? about Ken

[Guest guest]

Since Baylor discharged Ken, we’re doing labs at local doctor’s

office. The bad part of this is, it takes forever to get all the results back. So long in fact, that he’ll be giving

blood again, before we get the results of the last blood draw. (I may have to look into doing them

elsewhere, so we get them more timely.) The results we have so far…. looks

to me like Ken is anemic. He had some

problem with this while still in the hospital – they gave him a unit or

two of blood and off he went. The

local doc didn’t say anything about it, he seemed

mainly concerned with Ken’s INR.

To the docs out there, what do you think? Is Ken anemic? “Normal” for this lab are

in ()

RBC 3.83

(4.35-5.90)

HGB 11.4 (13.7-16.7)

HCT 33.3 (40.5-49.7)

I’d hate to go over this local docs head to

Baylor (he is a great doc), but on the other hand, if Ken needs blood………

With love, Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas

[Guest guest]

Although Ken's Hgb is slightly low (women's normals are actually lower than for men!) - he is not to a point where he would need transfusion. Most transfusions are done if you are under a Hgb of 8 (unless there are other issues).

Joanne H

(, Ca., mom of , 17, UC/PSC 2-06)

-----Original Message-----From: [mailto: ]On Behalf Of Barb HenshawSent: Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:42 AMTo: Subject: ? about Ken

Since Baylor discharged Ken, we’re doing labs at local doctor’s office. The bad part of this is, it takes forever to get all the results back. So long in fact, that he’ll be giving blood again, before we get the results of the last blood draw. (I may have to look into doing them elsewhere, so we get them more timely.) The results we have so far…. looks to me like Ken is anemic. He had some problem with this while still in the hospital – they gave him a unit or two of blood and off he went. The local doc didn’t say anything about it, he seemed mainly concerned with Ken’s INR.

To the docs out there, what do you think? Is Ken anemic? “Normal” for this lab are in ()

RBC 3.83 (4.35-5.90)

HGB 11.4 (13.7-16.7)

HCT 33.3 (40.5-49.7)

I’d hate to go over this local docs head to Baylor (he is a great doc), but on the other hand, if Ken needs blood………

With love, Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas

[Guest guest]

>

> The results we have so far..

> looks to me like Ken is anemic. He had some problem with

> this while still in the hospital - they gave him a unit

> or two of blood and off he went.

I am eight weeks post-tx and just had my first tranfusion on Friday

due to my labs last week showing a low red blood cell count (similar

to Ken's, but I live at higher altitude and should have a higher

RBC). My doctor also put me on Procrit (weekly injections) for four

weeks to stimulate the bone marrow, which has apparently been

suppressed by the anti-rejection meds I'm on. I was slightly anemic

at the time of tx, and it's become more pronounced with

immunosuppression. The transfusion has given me a little more

energy this weekend, though.

- Gene

[Guest guest]

>

> ..., what do you think? Is Ken anemic? " Normal " for

> this lab are in ()

>

> RBC 3.83 (4.35-5.90)

> HGB 11.4 (13.7-16.7)

> HCT 33.3 (40.5-49.7)

I would say borderline anemic and I would not expect any drastic

action, e.g. transfusion, unless the trend was a sudden sharp drop and

even then I would expect them to wait for a confirmation from the next

blood test.

My experience has been a fairly steady rise in hemoglobin from 6.9

immediately after tx (7/8/07) to finally getting to the normal range

at 14.3 on 9/28/07. Because RBC, HGB and HCT were almost always moving

in the right direction transfusions were never discussed as a

therapeutic option even when HGB=6.9 and HCT=20.3. I'm sure if my next

labs came back with those numbers, red flags would be raised and we

quickly would be looking for causes and treatment options.

Tim R, ltx #3 7/7/07

[Guest guest]

Thanks

everyone, I’ll sit tight until next weeks labs and see what those

are. In the meantime, think

I’ll make him a spinach salad….from the garden J

With love, Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight,

Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @

Baylor in Dallas

[Guest guest]

Barb, It looks like mild anemia. The question is what to do about

it. If it is from low iron (common with patients with thin blood due

to warfarin) the treatment is boosting the iron with pills or IV and

protecting the stomach from ulcers. If it is from kidney failure or

anemia of chronic disease then Darbopoitin shots helps. If it is

stable or slowly building on his own it might be best to leave it alone.

You could get your labs quicker by making sure the local lab sends

the results to the local doc and the transplant team. The Denver

program posts all the results same day that they recieve the fax

results. I can log in and get them pretty quick. Baylor may have a

similar program. Most labs have software that automatically faxes

results. You might get the doctor to submit your own fax number so

that you get the results quickly and then you don't have to bother

his/her office.

You are sure good to keep track of all the details.

Von

-

[Guest guest]

I had low hematocrit etc. from about the time I had my GI bleed (2000)

until my transplant. After the transplant, it was still low, but

trended gradually upward. Then I got the CMV and went on Valcyte, and

the hematocrit dropped again (not sure if it was the CMV, the Valcyte or

both that did it). Now hopefully it will start climbing back up again!

So hopefully Ken's will climb too!

athan

[Guest guest]

I'm not a doc, but is he taking any iron? They put back on iron

after transplant and that has helped.

wife of

UC & PSC 2000 J pouch 2004 Tx 11-18-06