medical question

Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
Emily wrote:
Well, it appears there WAS a good explanation for the fatigue, and it

For a cancer patient, that'd be pretty good. For one of our total joint
replacement patients, I'd be hanging blood before we sent them home. Glad you
finally have a reason (sort of). Now the question is, why is your hemoglobin so
low?

Look in the encyclopedia under "bad eating habits" and you'll see my name.

Margy Natalie wrote:

Emily wrote:

Well, it appears there WAS a good explanation for the fatigue, and it
certainly wasn't depression. Try feeling not tired with a hemoglobin
level of 9.7 g/dl.

Sigh...back to the steak and no tea diet. The good thing is, I'm
guessing he'll drop his "depression" diagnosis now.

Glad you got that cleared up. It's easy to be "depressed" when you are
anemic :-). Try spinach (oh damned, we can't get that anymore!). Iron
supplements taste awful, but...

they can't taste any worse than liver. :-)

Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:
Margy Natalie wrote:

Emily wrote:

Well, it appears there WAS a good explanation for the fatigue, and it
certainly wasn't depression. Try feeling not tired with a hemoglobin
level of 9.7 g/dl.

Sigh...back to the steak and no tea diet. The good thing is, I'm
guessing he'll drop his "depression" diagnosis now.

Glad you got that cleared up. It's easy to be "depressed" when you
are anemic :-). Try spinach (oh damned, we can't get that anymore!).
Iron supplements taste awful, but...

they can't taste any worse than liver. :-)

Matt
Liver is out of the question. Hey, spinach is probably ok if it's cooked!

Emily wrote:

Liver is out of the question.

why not? foie gras (that's liver too) on toast with a
nice Reisling or a Gewurztraminer... hey, you got to do
what you got to do for your health! :-)

--Sylvain

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
they can't taste any worse than liver. :-)

There's a reason that liver gets smothered in onions... And lots of ketchup,
of course... Sometimes I'll fix some beef liver smothered in onions... I get
a taste for it perhaps once every 15-20 years...

("Emily" wrote)
Well, it appears there WAS a good explanation for the fatigue, and it
certainly wasn't depression. Try feeling not tired with a hemoglobin
level of 9.7 g/dl.

Sigh...back to the steak and no tea diet. The good thing is, I'm guessing
he'll drop his "depression" diagnosis now.


Roxie: Mr. Flynn!
[pretends to faint]
Billy Flynn: Someone open this door immediately!
Ms. Sunshine: Oh, my God! Roxie! What is it, dear?
Roxie: Oh! Oh! Oh, no no no. Don't, don't worry about me. Oh, I only hope
the fall didn't hurt the baby.
Matron Mama Morton: Baby?
Velma Kelly: "#%^*!"

Chicago (2002)
Oscar for "Best Picture"


Mont(eating for two)black

All I pretty much do is total joint replacements, and we don't necessarily
automatically give blood just to treat the number- they have to be
symptomatic as well.

A poor diet would not likely cause such a low hemoglobin, unless perhaps the
patient had pernicious anemia. It suggests a further workup be carried out.
Although I am not an internist, a simple dietary explanation would not be
sufficient, and other potential causes should be investigated.

Viperdoc wrote:
All I pretty much do is total joint replacements, and we don't necessarily
automatically give blood just to treat the number- they have to be
symptomatic as well.

A poor diet would not likely cause such a low hemoglobin, unless perhaps the
patient had pernicious anemia. It suggests a further workup be carried out.
Although I am not an internist, a simple dietary explanation would not be
sufficient, and other potential causes should be investigated.


Well, after my last experience, I'll try diet first, thanks. I don't
need other idiots poking around and making things up.

(Not saying you're making this up, obviously, but I'm a little reluctant
to go back to the doctor)

Emily wrote:
Matt Whiting wrote:

Margy Natalie wrote:

Emily wrote:

Well, it appears there WAS a good explanation for the fatigue, and
it certainly wasn't depression. Try feeling not tired with a
hemoglobin level of 9.7 g/dl.

Sigh...back to the steak and no tea diet. The good thing is, I'm
guessing he'll drop his "depression" diagnosis now.


Glad you got that cleared up. It's easy to be "depressed" when you
are anemic :-). Try spinach (oh damned, we can't get that
anymore!). Iron supplements taste awful, but...


they can't taste any worse than liver. :-)

Matt

Liver is out of the question. Hey, spinach is probably ok if it's cooked!
If you can find it! I bought collard greens today.

Viperdoc wrote:
All I pretty much do is total joint replacements, and we don't necessarily
automatically give blood just to treat the number- they have to be
symptomatic as well.

That's my area as well, though on the nursing side of it. We have just one
orthopedic group in town and the carepath specifies checking hematcrit and
hemoglobin for the three days following surgery. Some of the docs write orders
to transfuse any hematocrits below 30 automatically, asymptomatic or not.

When I had *my* hip replaced, I didn't get a transfusion. I have no idea what
my H&H was but I didn't get treated.

There's a group in Charlotte that's trying out giving Epoetin preoperatively
rather than transfusions postoperatively. I haven't found out how that's worked
out though the early reports were very encouraging. I'd love to get out of the
transfusion business... it's a real PITA for the staff.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com