Low Blood count

[Sandi1313]

Hoping all are doing fine.Recently I was sent to the local hospital on Thursday .Due to the fact that my blood count was very low.It seem that one of the head nurses should have told me about this alot sooner.During my stay at the hospital,I was given 3 units of blood.In between the times,I was able to get out of bed.To use the restroom & to stretch my legs.Early Friday morning,I was given the news that I could go home.Yesterday,I went to my morning dialysis session,a head nurse named Dana noticed right away that I had COLOR in my cheeks.She told me that I should have been sent to the hospital for a blood transfusion alot sooner.She thought that I would have gotten just 1 unit of blood.I told her that it was 3 units of blood.I think I should have been told alot SOONER that my blood count was LOW.So I could have had the blood transfusions done alot SOONER.
Sandi

[obsidianom]

Are you being given EPO?  That should have never happened. With proper monitering and judicious use of EPO on a sliding scale you should be able to maintain a reasonable hemoglobin that is fairly steady. Something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Why did you slide that low??? Either you are losing blood , or not forming enough due to lack of intrinsic epo or iron issues or both. Simply getting  blood is not enough. Find out WHY!

[jeannea]

Needing 3 units of blood means something was really wrong. I only got that much after an internal bleed. Please talk to your doctor about this.

[Riki]

mine has been low too, but not to the extent that I need blood, I don't think.  I'm being given extra doses of venofer to see if that does anything.  I'm hoping it does.  I could use some energy, since doing the simplest things wear me out

[Sugarlump]

If your hb drops really low, the only way to get it back up quickly is by transfusion. Mine tends to drop like that (they don't know why)
and I always get 3 units of blood as a top up.
Do you have access to your monthly blood test results? If you do, (or keep asking nurses otherwise) and pay attention to the hb figure,
once it starts to drop you need to talk to your doc. Especially if you are also having epo and iron.
Once the hb starts to drop below 9, you will not feel good.

[Quickfeet]

Just curious Sandi, what was your hemoglobin number. There have been a few times where my nurses where close to giving me a transfusion but didn't. Just wondering how low is low.