2nd time Iron infusion

[Charlie B53]

Had ny 2nd iron treatment today.  First was many months ago.  I am hopingn it raises my energy levels as I have been soo tired so much again.

My regular PD Nurse is out on Maternity leave after just having her baby.  Don't expect her to return for a few months.  Her partner called me Monday with my labs from last weeks draw.  Potassium is a little low, need to work on that a little.  But she tells me my iron was slightly low in Jan, and steadily dropping since to the current 16%.  She says it should be closer to 30%, emailed Dr and got orders for three bolus' IV.  Done.

She says my next labs will tell a story.  That it is not uncommon for someone with iron at 16% to need THREE treatments, each a week apart, to bring levels to a better acceptable level.

I guess I'll find out.  Hoping I have more energy tomorrow as I do get tired to quickly.

[Athena]

I hope you feel much more energetic soon Charlie. The other thing to watch out for as well are Hemoglobin levels. That seems to me to be a big determinant of how energetic I'm feeling or not (whcih EPO injections can raise).

[Charlie B53]

I'm told that my hemoglobin somehow manages to remain within mid-acceptable range.  They do NOT want us to raise to what is 'normal' for people as that high of a level in renal patients leads to much higher incidence of heart-attacks and strokes.

30% blood iron is our target goal.  Current labs had me at 16%.  May have to do this another time or two within the next month.  After that we will wait a month and see if it continues dropping.

I've almost stopped eating spinach and other dark leafy veggies.  Didn't realize how much iron they gave.  I stopped because of the purines which lead to gout attacks.  Having those crystals form in most all of my joints is pure hell.

I am NOT supposed to eat organ meats as my cholesterol is always too high, but this may be a perfect excuse to fix us some fresh liver and onions.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!  It has to be FRESH, never frozen as that ruptures cellular wals and leads to making it toughen as it cooks.  Saute a large skillet full of SWEET onions in bacon fat and butter.  Simmer down until tender then salt and pepper the liver slices and bury them in the onions.  You don't really want to 'fry' the liver.  More or less steam it within the onions.  Give it only a couple of minutes on a side then turn the whole pile making sure to keep the liver off the skillet and covered with onions.  Once the color shift is complete throught the thickness of the slices it is done.  So tender you won't need a knife unless you forgot to peel off the outer membrane.

Gramma taught me well.

[iolaire]

They give me small syringes of iron either each treatment or weekly at my center.  I think its each treatment but I don't watch it that closely since its towards the end of the session.

[PrimeTimer]

Hope they get things back on track for you, Charlie! Hot humid weather zaps enough energy out of us! Hopefully they will figure out what is causing your iron level to drop. Please keep us posted. I am very curious, as my husband also has diabetes and he too recently needed some iron (they gave him a shot at his monthly appt). He sweats a lot more in the summer so drinks more water to compensate (and he sucks on a lot of ice cubes). Of course, he's put on a bit of fluid so we have to take more off of him but I would think becoming too DE-hydrated would be just as bad for him and his other organs. I remember once being so sick that I had to go to the ER. I became so dehydrated from getting sick that my lips were blistering and they feared my veins would collapse, so I know that our veins need some water to help carry blood and electrolytes. I wonder about my husband (and you) and if being in the heat and sweating somehow leads a diabetic to iron deficiency. Hopefully the added iron you are having to do will have you feeling better soon so that you can get back to the business of living. 

[Charlie B53]

6 months into PD my Primary Dr told me I had crossed the line and needed medication for diabetus.  Started Lantus nightly and pills daily.  About 6 weeks later she said the pills werem\n't doing it and started Fast-acting insulin with every meal.  For that first year I was quite insulin resistant, taking roughly twice the amount the Dr estimated.  After losing a LOT of weight, mostly due to PD constantly carrying 2 liters pressing on my stomach, I can't eat near as much as I used to.  So I am still losing, just not near as much, only a couple of pounds a month, now.  Somewhere in this large weigh loss my insulin resistance quit,  I started crashing and very rapidly learned I had to cut my fast-acting in half, to a much more 'normal' one unit per ten sugar units.

Recently I had a few more crashes, had to cut my Lantus in half, and about to reduce it even more.  I've already further reduced the fast insulin, now taking about half of 'normal'. Almost as if I am becoming insulin sensitive.  Almost scary,  that just a little bit of insulin almost causes a crash.  I'm thinking this weight loss may soon put an end to my needing insulin at all, or at least a whole lot LESS than I'm currently taking.

This morning I had 6 graham crackers and a thick slice of banana bread COVERED with real butter along with my coffee.  My morning sugar was 110.  Wife wanted to go have breakfast so I eat again, two eggs, two sausage patties, hash-browns, toast and 4 packs of jelly.   NO INSULIN.    Came home and been puttering around in the barn most all day.   Only have had a few drinks of water.  Came in at five p.m. and tested  97.  With NO insulin.  I wasn't out walking around, I was in the barn.   I got up and down from my roll-around seat, and couldn't have walked more than a couple of hundred feet moving back and forth to my toolbox a few times.

NO INSULIN.    I'm just glad I didn't inject 10 units with my breakfast!