Bone Marrow results and questions to the group

Hi All,

so just got my BMB results... my doc said that all production looks normal
:woohoo:

my doc did say that they got a good sample but there was bone in it that made it difficult to look at how many cells im producing, etc. the pathologist said on the report that for my age i am low on cells however the doc thinks its because there was bone. they were able to tell that the maturation of my cells were all normal. they said the platelets look like somebody who has itp so normal in that context as well.

due to the bone being in the sample they were not able to look at my iron stores. I do have low ferritin and my doc wants to put me on an iron supplement. I know that iron can be very constipating which is the last thing i need cause i already have issues in that arena. can anybody suggest a good iron supplement that might not cause me those issues?

thank you!!

Staci

Good news, Staci! However, being able to tell if production is normal isn't possible. Please read this:

pdsa.org/forum-sp-534/6-general-itp-discussion/11698-bone-marrow-biopsy-and-production-answers.html

As for the iron, I have low Fertitin with constipation issues as well. I just got a bottle of Ferrous Sulfate (325 mg's) and took one a day. It didn't take long (a few weeks) to get the level up and I just dealt with the constipation as it came. It wasn't too bad only taking one/day. After a few weeks I went to 3/week.

I have been using a liquid iron supplement that someone on this site recommended. It is all natural and has iron and b vitamins. It is called floradix and you can get it at online stores or health food stores. It doesn't cause constipation like many iron supplements do. It is a bit expensive.

I have always been struggling with iron deficiency and my heamatologist recently organised an intravenous iron infusion done for me at the cancer clinic. Highly recommended - no problems which constipation (which I had always been battling with on different oral supplements) and it brings the iron levels up for 6 months to a year. The treatment itself takes a bit less than an hour. The only thing to keep in mind is that iron deficiency seems to be pushing the platelets levels up so once your iron levels have gone up in may make the platelets drop a bit which seems to have been the case with me. Still looking into it more closely, next CBC will show it more clearly.

Good luck!

Ania

You can always just try the simple thing of increasing your fiber. Fiber One bars are a good one. Good luck!

Jeffrey

I had low iron when I was having issues with Uterine Fibryoids and heavy bleeding. I found the time release like Slow-Fe was less impactful. Also, Prune juice is high in iron, so I just held my nose and drank 8 ounces every morning.