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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Hepatitis / February 2005hemolosis
Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts have leveled off so I shouldn't have to stop treatment. However he says that i have Hemolosis, that is not related to the hep c. It may be just something that happens to me during treatment. I was not my usual astute self today during my visit and neglected to ask him for more information. I didn't want to be in that office, I just wanted to be home napping. wish I had more info. Mary Ann Go to (ask jeeves) search engine and type in hemolysis Sue >Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, >during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >home napping. wish I had more info. >Mary Ann You might need him to clarify that. Ribavirin causes red blood cells to explode. If it is not the tx what is it? I'm glad to hear your blood cell counts have leveled off. All of them? >Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, >during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts >have leveled off so I shouldn't have to stop treatment. However he says >that i have Hemolosis, that is not related to the hep c. It may be just >something that happens to me during treatment. Hemolysis, the destruction of red blood cells, is a common side effect of treatment. It's good that your counts are OK now, but even if they continue to get worse, you do not necessarily have to stop treatment. Procrit works wonders for red blood cells, and insurance companies normally pay for it if your RBC gets too low. Thomas  SignatureTo reach me, complete my last name in the address. >>Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, >>during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Thomas I seem to have read somewhere, it can also be a way to refer to improperly handled blood samples. If they are not separated quickly enough the blood cells breakdown before the counts can be correctly determined (ie due to hemolosis) If this was the case the Dr may be somewhat reluctant to point out someone has screwed up. He may be trying to dazzle you with jargon You need to get more info from the doc otherwise you don't know if he was "dissing" the labwork or talking about a typically normal aspect of taking Riba. Did he also say your RDW was high ? That is from the RB cells getting zapped (RB cell shape/width) it's usually from the Riba and I don't think it's a typical bloodwork parameter that is heavily monitored as a "reduce dosage" indicator (mines fluctuates around 14.5-15.9) But rather than speculate on what he meant get more info and request a copy of all your blood tests ! Request a copy be sent to your Primary Physician as well as your Liver specialist. I get my copies much quicker this way Be well, Good luck and let us know what you find DB Thanks Be Well, Be Strong, Get Better! DrBenway (not a Dr nor did I even play one on TV,) Mary Ann- In my case I had to start Procrit around 6 weeks into tx. My hemoglobin went from 15.9 pre tx to 10 and I felt awful. I had zero energy and extreme shortness of breath. The Procrit helped me get back to around 12.5 and helped with energy and breathing. I don't know if this helps. My NP said it was anemia caused by the Ribavirin. Life is good Mark > Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, > during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > home napping. wish I had more info. > Mary Ann Actually, both interferon and ribavirin contribute to the anemia. Interferon makes the blood cell walls more fragile and the riba makes them swell til they pop. Sorta like popcorn. Elmo ////////// I don't know if this helps. My NP said it was anemia caused by the Ribavirin. Life is good Mark "pajaritaflora" <birdspeak@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1109203576.292137.50020@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com... Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts have leveled off so I shouldn't have to stop treatment. However he says that i have Hemolosis, that is not related to the hep c. It may be just something that happens to me during treatment. I was not my usual astute self today during my visit and neglected to ask him for more information. I didn't want to be in that office, I just wanted to be home napping. wish I had more info. Mary Ann http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum I love popcorn...pass the salt&butter please. hehehehe Mark > Actually, both interferon and ribavirin contribute to the anemia. > Interferon makes the blood cell walls more fragile and the riba makes [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum > Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, > during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > home napping. wish I had more info. > Mary Ann Mary Ann - I remember that feeling very well. I always wrote everything down. I looked up "hemolysis" and it just means breakdown of red blood cells. Your body is constantly breaking them down and making new ones but when something else causes them to break down faster, then you don't have enough of them. Hemolysis isn't a disease, it's something that's caused by a disease or condition or chemical. So what he said about it being unrelated to the treatment doesn't make sense, since the treatment can cause it, so how would he know? I'd ask more questions, but the most important thing is that your blood counts leveled off. Mine went down but leveled off and stayed that way the rest of treatment. Gordo > Is anyone familiar with Hemolosis, a breakdown of red blood cells, > during treatment? I just came from the docs and he says my blood counts [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > home napping. wish I had more info. > Mary Ann Mary Ann, Get a copy of your lab results. If it states "specimen hemolysed" or similar wording, it is referring to the tube of blood they tested. Labs are required to note the appearance/condition of the sample if it is hemolysed, lipemic, etc.. Hemolysis can be caused by a poor venipuncture or a number of other things in the handling of the tube of blood prior to analysis. If that is the case, the lab shouldn't have reported your results, as they would be subject to preanalytical variables that cause erroneous results. As all of us who have taken Riba know, hemolytic anemia is a side effect of many drugs. It can also be a secondary to other diseases/syndromes. There are many other reasons for intravascular hemolysis, including acquired antibodies that attack the RBCs and inherited (genetic) anemias - especially if you are of Mediterranean descent. There are a myriad of additional lab tests to determine the true cause of hemolysis. If your doctor suspects it is not caused by the Hep C tx, he ought to be investigating further. Thom Thanks everyone. You gave me solid places and ideas for checking out this hemolysis(including that I had spelled it wrong!) So the Ribavarin could cause it as well as a poorly done blood test. ...I may have confused some of you with my writing, I said ...... "However he says that i have Hemolysis, that is not related to the hep c. It may be just something that happens to me during treatment. " ..... Meaning that it is not because the disease is doing this but the treatment is. I've also read that hemolysis effects your heart and lungs, and I have been smoking too many cigarrettes due to boredom...maybe I should cut back. Sorry about the confusion......I have to get ahold of copies of my blood work. I've got an appointment tuesday with my primary care doc. Hopefully he has copies. If not I'll have to get agressive with my uninterested GI doc. (I'd really like to spend what little energy I have doing something pleasant) I'm getting more blood tests in 2 weeks, including a viral count......I hope that goes well. thanks for your help, Mary Ann |
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