Michelle,
I'm sure that I will. I just need to remember that realistically speaking, I'm no longer a good candidate for Red Cross blood drives. I have a follow appointment with my Hematologist in February to see how things are going and we'll determine then if I need another infusion or if this one did the trick. After that we'll monitor my iron panels and see if this is a one time thing because I was depleting my reserves or if it is more likely that I'll need annual infusions. We'll just wait and see.

Hi Kimmes,

Thank you for your good wishes and as you say, no more Red Cross blood donations for me. I'll have to find another way to support them. :) I hope that your step father and little sister have their Hemochromatosis well managed. As you may know, if this condition is detected and managed early, people can lead very normal lifespans. Unfortunately for my father it was detected too late and we lost him due to complications of this disorder at the young age of 58.
Thank you again for your good wishes,
Barbara

Hi Indi,

Hemochromatosis is more prevalent than many realize and wrecks havoc on those who go undiagnosed and untreated. I'm glad that you are being checked and treated. One of the main reasons that I had RNY as opposed to a restrictive only procedure was the fact that I would malabsorb iron and it has worked to my benefit. I had not had a single medical phlebotomy since my surgery in June of 2007. My serum ferritin dropped to a level that was safe for me and stayed there until I started donation phlebotomies. My hematologist and I are hoping that once we get my iron stores back up to where they need to be, I should be able to manage without future iron infusions, but even if I do have to have subsequent infusions, they don't scare me as much as the overload did. My late father wasn't diagnosed with his Hemochromatosis until a few months before his death, so I've seen the havoc it can wreck.

Wishing you all the best,

Barbara

Indi,

You are indeed fortunate.

Wishing you all the best,

Barbara