Anemic due to kidney problem: How to increase hemoglobin?

Posted by navrang @navrang, Nov 30, 2022

How to increase low hemoglobin naturally

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@gingerw

@jerrysgirl3 Finding the reason for the anemia is the first step to solving it. Here is an article from Mayo Clinic that speaks to anemia. Now, please do not assume you have a nasty disease process going on! It may be a medication is lending itself to creating the anemia. Or your diet is not the right one for you. Do you have access to a registered dietician in your area you can confer with?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351360
https://www.eatright.org/ will offer you the opportunity to look for someone in your area [see the red button on the upper right]

It's tricky, balancing everything together. But, we owe it to ourselves.
Ginger

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@gingerw OMG I just went on the eat right site!! Fabulous!! I left messages with two women already for telehealth, who work with cancer, autoimmune and food allergies !!! Exactly what I am looking for!!
I can't thank you enough. You might have literally just saved my life 😵‍💫❤️

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@jerrysgirl3

@gingerw OMG I just went on the eat right site!! Fabulous!! I left messages with two women already for telehealth, who work with cancer, autoimmune and food allergies !!! Exactly what I am looking for!!
I can't thank you enough. You might have literally just saved my life 😵‍💫❤️

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@jerrysgirl3 I truly hope you find some answers.
Ginger

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@gingerw

@laurie6 You're welcome! Talk frankly to your medical team and work with them to find what works best for you. Chelated iron is easy on my digestive tract.

Anemia in chronic kidney patients is pretty common. As our kidney function worsens, the ability to carry iron in our blood lessens. What stage of CKD are you? Have they determined the underlying cause of your kidney issues?

In the 1980 -1990s I was severely anemic, and went through many tests. At that time it was determined to be because of uterine fibroids, which were removed in 1999. My anemia was resolved, but later resurfaced due to my kidney issues. I am also a blood cancer patient, and we watch all my numbers every month. Some months I need to have an erythropoetin type shot to keep my system in a somewhat working order. It's a fine line, and finding what will work best for your own system can be a frustrating experience.

I am a volunteer mentor by the grace of our group moderator @colleenyoung. She asked me to join the ranks of the mentors back in 2019.
Ginger

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Oh yeah. Stage 4a

Whatever that means.

Definitely not interested in synthetic epo. I wonder how Lance Armstrong got it to work without killing him?!

I’m still on antibiotics for dog mouth bacteria in my thumb, so that has distracted attention from my anemia, which is equally concerning only because the labs come back a teeny bit worse than the ones before, and they are checking my blood twice a week.

GFR is 10’s and 11’s.

Hemoglobin down, but I forget now. I’ll go look again since bloodwork was done again yesterday. Thanks!

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I had posted earlier about latest labs I got back, but I can’t find the spot I was posting it on or for, lol.

My GFR is in the 50’s..

My BUN is 41 and creatinine is also high

I tried to get some dialogue on what these numbers mean FOR ME (since they are different for all of us) with my drs, but they are still working on my osteomyelitis in my thumb. Gotta avoid sepsis before worrying about red blood cells! LOL

Maybe I didn’t post earlier. If you see my note about GFR being 11, it’s wrong. Please delete that post.

Thanks to other folks posting here about this. It’s fascinating to hear about what others are struggling with. And helpful having a place to kinda talk about it! My boyfriend has heard enough about kidneys simply because his Mom likes with him and she only has one kidney and she is 93! Nobody knows why she didn’t get the pair..

My mom lives with me and she’s 83 and suddenly has Parkinson’s disease! We are having similar symptoms and both of us are forgetful now.

Does anyone else have “the dropsies” when you drop phone, keys, cooking pans, cups with liquid ? I get them when my body is totally OVER EXHAUSTED and I’m not sure it’s related to this or not.

Thanks for reading my meandering thoughts….beautiful day out to force myself outside.

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@laurie6

I had posted earlier about latest labs I got back, but I can’t find the spot I was posting it on or for, lol.

My GFR is in the 50’s..

My BUN is 41 and creatinine is also high

I tried to get some dialogue on what these numbers mean FOR ME (since they are different for all of us) with my drs, but they are still working on my osteomyelitis in my thumb. Gotta avoid sepsis before worrying about red blood cells! LOL

Maybe I didn’t post earlier. If you see my note about GFR being 11, it’s wrong. Please delete that post.

Thanks to other folks posting here about this. It’s fascinating to hear about what others are struggling with. And helpful having a place to kinda talk about it! My boyfriend has heard enough about kidneys simply because his Mom likes with him and she only has one kidney and she is 93! Nobody knows why she didn’t get the pair..

My mom lives with me and she’s 83 and suddenly has Parkinson’s disease! We are having similar symptoms and both of us are forgetful now.

Does anyone else have “the dropsies” when you drop phone, keys, cooking pans, cups with liquid ? I get them when my body is totally OVER EXHAUSTED and I’m not sure it’s related to this or not.

Thanks for reading my meandering thoughts….beautiful day out to force myself outside.

