Hi everyone,
I have yet ANOTHER question. I have had such terrible iron problems since the surgery. It all started when I did my autonomous donation a week and a half before surgery number 1.
I went to the blood bank and they determined I should give a "double double" donation. So 2 units of double red blood cells. They calculated my blood volume with my weight from my chart and height, and hooked me up to the machine. About 2/3 of the way through we realized they used my weight from 5 months prior, which was about 30 lbs bigger than I was at the time of the donation...thus making them think I had a much greater blood volume. They then determined that at the correct height and weight I did not have enough blood to do it...but they finished it anyway. I also had a reaction to the anti-coagulant. They told me to eat milk products and take iron pills.
The first surgery went fine, they used none of the two units I banked. Then for the second surgery they used both...but nothing else, though I was told I would need 6 to 8 units. The surgical team determined that I was "young enough" to recover with less of a blood volume. Three days later I could hardly hold my head up and my blood cell count was dropping like crazy. 2 more units were given (from the donor pool). Again, they determined that 4 units would be better...but I was young, so we'd try this. I went home.
Now I keep having problems with "seeing stars", getting dizzy and headaches. They keep telling me to up my iron. And it helps for a while.
Did anyone else go through this?? What did you do to make it better?
I have yet ANOTHER question. I have had such terrible iron problems since the surgery. It all started when I did my autonomous donation a week and a half before surgery number 1.
I went to the blood bank and they determined I should give a "double double" donation. So 2 units of double red blood cells. They calculated my blood volume with my weight from my chart and height, and hooked me up to the machine. About 2/3 of the way through we realized they used my weight from 5 months prior, which was about 30 lbs bigger than I was at the time of the donation...thus making them think I had a much greater blood volume. They then determined that at the correct height and weight I did not have enough blood to do it...but they finished it anyway. I also had a reaction to the anti-coagulant. They told me to eat milk products and take iron pills.
The first surgery went fine, they used none of the two units I banked. Then for the second surgery they used both...but nothing else, though I was told I would need 6 to 8 units. The surgical team determined that I was "young enough" to recover with less of a blood volume. Three days later I could hardly hold my head up and my blood cell count was dropping like crazy. 2 more units were given (from the donor pool). Again, they determined that 4 units would be better...but I was young, so we'd try this. I went home.
Now I keep having problems with "seeing stars", getting dizzy and headaches. They keep telling me to up my iron. And it helps for a while.
Did anyone else go through this?? What did you do to make it better?