I got the results from my blood test this week. My henaglobin is still low at 10.6, normal is 12. The nurse said that they don't get to concerned until it goies below 10. I have been below 10 most of this year. But there is not much they can do because I have anemia of chronic disease. When it gets that low they will keep a closer eye on me. I don't know how low it has to be before they would do a blood transfusion. Now I am going to start a new drug for my rheumatiod arthritis so they are hoping the anemia gets better too. Thanks for listening.

Annette,
I was just diagnosed with AIHA with a hemoglobin count of 8.4 - I was pretty sick - but before they did any treatment, they had to know what they were dealing with. Now that they know it's AIHA and not lymphoma, I'm hoping they'll give me a shot of Procrit or raise my dose of Prednisone to get my count up, because I'm not feeling great at all.

You may have to be persistent with them to do something about it.

How low have you gone? I've always read that 5.0 is dangerous.

Hope you feel better

I wouldn't worry too much about your HgB yet. I too have AIHA, inactive at the moment. When I had my first hemolytic crisis my hemoglobin dropped to 6.5. After one week of high doses of prednisone it went to 9.0. Returned to about 12 after 2 to 3 months.
I still go for regular blood tests and have been told that if the levels drop to 11 or lower I will have to have my spleen removed, since I apparently am one of the rare few that can't tolerate prednisone.
I've been told that a hgb of 10 or higher warrants close supervision, but usually no treatment. However if you feel that bad you should ask for a shot or an increase in the prednisone, perhaps just for a short period of time.
I know what it feels like to be weak and lethargic so I truly hope you're feeling better soon!
Les

Can you tell me what AIHA is? Thanks.

AIHA - is Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia - It's an autoimmune disorder where your body produces antibodies to your red cells and destroys them faster than your bone marrow can produce them, hence making your hemoglobin drop.

Les- I had my spleen removed in 1995 for a different condition, Immune Thrombocytopenia- where my spleen was making antibodies to my platelets.

What dosage of Pred did they put you on when you were at 6.5? Did you have the jaundice? Fever? Or just fatigue?

Thanks,
Jill

Jill, I was severely jaundiced (eyes & skin), tremendously lethargic (couldn't even get from the house to the garage without sitting down) but no fever as I recall. I do remember lots of pain in my legs, particularly when I tried to exericse. First line of treatment in pretty much all cases is prednisone. I started at 100mg/day then weaned down by 50% each time over the next few months but had to stay at 25mg/day for a full month. Did kinda go psychotic on the pred so no more I'm told. Should I relapase I'm told I'll be having my spleen removed pretty much right away. Have you looked at Rituxin? I'm told it works very well but not covered by the majority of health plans. Sometimes your doctor can advocate for you with the drug company to get the costs covered. I believe the drug is administered via 4 treatments of intervenous. Check out the blood disorders thread, particularly the subject "Hemolytic Anemia.......how long????"

I was able to leave hospital with hg level of 8 and haven't seen level of 12 or above for years. My hemo doc considers me fine as long as I'm above 8 i.e. no need for transfusions etc. I usually radiate between 10 and 11 now. I'm ecstatic about that. I can actually work and therefore my mental health is getting better too.