Blood Count: Very Low Hemocrit (2.2)

A pain pill is kicking in and I'm feeling very depleted still, but want to write a couple more things:

At discharge, my red blood cell count was 9. something, and I don't know what the hemoglobin was, and the hemocrit was at 2.something. Something like 2.29. I didn't think about the hemocrit being low until now.

http://www.answers.com/topic/hematocrit (discusses implications of low hemocrit. Also says usually hemocrit is low during pregnancy, but it was the reverse for me. I had HIGH hemocrit and low red blood cells during pregnancy, though I took an iron supplement and was well-hydrated. In pregnancy, this says it is lower, but mine was higher. Then, after blood loss, my hemocrit was fairly normal but keeps dropping. It's at 2.2.

But it was stable, basically,so they said, although now I'm researching about low hemocrit and it seems extremly low. It's supposed to be at a 10 and 7 is low. When my red blood cell count was at 7 I had blood transfusions. Right now it's my hemocrit, specifically, that's really low, and I'm reading this is typically indicative of the body's lack of iron, OR, of bone marrow suppression from radiation which affects the body's ability to form new healthy platelets. Knowing what happened to me and my son, I would suspect this is the cause of my inability to get the blood count to normal on hemocrit. Even after transfusion, it appears my body cannot produce what it needs. My iron levels are not low. I was prescribed iron, and I'll take it, but I was already taking, and have been taking, iron. So I don't see how taking more iron is going to help that much, if there is something wrong with my body's ability to produce healthy cells and regenerate. I mean, I was already taking iron, and eating hamburgers and red meat. There shouldn't be this low of a hemocrit problem.

I wish I'd had a computer/laptop when I was in the hospital because I could have figured this out and alerted them to this and asked for something besides an iron prescription. I'm going to take a look at what kind of prescription it is and then write it down here: Hmmm. No prescription. They just told me to take iron supplement.

I'm reading more about low hemocrit and found the following--that 11-12 is normal for most women and that a range of 10 is enough for blood transfusions and treatment for blood disorders. My range of TWO is probably grounds for some sort of immediate care and intervention but I don't know what.

I read this:
Re: Normal Iron but low hematocrit, hemoglobin and RBC....
Laura,

My mother's iron is normal, but hematcrit, hemoglobin and platelets are low. She's being treated for thrombocytopenia anemia, taking aranesp injections and getting blood transfusions.

She's in her 80's but never had a problem until 2 years ago. Age can be a factor because as we age our bone marrow may slow or even quit manufacturing more red cells and platelets, which is likely her case. However, age aside there are other things that can cause anemia,and that does sound like your potential diagnosis. Like you, her iron was okay, but they did start her on iron to see if there was any change in her labs before referring her to a hematologist/oncologyst. She does not have cancer, and the referral scared me, but at least locally, it seems that the hematologist are also oncologyist. I don't know if that just goes together or not.

You've probably seen ads on TV for procrit. Aranesp is the same type injection to help build the blood up, but for those like my mother who also have heart failure which is also causing less kidney function, then Aranesp is used. The injections help keep the hemocrit and other counts built up a little while or another way to look at it is that it helps slow the drop in the counts. She gets those just once a month and then when the hemocrit is in the 10.5 to 9.5 range AND she is feeling exhausted, then we get her transfused with 2 units of packed cells. The normal range for women is 12-14. That takes place ever 2-4 months, depending on how her body is holding up.

The good thing is that within a day or so after the transfusion, she feels much better. The doc has explained that there are a number of factors which can cause these changes and many can be treated with less extreme action of the transfusions. But, in her case her bone marrow just cannot function any more due to age and other conditions.

You may wish to speak with your doc about referring you to a hematologist if your insurance requires a referral and the iron doesn't help your situation. If a referral isn't required, you may wish to consider finding one on your own. Just be sure that your labs are watched and you drag yourself down to the point of being so exhausted before more is done.

Best wishes.

I'm sort of wondering about the urine...if they found a rare form of "bad bacteria" on the informal analysis, I wonder why they didn't find anything that looked like kidney infection. I'm wondering what kind of bacteria it was that they did find.

I had that song going through my head again, on the way to the hospital, and leaving:

"I'll See You Soon" by Coldplay.

I want to write about some people I noticed. It is the strangest thing, because I have so many enemies and I don't even know who all of them are, but I've lately, against logic and hard evidence, sensed, like I said, an unseen army of sorts, that really believes in me. Even believes in my account of what happened to me and my son. I wish I knew how to explain but I don't.