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Long Covid and Anemia?
74 year old male here with stage 3 COPD and chronic kidney disease. I came down with Covid pneumonia in both lungs and was hospitalized on 1/24 for 21 days. Started home PT and was doing great for almost three weeks. On March 6, woke up, my feet hurt, I tried to walk ten feet and collapsed. Re-hospitalized with a diagnosis of anemia. Four transusions, two endoscopies and a colonoscopy. Constipated since onset of covid with bloody stools. Said it was caused by bleeding ulcer but the photos showed a healed ulcer. Hemoglobin count is holding around 9.0 after first week at home, but MCHC and RDW remain abnormal. My breathing is not improving, and I know it is not related to COPD. In the absence of any medical advice I tried iron supplements for a few days with no positive results. If this is a result of covid, is there a treatment? I have been sick for three months, hospitalized a total of 30 days and am having a hard time not having answers to my ongoing symtoms.
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@ohiopicker
How are you being treated now? What medications do you take? What type of iron supplement are you taking? Certain iron supplements are better absorbed than others with fewer side effects. Taking vitamin c with iron helps absorption and believe taking on an empty stomach without other supplements is best.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-iron-supplement
How is your diet? Have you tried working with a dietitian to improve iron and fiber intake? How are you with drinking water to help constipation and kidney function?
Do you use an inhaler or nebulizer? Do you use supplemental oxygen?
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1 ReactionIn response to your questions, I am receiving no active treatment other than weekly CBC test and occasional iron tests. I am scheduled to see a hematologist next week. Medications? I take: Pravastatin, Verspamil, Trelegy inhaler, Allopurinol, Eliquis, Tamsulosin, Dutasteride, Sodium Bicarb, Furosimide, Vitamin D, and Pantoprazole. I stopped taking the iron supplement when my iron went from low to double the normal amount after four days of one 45 mg pill! On O2 at night, two liters. I have a decent diet. Again, I was recovering well from covid pneumonia when the anemia hit me. Nurses say my lungs sound great. My O2 meter says I at 91-94 percent at rest, but if I get up to walk 30 feet, it feels like the energy is sucked out of me. If it was the ulcer they claim that was causing bleeding, and it is healed, I should be getting better. I can’t ignore the MCHC and RWD results that should be improving.