Low Hemoglobin

Pythiaschad
Pythiaschad Member Posts: 22
in Ovarian Cancer #1
Has anyone else having or had problems with their Hemoglobin count being way low? My wife dropped 3 points in her red blood cells in two days. Symptoms of extreme fatigue, nausea, and dehydration.

Comments

  • anicca
    anicca Member Posts: 334 Member
    #2
    It's a common side effect of
    It's a common side effect of chemo. By the time I finished my 6 rounds, I was short of breath doing almost anything and my red counts were just above the levels where they would want to transfuse.
  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #3
    anicca said:

    It's a common side effect of
    It's a common side effect of chemo. By the time I finished my 6 rounds, I was short of breath doing almost anything and my red counts were just above the levels where they would want to transfuse.

    Same for me.
    I dragged into the hospital one time and had to get a blood transfusion as well as other electrolytes. It's chemo in action.

    Karen
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #4
    kikz said:

    Same for me.
    I dragged into the hospital one time and had to get a blood transfusion as well as other electrolytes. It's chemo in action.

    Karen

    It took 6 units of blood to
    It took 6 units of blood to ger me thru first line chemo, my hemoglobin was so low. After that I did a year of Taxol maintenance and even though I have had no chemo at all since January, my hemoglobin is still a bit low. Nothing like it was, though. It takes time to get our old selves back.

    Carlene
  • LaundryQueen
    LaundryQueen Member Posts: 676
    #5
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    It took 6 units of blood to
    It took 6 units of blood to ger me thru first line chemo, my hemoglobin was so low. After that I did a year of Taxol maintenance and even though I have had no chemo at all since January, my hemoglobin is still a bit low. Nothing like it was, though. It takes time to get our old selves back.

    Carlene

    low blood count
    I would avoid taking an iron supplement (unless you know FOR SURE that your wife is iron deficient) as the problem is in the bone marrow where the red blood cells are produced. There is some evidence that too much iron is a bad thing (in both men and menopausal women).
  • azgrandma
    azgrandma Member Posts: 609 Member
    #6
    LaundryQueen said:

    low blood count
    I would avoid taking an iron supplement (unless you know FOR SURE that your wife is iron deficient) as the problem is in the bone marrow where the red blood cells are produced. There is some evidence that too much iron is a bad thing (in both men and menopausal women).

    I think most of have had this problem
    I think most of us at one time or another have had this problem. It has been over a year and i am still having problems with white count
  • kellyh33
    kellyh33 Member Posts: 287
    #7
    Low
    My Mom gets shots every Friday. A month ago she was at 85 and as of yesterday her hemoglobin was 110!
  • Havehope2
    Havehope2 Member Posts: 22
    #8
    Diet high in iron
    I ate a beef steak (organic/grass fed) every week during my Taxol wkly chemo, cereals with iron and turkey sandwiches and I had no problems with my blood. The iron supplements are NOT good.
    Good luck to your wife and your family!
  • Pythiaschad
    Pythiaschad Member Posts: 22
    #9
    Good News
    Thanks for all the up beat comments. After four units of blood her hemoglobin is back up to 12.3. She originally had a test result of 6.3 and after 2 units was only up to 6.5. Not sure if the second test was messed up or the first one was but she feels much better. Still, we need to find out if it was the Sunitib or is there some other reason for blood loss.
  • Pythiaschad
    Pythiaschad Member Posts: 22
    #10
    Gone
    Well something terrible has happened. Saturday she passed away. I think something ruptured and she bled out internally. The thing is they did a CBC test right at the onset of the same symptoms I took to the hospital for and found out that her hemoglobin was 3 point something after she passed away nearly six hours later. They never gave her any more blood. I just can't understand what the hell happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I know that cancer is hard but Friday evening and Saturday morning she was feeling very good after 4 units of blood on Friday. I just am so numb. Sorry to bring this here. I don't want to bring you all down too.
  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #11
    Pythiaschad said:

    Gone
    Well something terrible has happened. Saturday she passed away. I think something ruptured and she bled out internally. The thing is they did a CBC test right at the onset of the same symptoms I took to the hospital for and found out that her hemoglobin was 3 point something after she passed away nearly six hours later. They never gave her any more blood. I just can't understand what the hell happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I know that cancer is hard but Friday evening and Saturday morning she was feeling very good after 4 units of blood on Friday. I just am so numb. Sorry to bring this here. I don't want to bring you all down too.

