Hemoglobin

[jayfurr]

I'm anemic. I have thalassemia trait (a.k.a. thalassemia minor) -- a hereditary blood condition that means that I'm always going to be low on iron. My blood cells look weird, too -- tiny little cells. Microcytosis.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I also have O negative blood. So I get calls and emails constantly from the American Red Cross asking me to come in and save the day, but when I do go in, they measure the grams of hemoglobin per deciliter of blood and inform me that I'm slightly, very, or SERIOUSLY below the 12.5 g/dcl threshold that they require to donate.

However, there are factors that can affect hemoglobin other than my type of anemia. One is caffeine, which apparently can interfere with iron absorption. Others include the foods you eat WITH the iron in your diet. Being a vegetarian doesn't help, as the iron that your body absorbs best is only found in animal sources. Taking vitamin C can help. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

I'm hoping that my having given up coffee and almost all other sources of caffeine may have raised my blood iron. On the other hand, as a vegetarian I'm fighting an uphill battle.

Today at work the local Red Cross came and ran a blood drive. I would have gone up to try to donate, but they started shutting down at noon and I was too busy to get out of my office until about 12:30. Drat.

But now that the thought's in my mind, I'm contemplating going to the Red Cross after work and trying anyway. They're open until 6. Who knows? Maybe the caffeine thing may tip me over.

Comments

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Interesting...do you have alpha or beta thalassemia? My brother has alpha, a pretty minor version of it with the tiny cells like you describe. The hematologist was confused to find out that we are Ashkenazic Jewish, because it's a really rare trait for someone from our background. He's very much not a vegetarian, though. :-}

[jayfurr.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm not absolutely sure. It's definitely thalassemia minor, not the full-blown both-parents-had-the-gene thalassemia major. It's fairly asymptomatic, other than the tiny cells, the reduced hemoglobin levels, and the tendency to tire more easily. A lot of Mediterranean peoples have this trait -- Pete Sampras has the same thing I do and had to avoid letting people know so they wouldn't play to tire him out.