Home is where you start from: The anemia diaries

Friday, January 18, 2008

The anemia diaries

I mentioned that I just discovered that I am really anemic. I always come up anemic, so I was prepared for that-it was the level of and the seriousness of that took me by surprise. It may explain many things, like why I am cold all the time (taking into account my circulation problem) and why I do things like this and this...and why I am always tired.

Wednesday found me on day 7 of taking 2 mulit-vitamins a day and fish oil capsules and day 4 of taking 2 iron pills a day. It also marked the beginnings of some rumblings in my tummy, which have marked the end of iron taking in past years....so, I reached for the gentle, natural senna laxative I keep on hand for my little one.

Thursday found me locked in the bathroom all morning and a good part of the evening.

As I sat/(crouched) crying and cursing iron, (while trying to decide which end to point at the toilet) Sky, my knight in shining armor busted in, baring not red roses (would so not have been appreciated at the moment) but a red bucket (be still, my beating heart!) thus ending my undignified crouching dilemma. Moments like that really bring home the meaning of unconditional love. Then he took himself to the drug store to find something to relieve me.
He called his Dr. Brother, who enlightened us on the difference between laxative and stool softener.

To sum up:

Laxative- Bad
stool softener-good

I swore off iron pills for the rest of the day, until the next day when Sky talked some sense back into me. This is way more than you really want to know, isn't it? Gotta write what I live, friends.

All that time spent, ahem, reflecting caused me to wax poetic in my ponderings (in between the crying). I give you, internets- 2 haikus:

Anemia hunts
I wage war yet find
-cold, white porcelain

and

This coldness I fight
wage my medicinal war
et-tu laxative?

Labels: anemia diaries, Jen's world

posted at 4:49 PM
9 comments

9 Comments:

At 9:55 AM, At A Hen's Pace said...: Jen--

I'm taking iron right now too! I'm only borderline anemic but it's causing some hair loss around my crown that motivates me to take it. I've found that eating a couple of prunes a day, or a couple morning and night, or drinking prune juice--are all I need to do. (The latter option is the most effective--almost too effective for me.) I love prunes, and they're full of vitamins too--nature's own stool softener.

Hope you're stabilized soon--and keep taking that iron, girl! Severe anemia is nothing to mess with.

Blessings--

Jeanne
At 10:16 PM, Heart of Wisdom said...: Hi Jenny,

I have battled anemia for years. I can relate. I had three blood transfusions in July that are wearing off and I'm anemic again. Due to a recent move and change in insurance I can't get to a doctor until next month. Iron pills do nothing for me I have to have infusions or transfusions.

Keep taking the iron and look into limu plus.

How anemic are you? Is it b-12 related? Do you crave ice? Anemia is common but few people know how serious it is. Being anemic affects every major organ (I had open heart surgery this year). Contact me if you ever need to talk about it.

Blessings,
Robin
http://heartofwisdom.com/blog
At 6:36 PM, Lisa~ said...: Oh Jenny... Im so sorry... but I loved the Haikus! *Ü* I hope today is a better day...

Lisa
At 7:19 PM, Hen Jen said...: Hen,

thanks for the note! I am so sorry you are dealing with this too. Thanks for the prune tip, I don't like them, but I think dried apricots are kind of good, I think they do almost the same thing, maybe I will go get some- my Amie has constipation often and a trick I do with her is put a frozen ice cube of prune juice in her o.j. in the morning, maybe I'll try that too. Hubby got me the softeners, but they have geletin capsules which I really try to avoid all geletin..and they smell kind of icky, I'd rather go natural w/apricots if I can. See you at your blog! thanks for writing!
At 7:23 PM, Hen Jen said...: Robin,

oh goodness, wow! I am just realizing that anemia is pretty serious, I didn't take it very seriously 4 years ago when I was tested anemic...I hope you get to a Dr. soon, I want you to know that I will be praying for you each time I take my iron pills, which right now is twice a day. I've done the ice chewing thing off and on, mostly when pregnant...I just read up on anemia this time and read that it can cause a heart attack, yikes! I'm going to head over to your blog and see if I can email you. thank you for your note and know that I am thinking of and praying for you.

Jenny
At 5:05 PM, TheNormalMiddle said...: oh no! I was always anemic in pregnancy and the poop issue was horrible taking the iron!!!

I'll say a prayer for you. Let me know how it all comes out. bwahhhh haaaa haaaa :)
At 8:00 PM, Hen Jen said...: Lindsey,

you made me laugh, good thing I didn't have any diet coke in my mouth! The pun was simply mah-va-luss, dahling...

thanks for the prayer,
...I'll see you over at the crack house...
At 8:01 PM, Hen Jen said...: Lisa,

glad you liked my haiku attempts, thanks for the vote of confidence!
my first haiku attempt-outside of school, not my best talent I guess...
At 11:31 AM, Anonymous said...: I think only a homeschool mom would write Haiku about an experience like this. :)

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