jcawork Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 RBC too low. First Blood Transfusion in the am. Very nervous about it all. Any experience? Any problems? Any advice? Thanks, Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Jen, Have you ever given blood? Cookieman says it's like giving blood only backwards - same size needle, etc. Not the tiny needle used to pull blood out for bloodwork, but not a gardenhose, either. If your counts are low enough for a transfusion, you'll probably feel a lot better soon after. I used to know a guy with a bleeding ulcer who received blood every three months or so - he said he felt like a new man after every influx. Relax...it's blood, not poison/chemo. xxoo, Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie B Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 I had that problem after my last heart surgery, and it wasn't that big of a deal. It just takes time is all. Nothing they can do in few minutes so bring a book or company with you. It's not painful. Snowflake is right, relax, it's not a biggy! I have a feeling you've been through a LOT worse. You'll be fine. Take a book. Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Jen. I was admitted to day hospitals for mine, so I had a nice comfy room and bed all the times. Felt like a million bucks afterwards. Had me crying out for more. Now I know why Dracula does what he does. They did take me for a ride to a scheduled CXR and I threw a pillowcase over the IV pole. I mean, it looked gross to have a bag of blood going in me as I was presenting to the hospital hallway public. And it was MY business, not everyone else's. All staff I met in the hallways and elevators were baffled because they couldn't tell at a glance what was going on with me under that pillowcase; so that was interesting to see their faces. My nurses agreed that it was a smart thing for me to do. Cindi o'h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addie Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 The nurse will prob. sit w/ you the 1st 10 mins or so...to make sure there is no reaction. I had none...so the next day when I came back for more blood...they speeded up the infusion rate. Took a lot less time. Energy level was far better after trannies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchurchi Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Alan had a number of transfusions and all went very well, he had more energy after each one. I hope all goes well. Debbie Husband Alan dx small cell lung cancer Jan 10th 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggiesmom Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Jen, I had that done when my counts were low (I think around the third chemo session). Was very, very weak but as soon as I had that transfusion - wow! did I feel better. This will really make you feel good, which I think is really great. Let us know how you're doing. Joanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 oh, I forgot to add how grateful I am to the people who donate. There are no words to describe the gratitude. You will have the same feeling, I am sure. Cindi o'h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 DEb has had so many transfusions that we do not think she has her own blood anymore. the antibiotics can be crazy sometimes. Her last transfusion they gave her primaxine IV to avoid any complications and it caused a very bad case of c.diff. The antibiotics killed off all the bacteria in her system except for this one which ran rampant after the transfusion. Usually you will feel more energetic afterwards. Good Luck and hope all goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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