    I am so sorry for your loss
    and to happen when you had hope that things might be looking up. Damn this monster. Please feel free to bring whatever feelings you have to this board. Someone here can relate to whatever is going on with you. We all have endured a lot and want to help you however you need us to.

    Karen
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #12
    Pythiaschad said:

    Gone
    Well something terrible has happened. Saturday she passed away. I think something ruptured and she bled out internally. The thing is they did a CBC test right at the onset of the same symptoms I took to the hospital for and found out that her hemoglobin was 3 point something after she passed away nearly six hours later. They never gave her any more blood. I just can't understand what the hell happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I know that cancer is hard but Friday evening and Saturday morning she was feeling very good after 4 units of blood on Friday. I just am so numb. Sorry to bring this here. I don't want to bring you all down too.

    Oh, Lord, Chad! I know this
    Oh, Lord, Chad! I know this must have been a huge shock, and like you, I don't understand what could have happened.

    Did they do an autopsy? OC is often terminal, but I have never heard of anyone dying from it in this particular manner. Obviously, she had some internal bleeding going on for a while before she passed, but what? And why?

    Carlene
  • Pythiaschad
    Pythiaschad Member Posts: 22
    #13
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    Oh, Lord, Chad! I know this
    Oh, Lord, Chad! I know this must have been a huge shock, and like you, I don't understand what could have happened.

    Did they do an autopsy? OC is often terminal, but I have never heard of anyone dying from it in this particular manner. Obviously, she had some internal bleeding going on for a while before she passed, but what? And why?

    Carlene

    Autopsy
    Carlene,

    Yes, I had one done because I felt that something was done wrong. I knew her blood was being lost some how and that she needed more blood. I'm just so damn angry. I think I could have dealt with her death if it truly was in terminal stage and they couldn't do any more. I almost think the Sunitib trial had caused things that went wrong. She was fine and wanted to go to the restroom before the doctor came in and next thing we know the nurse comes flying in because she pulled the panic cord in the bathroom. I don't blame her oncologist but rather the ICU dept.

    Still maybe it is better that it was quick and not long and anguishing as cancer can make someone. Still it's hard for me.

    Chad
  • Cindy Bear
    Cindy Bear Member Posts: 569
    #14
    I am so sorry
    I am so sorry for your loss.. I cannot imagine how shocked, saddened and angry you must be. I lost my mother to stage IV uterine cancer in June 09 , 4 months after she started treatment. We were told midpoint that the scan was better, her Bloodwork all in the acceptable range. On June 15th, she had a chemo session, taxol and carboplatin, and on June 19th she was rushed to the hospital in pain in the wee hours of the morning, she died that evening. We don't know what happened either. We were told things like "well you know she came to us in advanced stages (like it was somehow her fault), cancer is so unpredictable, sometimes we never know..." Honestly, I think at some point my mother became platinum resistant and also about 3 wks before she passed, she'd been rushed to the hospital with heavy bleeding.. that episode was kinda of poo-pooed as one of those things.... I feel strongly that she slipped thru the cracks, the gyn/onc that treated her admitted he was "overbooked" yet again... like you, I felt that she should not have passed that quickly.. and honestly, if I could have sued back then, I think I would have.. You're in my thoughts and prayers.
    Hugs,
    Cindy
  • NCEllen
    NCEllen Member Posts: 115
    #15
    Pythiaschad said:

    Gone
    Well something terrible has happened. Saturday she passed away. I think something ruptured and she bled out internally. The thing is they did a CBC test right at the onset of the same symptoms I took to the hospital for and found out that her hemoglobin was 3 point something after she passed away nearly six hours later. They never gave her any more blood. I just can't understand what the hell happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I know that cancer is hard but Friday evening and Saturday morning she was feeling very good after 4 units of blood on Friday. I just am so numb. Sorry to bring this here. I don't want to bring you all down too.

    I am so sorry to hear your
    I am so sorry to hear your story- it doesn't make sense to have happened that fast. I share your right to feel angry and then havve to be so sad at the same time. I am truly sorry.
    Prayers of Peace to you and your family - Ellen

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