Heme Wha?

Hi. My Name is Desarae.

and I'm an ice chewer. 

It's a horrible habit. and I'm addicted. The cause, they say, is anemia. Although, after spending a while researching this myth, no one really knows why. Some suggest its because anemic persons can have tongue and gum swelling, or stomach problems all which are soothed by sweet cold ice. And your body knows best! Another suggestion is that ice just tastes better to anemic people.

I can't say I feel that it is either for me. I can't pin why I chew ice, but I love my ICE.

I don't even know when it started. I know it was bad in high school- which is when I was most anemic. Then I got an iron transfusion and for years I didn't even want ice in my drink. It was a burden. Isn't that weird? Just got in the way, and took up space where my precious soda should be.

After having Sydney I slowly sunk back into anemic problems. and have been an ice chewer since.

EVERY doctor has put me on iron supplements. After Jack they got all extreme. I was on perscription iron 3 times a day-going hard core. It didn't make any difference in my blood scores, but it did give me major painful cramps (super-lay-on-the-couch-I'm dying-cramps). and all the other naughty side effects.
not to mention finding a time to take iron is really annoying- especially if you have to take it several times a day. You have to take it with vitamin c, and no calcium 1/2 before or after, blah blah blah.

After I complain about cramps, they tell me to take a week break and go to two a day. Then one a day. But by now by body recognizes it first off and day 1 and 2 I start having cramps. Doesn't stand a chance.

Since I have also moved plenty the past few years I have had change docs. in a good light- I quit taking iron, but a bad light- they see my blood scores and order me to start it all over again...no matter what happened the last time.

And wouldn't you know- with this doctor, my OB, asked me to take iron supplements again. I gave them the "I don't really want to, it wont work" speech and they just asked me nicely to do it, and i poliety complied.
(irronically, my Rhuematologist said I'm fine. I am anemic but it is staying the same...not getting worse or better so he is fine leaving me where I was.)

After thinking about what to do for a week....

call my rhuem and ask permission to NOT take it. 
take it for a week and get the cramps and get off easy.
call ob and ask them if it will blend well with the prednisone I'm now on too..hoping for a wait till pred is over answer.

I decided, I don't want to be anemic. I hate chewing ice. I hate when other people chew ice. I want my energy back. I want to take control.
OTC iron pills don't work. prescriptions iron pills don't work. There must be something out there...like a liquid iron, or natural supplement, that will work. right?

So that was my resolve. and this is what I found.

There are two types of iron. ok, thats not correct. There are several types of iron. But the common one you take over the counter and prescription is iron sulfate. All mine have just been a little round, hard pill- iron sulfate (feratab, SLOW-fe, FER-Iron etc). and I have had no success with it- as you know.

then there is like, the kind I got when it was transfused into my blood and other types I'm sure. I'm not claiming to be an expert on iron.

Then I found more about heme iron. and became VERY interested. I found this website very convincing, and explained it really well... probably cause they are trying to sell it to you. I ALMOST bought it right then and there. It has great reviews (from other websites) and stories. all so convincing.

BUT I decided to see what other heme irons were out there and happened upon the ultimate Iron. Which has the same great reviews, stories. Even better- half the price of proferrin. oh, and I can pick it up at a store down the street.

When I walked into the store and asked the man where it was located he started in on telling me how this was the best stuff ever, and the continued with about 5 stories of people he has helped with this iron. cute old man.

So I have been taking this iron for 2 weeks now. I got my blood drawn today...for lupus reasons not anemia. but when they call I'll ask if there is a change. I don't really expect one yet. I think it should take about 6 weeks. (some people said it only took a week)
I like this iron so far because I don't have any of the side effects. no constipation, and especially no cramps. I can take it with any food- and since its liquid tabs I feel so much more confident that it is being absorbed. (who knows if it is..) I don't feel like I'm going through pain and misery for nothing...well for a small round tab that does me no good. I feel really positive about this stuff, and will keep you updated on if it really works. I pray it does.

For right now I'm just glad I'm following doctors orders, happily.

Maybe I'll link some of the websites I got info from, reviews, and all the juicy stuff. For now, if you want to read a little on iron supplements click on the "this website" link above, or head over to Wiki for a shortened version.

Iron {WO}man

Did you know that if you take a precious metal, like your gold ring sitting there on your finger, drag it on your skin....it was done on my face for example. It may or may not leave a black streak? WHAT? If it leaves a black streak that means your anemic. {some kind of chemical reaction}

My sister did this to us over the Christmas break...both my sister and my face had big black streaks, hers darker than mine. My moms was fairly light but apparent. None of the boys had any?

and I thought it might be a good introduction to my anemia problems. haha maybe is wasn't.

Because of my chemo I threw up a lot.

Because I threw up a lot I developed stomach problems.

Because of my stomach problems I had nutrient absorption problems.

Because of All of the above I had a extreme case anemia.

The hematologist prescribed iron 2-3x a day...so I would take the round little green pills every day. I'll admit that once in a while I missed a dose. but I was pretty faithful.

