Elevated Hemocrit and Hemoglobin

[t-bone]

Latest labs show the trend continues to get worse

doc says i have to go to the blood disorders clinic, ASAP


when i called to make an appointment , they said they were presently booking mid to late January soonest,( even urgent cases she said)

doc must have intervened behind the scenes as i now have a 12/10 appointment / then labs / then something called phelobotomy same day
... that's tomorrow ...

what fresh hell is this?

will i be able to drive myself (3 hours each way)?

 

[Scipio]

It sounds like they suspect you might have polycythemia. Phlebotomy literally means "cutting a vein," and it refers to a procedure for removing some of the blood cells to get your hemoglobin and hematocrit down to normal levels. It could be dangerous if they get too high because of increased risk of blood clots.

The most common type of polycythemia is called polycythemia vera, and it cannot be cured but it can be managed by a combinaton of phlebotomy and drugs.

Good luck with your appointment.

 

[t-bone]

Thanks for the timely and helpful reply!

I'm not gonna lie, this particular problem and this appointment are a bit ... concerning ...

 

[Malice67]

Its been a couple weeks -- how did it go??

 

[t-bone]

Sorry I haven't updated this posting,

I was blessed with an exceptional doc (and supporting staff) for this appointmenmt last month

We're still running down the *potential* causes for this particluar complication, but the doc did a series of very involved tests, including looking for a genetic marker for polycthemia vera
... thankfully not found ...

... which leaves quite a few questions on the table and no clear path forward


Scipio nailed it when he said they were gonna "bleed" me some to lower the hemocrit

Seems pretty damn goofy in this day and age of modern medical miracles that they just bleed you out a scosche (and discard the blood!)

pro tip;
nobody in this clinic has a good sense of humour
my request for fresh leaches was met with a very blunt rebuke from staff
Although the 93 year old lady in the next bay got quite a kick out of that comment "honey hush, y'all almost made me spit out my tooths"
(we had a nice chat, she does this procedure on a regular basis and she was just trying to make it to Christmas so she could see her great, great grandchildren, ... kinda put some perspective on things

.... It is what it is ...

I will update the thread when I have some usefull information or anything to add

Thanks again Scipio for your kind words before this appointment




If anyone else deals with this problem, I'd love to hear about your experieinces!