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@laurie6
I am having bad anemia issues as well! Actually I've been freaking out as there are so many different types of leukemia. GingerW posted this link which I found EXTREMELY helpful:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351360
You should def check it out!! How is your blood sodium level ? Mine keeps going down and in July it went so low I was critical and had a car accident due to confusion and needed a blood transfusion 😳. My Haptoglobin is almost non-existent. None of my docs are addressing it although my primary recommended folate. This morning I took some liquid vitamins with all the B vitamins in it and boy if it's not like night and day!!! Yesterday I was afraid I was dying!!! And today I'm
Just beginning to get tired and I've been up for 12 hrs!! No breathing issues. Yesterday I couldn't breathe. Don't know if it's coincidence or what. It's very very bizarre and I hope it will help me sleep tonight. I've also been drawn to cantaloupe lately and I read up on it and don't you know it's for folate in it and all these other great things!! Strange how the body "knows" instinctively what to eat !!
Note- my husband has only one kidney lol!! Didn't know til he was 62 lol!!
Have you all had Covid vaccines? With so many people suddenly coming down with autoimmune diseases it leaves me wondering.... I only took original two. No boosters. No more vaccines. Too many unknowns.
Try the cantaloupe! Besides being beneficial it's also delicious !! I feel for you so much with the anemia. And not getting answers. 🙁

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@jerrysgirl3

@laurie6
I am having bad anemia issues as well! Actually I've been freaking out as there are so many different types of leukemia. GingerW posted this link which I found EXTREMELY helpful:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351360
You should def check it out!! How is your blood sodium level ? Mine keeps going down and in July it went so low I was critical and had a car accident due to confusion and needed a blood transfusion 😳. My Haptoglobin is almost non-existent. None of my docs are addressing it although my primary recommended folate. This morning I took some liquid vitamins with all the B vitamins in it and boy if it's not like night and day!!! Yesterday I was afraid I was dying!!! And today I'm
Just beginning to get tired and I've been up for 12 hrs!! No breathing issues. Yesterday I couldn't breathe. Don't know if it's coincidence or what. It's very very bizarre and I hope it will help me sleep tonight. I've also been drawn to cantaloupe lately and I read up on it and don't you know it's for folate in it and all these other great things!! Strange how the body "knows" instinctively what to eat !!
Note- my husband has only one kidney lol!! Didn't know til he was 62 lol!!
Have you all had Covid vaccines? With so many people suddenly coming down with autoimmune diseases it leaves me wondering.... I only took original two. No boosters. No more vaccines. Too many unknowns.
Try the cantaloupe! Besides being beneficial it's also delicious !! I feel for you so much with the anemia. And not getting answers. 🙁

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@laurie6 i also just remembered that I took an iron supplement yesterday and I have a very slow metabolism so maybe between both the vitamin and the iron supplement finally metabolized it is helping me. Now I don't know what to do about the iron supplement!!! Very constipating....Yesterday my brain was so foggy I couldn't even talk right and I couldn't remember words. My husband kept asking me if I was ok because I was sounding like I was stroking out 😳. (Former small stroke in 2015) Today brain fog at a minimum!! God I hope I can stay this way....

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You have my sympathies. I also have cognitive problems, random and hard to pinpoint.

Sometimes I cannot write a full sentence. And forget remembering why I went in to the kitchen…dunno 🤷‍♀️

I suspect it’s a side effect of our health condition and likely a warning sign for SOMETHING. I have been taking electrolytes immediately upon realizing my sentences are wandering….

It’s really embarrassing.

I can’t recognize faces as well, cannot recall friends in their cars to wave. Never.

You haven’t mentioned your electrolytes, but I would like to know if you get any results after trying some when you start to stop making sense. If that makes sense, lol.

I have also had concerning “falls”. About 4. I drop stuff and it’s always LOUD stuff.

The electrolyte imbalance was the first sign of this kidney disease.

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Clarity, the anemia was first. Decades first. THEN the electrolyte issues got my hematologist’s attention and the bruises all over my arms and legs can scare drs….

I use a topical heparin gel to help clear the bruises …

The only thing I can do is eat right (working on it but antibiotics are hindering my efforts), rest well and - Effing exercise.

I did a 20 minute walk today and it didn’t kill me. Sometimes I procrastinate stuff and it becomes BIGGER. lol

Hang in there, and thank you for sharing your experiences! It’s a helpful distraction, haha

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@laurie6

You have my sympathies. I also have cognitive problems, random and hard to pinpoint.

Sometimes I cannot write a full sentence. And forget remembering why I went in to the kitchen…dunno 🤷‍♀️

I suspect it’s a side effect of our health condition and likely a warning sign for SOMETHING. I have been taking electrolytes immediately upon realizing my sentences are wandering….

It’s really embarrassing.

I can’t recognize faces as well, cannot recall friends in their cars to wave. Never.

You haven’t mentioned your electrolytes, but I would like to know if you get any results after trying some when you start to stop making sense. If that makes sense, lol.

I have also had concerning “falls”. About 4. I drop stuff and it’s always LOUD stuff.

The electrolyte imbalance was the first sign of this kidney disease.

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@laurie6 i used to drink Propel, mostly in the middle of the night when leg cramps or sweating bad. Then after my food allergies diagnosed in February, I suddenly started getting hives from it so switched to Gatorade. My primary told me about electrolyte salts to add to water. I use that sometimes but I feel like it raises my BP and contributes to swelling of my ankles. But it was raising my blood sodium levels which were (are?) very low. Is bruising part of kidney disease ? Is you blood sodium level normal? Have you been checked for leukemia ? I feel sometimes like I'm dehydrating even tho i drink a lot of water. However with the low blood sodium I have to limit my water intake! Never thought to try electrolytes when I'm having my cognitive issues. Something to think about. Yes I was talking to someone yesterday and I felt like I was babbling and the more I felt like that the more I forgot words. He was very kind about it and helped me out (and he's not known for being kind ❤️) But today wasn't like that....that's what's so bizarre about the last two days. Yesterday I was sure I was dying and today, after taking vitamins and drinking less water, I feel almost normal. It's actually frightening on a different level 😳

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