To go along with Rx I had other requirements- to eat certain foods when I take the iron- or not to eat certain foods. Like not to drink milk, but vitamin C does help absorption. And of course- to eat iron rich foods....anyway...

Taking iron is really annoying. at first you are fine. hardly any side effects.

Then comes the constipation. gross right?? but whats worse is taking the "perdiem" I took. Little tiny beads that have a little minty taste as they all fall to the back of my throat followed by gulps and gulps of liquid- to help everything flow through nice and easy.

Then my stomach starts to get really bad cramps. blah.

But I was faithful taking Christmas-tree green pills, BECAUSE I did want to get better. Completely and fully better. At this point I was done with Chemo, so that meant I was REALLY close to be healthy and normal. My spirits were up just for that reason! It was heaven, and 2001.

After 6 weeks of pills and beads my scores were not improving in the least

(surprise surprise, this always seems to be my story right?!)

But this is the part that I don't like... The doctor accused me and was very persistent that I was not taking my iron. He fought with my mom about this. 'If I was taking my iron then there should be improvement!' yadda yadda. No matter how much the doctor didn't want to believe me or my mom- or my mom tried to impress upon him that I was, infact, taking my stinky iron pills...sitting there wasn't going to improve me iron.

So my mom asked for an alternative procedure. and we'd go with that.

The next alternative (or only, I don't know what would have come next if this didn't work...)

Was for an iron transfusion. Simple outpatient procedure. Check in, get an IV - pump you full of liquid black iron and go.

The procedure is simple, but the body can have a very negative reaction to being intoxicated, overloaded with iron like that. For instance, you can have an allergic reaction- which they would fix with benadryll, or nausea- fix with zophran or something. The big scary things are going into shock, cardiac and pulmonary problems. I really can't remember the reactions- just that they were freaky and serious. They were problems that are hard to fix, that you would die.

I don't know how serious,serious the complications really are- we'd have to ask a doctor again, but to me, then, they were so serious and scary. and so was my mom.

Maybe it scared me because I was young and the reality of I had recently been through was still very fresh. Or maybe it was the doc- trying to scare me out of doing it, and just to take my meds, or maybe the the fear of my mom rubbed off me. none the less I was scared.

Besides, sure I was tired, but I was feeling good. done with Chemo. And in my mind- I was tired because I was in zero hour and partying with friends. Life was just exhausting as is.

Well the day came, I walked into the first set of automatic doors, onto the squishy floor and the wind blew through my hair. Walked through the second set of black automatic doors.

I remember I sat on the left end of the semi-circle filled with ladies and gents all hooked up to the IV too. I had to get my iron transfusion in the oncology ward. These people were not lucky like me- we were all there for an outpatient procedure but they had much worse ahead of them. The felt for these people. I really felt for them, I had been there, where they had been. At the same time they had no idea that I knew what they were going through. They probably looked at me and said- oh this young teenager has no idea. No idea about me, what I'm going through, what this feels like.

Some of them were bald, other sleeping, others listening to music or reading books. and I just wanted to cry. My eyes welded up and and I sat there wishing things like cancer were never invented. That our bodies were perfect just like Adam and Eve's. But where would be our joy, if we didn't pass through sorrow?

I don't remember what all happened- I know they hooked up a small IV bag of Iron, and I think some other type of medicine (I really want to say benadryll, but I'm not sure) I sat there for an hour or so. The sweetest lady-nurse came and sat and talked with me. I found out she was Chase's mom (a boy in my class). She talked and giggled and had a sparkle in her eye the size of the north star. Someone you are instantly drawn too. I still love her for it.

They watched me close to make sure I wasn't goin to go dyin on them.

They checked me out and told my mom to watch me carefully for the rest of the day.

Then the unexpected happened.

{and remember feeling is still clear as day to me}

I felt... I felt just plain felt.

The sun was brighter, the air smelled cleaner, my feet were 10x lighter. It was easier to smile and to lift my arms. I had energy and life infused into my veins again. Just walking out of those double automatic doors I felt like every step had a skip.

It was like everything had been drained out of me through chemo- and now was put back in.

It was the weirdest feeling- to feel again.{how do you even describe this?}

I had no idea how dull and lifeless I had been before. How lazy and sad I was. I thought, after chemo, I was finally normal and healthy. who knew! who knew that anemia could make THIS big of a difference.

It was wonderful.

Also, another silly memory. I had a big crush on a boy...and I ran into his dad walking out of the hospital. I thought his dad was rather handsome, too. and really nice to me. we talked about my procedure and told him to tell __ hi :)

I came back a few weeks later and they checked my ferritin levels and hemoglobin and sure enough the iron transfusion gave by blood just the boost it needed. my ferritin (iron stores) were normal and hemoglobin great.

Unlike the lupus staying in remission, I still struggle with anemia problems. but its been most likely because I've had 2 babies and its been nine years. (gee I'm getting old!) But its a small problem, compared to the lupus, that I'd rather deal with....