It was the worst period of my life. Did you ever feel so bad?

Olivia M. – Part II

I enter a large, spacious office. I have a card from my home hospital and papers from tests and examinations. The CBC doctor is a middle-aged woman, a well-groomed blonde with a bob experienced in tests for anaemia.

– What do you have?

I began my detailed story; she leafed through the card, nodded, and rustled through her research. A man came in without knocking—a representative—we know the type

—the doctor’s extra income. The doctor looked at him with adoration and at me with a look of, “Well, you’re one of us, you know.”

I was interested in something other than listening to their chatter. I concentrated on not forgetting to say something about my illness. But it was impossible not to hear something like this:

– It’s like I’m in hard labour here! They’re coming from these areas with all sorts of nonsense!

Dismissive Diagnosis

She stopped short because even the mask on my face couldn’t hide my emotions, and the conversation quickly ended.

• – So, as for you, I understand everything. True iron deficiency is anaemia!
• – And the reason?
• – Did you know that 30% of anaemias have no cause?
• – ???
• – This is your case.
• – What should I do? Additional checks  may be needed for genetics.
• – No, you don’t need that. Just take iron, and that’s it!
• – So I’m supposed to take iron for the rest of my life? You know, I don’t tolerate medications very well.

A story followed, indicating the side effects of taking the drug.

I don’t think she was listening at all.

Drug Recommendation

• – Drink So***fer. Try it before eating; it may be better that way.
• – This is what I started with. I have terrible nausea from it, and my intestines are a real problem. My CBC haemoglobin result didn’t go up.
• – Well, I don’t know. Nausea. I need to do an FGDS. Have you had your stomach checked?

When will they stop asking me about it? I checked my stomach; it was like a baby’s.

I see, yes. Next time you come to us, please bring all the copies on separate sheets for our card.

No, dear doctor, what am I doing here? I didn’t come here, and there’s no point in coming. Zero Anaemia results. Apart from the damned Sor***er, the vaunted representative doesn’t offer any other drugs? Choking on iron preparations all my life, is that all the only regional haematologist in the region can offer me? That’s the end of everything.

A Weekend Decision

I didn’t even notice how I got home.

Thoughts darted about like birds disturbed by a hunter’s shot.

Having come to my senses over the weekend, I decided to try drinking everything in a row; perhaps something would work.

I won’t bore you with the details of taking the medications. Many had ascorbic acid and folic acid, and some were easily digestible. I’ll say one thing: They were all about the same in effect. Some were better, some were worse. But normal haemoglobin levels never happened, and my condition was the same.

And I gave up. I didn’t care anymore. Then, in the spring of 2023, the entire floor of our glorious clinic fell ill with something that cannot be named.

A New Beginning: Hospital Discharge

My dear CBC doctor managed to discharge me after 8 days, with haemoglobin 105. And here, strangely enough, my path to getting rid of a chronic disease called anaemia began.

It was the worst period of my life. I had never felt so bad! I turned into a wind-up doll. Having drunk 0.5 litres of coffee in the morning, I got to work and worked through force. And then I came home, caught up with coffee again and sadly wandered around the house. I needed to remember why I came here or what to do next. And I fell asleep like in a snowdrift. I was bothered by constant chills and a lump in my throat. I began to forget simple words. A cloud of emptiness formed in my head, and it grew larger and larger. People around me looked at me with distrust and pity. One day, they told me directly:

– Sveta, what’s wrong with you? You look really bad!

By collecting anamnesis, caring colleagues concluded that it was the thyroid gland. I was urgently sent for an ultrasound. It showed rapid growth of a large node and damage to the neighbouring lobe. My CBC haemoglobin test was 84! Of course, everyone assumed the worst. While I was being examined additionally, I was recommended to raise my haemoglobin urgently because if an operation is needed, they will not take me with such a result.

I decided to inject iron intramuscularly because my veins are bad. It was scary. I did the first dose (half of the norm) at home.

The injections have a complicated technique of implementation. Therefore, only an experienced medical worker can handle them. Do not self-medicate!

Immediate Improvement

If you do everything right, it’s not very painful. Only the lumps and bruises remain for a long time.

But the effect is worth it! I felt better after the second injection. Immediately after the injection, my fields of vision expanded, and brain activity improved. A little nausea came on, but then I got used to doing the injections right after lunch. Everything was fine with my intestines!

The  Anaemia test instructions include a table to help determine how many injections are necessary for the course. You can purchase ampoules in packs of 5. Buy as needed; it is not so hard on the pocket. In total, I did 25 injections. I did them every day on certain days according to the cycle, the rest of the time, twice a week.

When I got to a wonderful (of course, paid) endocrinologist about the thyroid gland, my haemoglobin was already 115. Ferritin had noticeably increased. But the course was not yet finished. The doctor gave me a choice of 2 drugs that I would have to take periodically all the time. Other vitamin deficiencies were also identified, and recommendations were given for their elimination.

Final Results and Success

By the way, it is better to take iron before noon. The drug is more expensive than all the ones I took before. And, it turns out in CBC blood Panel tests, there are capsules that the gastrointestinal tract responds to normally. In general, in my case, anaemia went hand in hand with AIT, plus metabolic syndrome.

Less than a month ago, the CBC control analysis of test results showed 1 3 5 units. I haven’t seen that for a long time. This is a victory! Another disease is behind us, which I wish for everyone.

• Don’t give up!
• Get examined. Find the cause.
• Find your doctor.
• Choose the drug that suits you.
• Don’t forget about proper nutrition.

Hope this was helpful!