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Anemia?

Started by Alainaluvsu, May 05, 2012, 11:03:45 PM

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Alainaluvsu

I cut myself shaving the other day (forearm), and it didn't stop bleeding until about noon today. It had me worried, so I googled "won't stop bleeding" .. and got anemia. I thought "oh boy, here we go..." So I looked at the causes, and one of them is low testosterone.

I've had no baseline test taken, however I am willing to bet by now, I have almost no testosterone in my blood. I'm currently 8 months on HRT. On my 2nd month, my T levels were 25 ng / ml, and at 5 months, 9 ng / ml.

Many other symptoms of anemia are there. Poor concentration, constipation, headaches, fatigue, cold feet...

Of course I want to bring this up with the doctor on my next visit.  But the catch is, I don't think I can afford these tests. Since I just lost my job, I'm trying to minimize the money I'm spending. On my next visit, tests are only going to be Estradiol and Liver Panel. Testosterone tests for me are like over 100 dollars...

Any suggestions?
To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are.



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luna nyan

If you think you're anaemic, the following are safe options to counter it:
1.  Eat more food high in iron (red meat etc)
2.  Iron supplements - you could possibly just need a multivitamin, rather than an actual iron supplement.  (I would suggest the multi first over an actual iron supplement as excess iron can be as bad as not enough).  The other advantage of the multivitamin is that if you're anaemic because of B12 deficiency that will cover that as well.

In addition - have you been taking aspirin on the day you cut yourself?  If you had a high dose that day because of a headache, that would have suppressed your platelets and would have increased the bleeding time.  The other thing is, with a clean cut from a razor, it takes longer for a clot to set.

Drifting down the river of life...
My 4+ years non-transitioning HRT experience
Ask me anything!  I promise you I know absolutely everything about nothing! :D
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A

Anemia can have a few different causes, the most common(?) being:

-Low iron;
-Poor absorption of iron;
-Low vitamin B12.

Low testosterone doesn't count, since it's only a "risk factor". Women have low testosterone, and that doesn't mean half the global population is anemic.

I'm a vegetarian, so the tips will go according to that, but of course, despite their unhealthy sides, red meat and animal liver are also good sources of iron and are generally of vitamin B12 too.

-Eat foods that are rich in iron, such as lentils, cocoa, basil, ginger and whole grains.

-Make sure you get enough vitamin C: it's required to properly metabolise iron from vegetable sources.

-Make sure you get your daily vitamin B12. This is sadly the only vitamin that's a pain to get without meat: you have to get supplemented foods (soy milk, some breakfast cereals, some other drinks) or a supplement from the drug store. Be careful though: people generally only need about 1.4 µg per day, and supplements can lead you to consome heaps more, and that's bad. And don't feel bad about supplements and supplemented foods: most of meat's B12 comes from the very same supplements that are given to the animals you eat.

Don't go too extreme, especially if you haven't seen a doctor about it. Anemia has other causes, too, and it could be something else.

Try a few things like these, and if it doesn't get better in a few days, you might want to consult a health professional. You could just ask your pharmacist, explaining your situation so he doesn't just say "see a doctor", too, who will give you free advice.
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Alainaluvsu

I eat plenty of meat... maybe even too much. I also get lots of vitamin C... I make sure to drink 16 oz of either OJ, or apple juice (with added Vit C, or cranberry juice) every day, which equals about 200% of the RDA. I'm pretty sure diet isn't the issue. In fact, pre HRT if I cut myself, I'd stop bleeding within 5 minutes without fail.
To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are.



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A

I seriously doubt low T itself would suffice to cause anemia... Did you read that and examine the possible causes? Anemia is a very wide thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemia#Causes

Maybe it's something else entirely. Maybe it's nothing serious. Maybe it is something serious. Either way, I think that considering the money issue, your best bet would be to try to get free advice from a health professional - pharmacist, nurse, "ask a doctor" forums, free nurse counselling lines, etc.

Edit: I found this page: http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/risk/medications.htm

Looks like it -could- be HRT related, but in that case, it would rather be the early signs of a liver problem. If that's the case, you might need to be put on transdermal HRT quickly before it gets bad... Perhaps there's no getting away from a meeting with the doctor.
A's Transition Journal
Last update: June 11th, 2012
No more updates
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Alainaluvsu

Well... if it's the liver (I have tested perfect on the last 2 runs) I'll find out when I get tests. I'll just wait. Thanks for the link! I'll use it.
To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are.



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