Guest guest Posted September 5, 2002 Report Share Posted September 5, 2002 Hi Beth, you wrote: " I was surprised to find out that he has been anemic since 1999 and nothing has ever been done about it! I'm certainly glad that I insisted he switch doctors. " That's not necessarily bad - that nothing was done about it. While I join the boat of those who have it, but nothing is being done, it is likely because they don't know the cause. In your husband's case, apparently more testing can be done to determine the cause. In my case, testing has been extensive, and perhaps they just figure they won't find it out - or they're blaming it as another symptom of the autonomic nervous system malfunctioning. In any case, there are many types of anemia, and many causes. For example (from Holes Anatomy & Physiology 1996): Aplastic Anemia - cause: toxic chemicals, radiation - defect: bone marrow damage. Hemolytic Anemia - cause: toxic chemicals - defect: red blood cells destroyed. Iron Deficiency Anemia - cause: dietery lack of iron - defect: hemoglobin deficient. Pernicious Anemia - cause: inability to absorb vitamin B12 - defect: excess of immature cells. Sickle Cell Disease - cause: defective gene - defect: red blood cells abnormally shaped. Thalassemia - cause: defective gene - defect: hemoglobin deficient; red blood cells short-lived. Megaloblastic anemia - cause: deficiency of folacin - defect: reduced number of normal red blood cells and the presence of large, nucleated red cells. (This is the one that " has been linked to neural tube defets, in which the tube that becomes the central nervous system in a fetus fails to close entirely. Taking folacin supplements just before and during pregnancy can greatly reduce the risk of a neural tube defect. " ) There are others as well, I found at least one more in the textbook, but there was no clarification as to it's cause or defects - just pics: hypochromic anemia. It is possible that your husband does not need any treatment, as it is possible that no supplement could approach the deficit. For example, if he's like me, and his hemoglobin is low, I'm not sure how they'd raise that :-) Similarly, my iron binding capacity is low, yet my iron level in my blood is okay, and... my Ferritin is actually high. (Nothing is simple in me :-) Well, please do keep me updated. If your memory is better than mine, then you'll be able to do that, but for me... I'll likely forget I even wrote you about this within a day :-) Pablito ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 15, 2002 Report Share Posted September 15, 2002 , I was finally able to get some information from my husbands doctor. I was told that his folate levels are high. When I searched the internet for information about high folate levels I found that in itself, it's not a problem BUT it could be caused by low Vitamin B12 levels. When I spoke with the doctor he didn't seem to be concerned, just said anemia is a symptom of MSA and we don't need to worry about it. I guess I'll just leave it at that for now and see how he's doing when we go back in November for more tests. Beth On Thu, 05 Sep 2002 14:06:34 -0000 " pulalupu " pulalupu@...> writes: > Hi Beth. > > Please do share the results. > > Any input appreciated. > > Near as I can tell, in my case, they have just written it off as > another unexplainable thing. You see, without B deficiency or iron > > deficiency, I'm not sure there is anything I can take > for " treatment " . Before all this hit me, I wasn't even aware you > could be anemic without an iron or B vitamin deficiency. Live and > learn. Anyway, thanks for posting the results. What indications > does your hubby have of anemia? > > > > > , > > > > My husband was recently told by his new doctor that he has anemia. > > When the doctor checked his chart he realized that he's had it since > > 1999 but nothing was ever done about it! I'm now waiting for results > > of a second round of tests trying to determine the cause of the > anemia. After the doctor figures that out, we can begin some type of > > treatment. I will share the results with you if you'd like. > > > > Beth > > > > ---------- " pulalupu " writes: > > > > From: " pulalupu " > > To: shydrager@y... > > Subject: Anemia Anyone? > > Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 05:13:27 -0000 > > > > I kinda made reference to this in another posting, but figured I'd > > > get a better response if I posted it seperately. > > > > Was reviewing my Mayo test results last night, when I noted 3 > > separate indicators of anemia. This is probably why the neuro at > > > Mayo said I had " Anemia of Chronic Disease - but we don't know > what > > the chronic disease is. " > > > > Although he told me this in the presence of others, and the test > > results show this (again, I'm no doc - but I do have some rather > > detailed medical training) there is nothing in his report about > it. > > > > Anyway, curious about others. Anyone else have problems with > > Anemia? Oddly enough, I have no defficiencies in B vitamins or > the > > like - all much more complex than that - of course :-) > > > > > > > > > > If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may > > unsubscribe by sending a blank email to > > > > shydrager-unsubscribe@y... > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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