I've been anemic for a long time, but i can tell it seems worse now when I stand up I get soooo dizzy

Thanks Malcolm.  They'll be no problem eating steak, I'm sure.  Caroline

Hi Caroline,

Great to here hubby's doing well. I'd be taking an Iron supplement for a month then getting the levels rechecked. The fact that the Transferrin is normal means he needs a bit to top him up, so the saturation becomes normal. Eat steak! Cheers.

I just went to have a look at hubby's Iron Studies again:

Iron - 9.5 (low)

Transferrin - 2.77 (normal range)

Saturation - 14 (low)

Ferritin - 257 (normal range

Thanks for all of your feedback.  We will give the doctor a ring to find out the best way to get this sorted.

Caroline

I agree completely.  Hubby should check with his doctor before leaving for Europe just to be safe.  

You never know what can happen.  Last time I was in Europe, back in 2010, some volcano in Iceland blew and I was stranded in Rome for over a week!  No flights coming or going. 

I ran out of Celebrex (an anti-inflammatory) and had to find a local doc to prescribe it.  Traveling can be rough on our bodies even when we are in tip-top shape.  Best to talk to his own doc, who understands his entire medical history, before leaving just to be on the safe side.

Hi Caroline,

I am in agreement with others.  Check with the doctor.

It just reminded me of something I haven't mentioned about my clinical trial.. I was not allowed my normal supplements BUT was told to take iron supplement and B-12.  I suppose the trial checked my ferritin levels in addition to my Hgb.  I was told the iron would help with my HGB levels  because I was on Riba.  My Hgb started at 15.5, went down to 11.1 and was back at 11.5 EOT on 18 weeks of riba.  I normally don't take iron unless I have a bout of anemia.  I have had a couple of bouts unexplained anemia in the past.  They quickly resolved with a month of iron supplement.  That was done at doctors request and I was told to stop as soon as my Hgb got back up.

I went to my GP for a complete check up yesterday since I didn't get info since EOT.  I'll know next week how that went.  Don't know if he did a VL or not, but I have one scheduled July 1 for EOT24.  

SuziQ

Hi Caroline,

Jill is right. Best to ask the doctor. Since your husband has just completed treatment his iron and ferritin levels both need to be checked. It's possible to have low iron and high ferritin levels, particularly with a resolving liver problem. Adding a iron supplement might be contraindicated in this case. So it's best to let your physician make the determination. Good luck and I'm so glad to hear he's regaining his strength. SVR is a wonderful thing!

Tig

Hi Caroline, good to hear from you and it`s great news that your hubby`s doing so well post treatment!

About the iron supplements, personally I think it would be best for him to check with his doctor or primary care physician first before taking them.  Low iron levels can often be treated with supplements but it all depends on what`s causing them to be low, and I wouldn`t want to give you the wrong advice. 

Hope hubby has a great time on his family visit to Europe, it`s wonderful that he`s made such a good recovery.

Wishing you both all the best! 

Hi everyone, hubby's been traveling along well since end of treatment getting stronger and feeling much better overall.  He is actually heading to Europe in a week to visit family, so he has definitely regained a lot of strength.

I do have a question though - he had some routine blood tests and they came back with low iron levels.  Is it ok for him to take iron supplements to get his iron back to normal levels?  I know this was a no-no when on treatment, but is it ok now?

Thanks in advance.  Caroline