pelagia ..what a shame you are so far away , that 'eye of round' sounds really good !

[G-Ma]

Yes, all the above feelings.....That's why ND felt it necessary to give me 5 transfusions since spring 2007 and neph here just put me on EPO and IV Iron and I and hemog are doing fine...........I had no clue about risks to transplants...I just knew I couldn't function anymore and just went ahead.

[Lori1851]

Dustin at one time had a transfusion 2 bags of blood when he was low like yours. He was very anemic with his, tired and slept alot.

Lori/Indiana