How can we help my wife improve her hemoglobin and can low hemoglogin be a cause of a heart attack?
Answers
This is a very tough problem. There are a couple of issues going on here that I will address.
1) Low Hemoglobin: A hemoglobin of 6.4 is critically low and needs to be addressed immediately. Your wife feels bad because she is severely anemic (she doesn't have enough blood)- this is why she is tired, cold, and has headaches. With a hemoglobin this low, we would usually do a blood transfusion, as your wife is in danger of dying, She could have a heart attack from the lack of blood. She needs to be hospitalized to find out why she is so anemic and to get the care that she needs.
2) Mood swings: Your wife really sounds like she is have some severe mood swings, which may be a sign of mental illness. She really needs to talk to a psychiatrist, as she may be suffering from a post traumatic stress disorder or severe depression.
Basically, your wife has several issues going on that need immediate attention. I think that you should take her to the hospital to get the help that she needs. I know that she is distrustful, but she is in danger of dying if she does not get help.
Yes, your wife needs to be in a hospital to find out why her hemoglobin is dangerously low. One thing that could be causing this, is kidney failure, it is what took my mother's life but no one found out in time. It could also be some kind of GI bleed but you won't know til your wife is in a hospital to be tested. Also, with your wife's age, she could be experiencing hormonal changes which need to be tested. I am so sorry that you and your son are having to deal with all these unknowns. Please get your wife some help and tell her that you love her and need her. My thoughts are with all of you.
This is information is very help I am a teen who has discovered that I have a very low Hemoglobin level my doctor has suggested that I take iron supplements. I have not spoken to my doctor however she has perscribed an iron supplement. I was suprised that many people are feeling the way I do. I do have mood swings, and I do become very tired after school. But I thought that was normal. At first I thought it was because some times I would forget to take my one aday vitamins. I would notice how sleepy I would get. I also noticed how I would be constipated and would have a feeing like I could not breathe. However this feeling in my heart was only tempoary.but the constipation is persisitent. I have not started the iron supplement just yet
Oh my goodness. She MUST get to a hospital. Why would her doctors allow her to leave with a level of 6.4??????
I came across this looking up low hemoglobin. I recently had a blood transfusion (my hemoglobin reached 6.2). I had passed out, having flu like symtoms - was in the hospital at the time it was lowest and I don't even remember signing a waiver to get a blood transfusion. Eventually found out I had contracted an infectious strain of C. Diff - it's terrible and don't wish it on anyone. If you're wife is constipated it's safe to say that C. Diff is not her concern, but she is NOT getting enough oxygen to function.
The low hemoglobin would also explain mood swings. She likely has a hard time standing, carry things, focusing, or just living her life. She may be skeptical about doctors and there could be a reason she feels that way. However, if she is not able to find the source of the issue and her levels drop even lower, she WILL end up in the emergency room at some point - best case scenario. She's already in a critical state. When a person has low hemoglobin, your sense of judgement disappears - it's like being drunk. (DO NOT LET HER DRIVE!!!!). They released me from the hospital after 5 days b/c they didn't find out what was wrong in my scenario....my hemoglobin was at 8 something when I left and I got a speeding ticket on a street drove every day. I didn't even know where I was.
I'd offer a suggestion of letting her know that you care and want to do whatever you can to help see that she is healthy - immediately. Set up an appointment, fill out any forms ahead of time and bring her there. Take the weight off of her shoulders - she probably can't even deal with filling out paperwork b/c it seems too exhausting.
This is coming from a 31 yr old female who ran marathons until a few months ago ( I'll be able to do them again even by fall after being on the medications to heal :)). Experiencing what it's like to only have half of your oxygen supply, I understand that she is only half alive right now. I hope to see a post that that everything works itself out! :)
My hemoglobin dropped to 5. My doctors would'nt even wait for my blood type. The started type O and I had 4 units of blood to get it back up to 7..8.
My sister was 47, her blood had dropped to a 5, many of the same symptoms your wife has. Extremely tired, having to fight to stay awake at work, She was diag. with phemonia, but after 3 months of taking antibiotics, going to doctors to see if she had verdigo, a flutter in her ears, digestive issues, rash on her neck, eyebrows fell out, she became jaundice, that's when her blood was finally tested and she was at a 5. She also had a warm antibody in her blood. She had to wait over a week for the blood transfusion hard to match with the antibody. We were exposed to black mold. My sister did not make it, she died at home. Look around your homes, make sure you read up on toxic mold, they present many of the same symptoms. My sister might still be here if she had gotten proper help from the start and if we had educated ourselves more. Please get your wife the transfusion and we wish you the best.
Ok all this is very helpful...and scary. I just moved to Englewod Fl and have no clue what type of Docter to see to get my low humoglobins retested and treated. I was told to get treatment asap but from who?
Loosing my mind: Most any doctor can order the blood test so what is important is to get the test done as soon as possible. Once you get the results you can then ask the doctor who ordered the test if you need to see a specialist. It really depends on the cause of the low count. Here is a list of causes: Diseases and conditions that cause your body to produce fewer red blood cells than normal include:
Aplastic anemia Cancer Certain medications, such as anti-retroviral drugs for HIV infection and chemotherapy drugs for cancer and other conditions Cirrhosis Hodgkin's lymphoma (Hodgkin's disease) Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) Iron deficiency anemia Kidney disease Lead poisoning Leukemia Multiple myeloma Myelodysplastic syndromes Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Vitamin deficiency anemia
Diseases and conditions that cause your body to destroy red blood cells faster than they can be made:
Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) Porphyria Sickle cell anemia Thalassemia Vasculitis
A low hemoglobin count can also be due to blood loss, which can occur because of:
Bleeding from a wound Bleeding in your digestive or urinary tract Frequent blood donation Heavy menstrual periods Nosebleeds
So you can see, there are many causes and each one would need to be ruled out to find the true cause and then find what treatment is needed. I hope you can get the proper diagnosis and treatment. God bless.
She needs to be in the hospital. With her levels being that low, she will stop producing blood. I'm 15, I'm severely anemic and I got sent to the hospital with a hemaglobin of 8.2 and it dropped to a 5 in a matter of 3 days. I had to get a blood transfusion, two actually. I was feeling fine until I got admitted in the hospital. I always had bad headaches and was tired but I thought that was normal for me but I found out it wasnt. As my levels kept dropping, I got weaker. I could barely walk at all, I was super dizzy, super weak. I literally felt like I was dying and technically I kind of was. I seriously suggest you taking her to the hospital before it gets that bad.
I am 41 years old and have all the symptoms you mentioned your wife has. I have been as low as 3.2 in my hemoglobin count and needed a transfusion, actually I have had 4 transfusions since 2003 til now. I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroid (sometimes people with thyroid have been wrongly diagnosed with depression due to almost same symptoms) and I am not able to take iron by mouth. I get very nauseous but thank God there is IV iron therapy for me. I get it every month since my bone marrow does not produce iron. Other than that, I am ok. I know what I have is nothing major even thou it sound like it. She will be ok with the right diagnose. I thought it was my husband writing this article when i was riding it. lol
Have your wife read "Could it be B12" - because a lot of this can stem from low B12. It helped me in SO many maladies, I was just amazed. The "establishment" cares not that you learn about B12.
Please check her B12 for mood swings. My father had the same issue. Couple of B12 injections recovered it. Drink plenty of water and eat green vegetables to increase blood.
