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Ivor Lewis and anaemia
Hello, has anyone here been through Ivor Lewis and then only 10 months after surgery become anaemic also a very low white blood cell count ?( not from previous chemo) B12 was also found to be low even with supplemental vitamins ? Is it standard practice to supplement with iron ? Thankyou, my husband is in this situation now and I’m curious to know if it has affected anyone else this way.
Deb. NZ
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I've had 2 bouts of iron deficiency anemia. I am 8 years post surgery for squamous cell and I don't think it's the type of surgery as much as what it does to the body's ability to digest nutrients. Malabsorption is a huge issue so I'd suggest talking to your husband's GI doctor as well as primary and get a comprehensive vitamin work-up. It's taken me 8 years to come by this wisdom but it seems to be part of the trade-off for having such a disruptive surgery.
i got 2 iron infusions and it really helped. One of my docs also ordered IV vitamin infusions once month for about a year so they would bypass the GI tract and go right into the body.
let me know if you want more information.\
Thankyou hardtoswallow, over the past 2 days hes had 4 blood transfusions…he is feeling better. We have seen a good dr and dietitian up at the hospital and have requested regular testing of all his vitamins. He has been taking doses of certain vitamins but obviously not enough. We are getting this sorted 🙂
Thanks
Deb
Hi Deb, I’m 15 months post esophagectomy (Ivor Lewis) but have not had problems with anaemia or vitamin deficiency that I’m aware of, despite not eating animal products. Just thought it was worth adding that long term reflux is a very common problem due to the lower esophageal sphincter being removed as part of the surgery. Mine started 12 months post surgery - apparently proton pumps in the remaining gastric tissue often don’t produce acid for a time after the procedure Many patients including myself need to take ppi’s at high doses for the rest of their lives. Problems with absorption of vit B12, calcium and magnesium can result - all are available in injectable preparations. Best wishes for a full recovery for your husband. Geoff
Thank you Geoff, yes we are organising for him to have more regular blood tests and regular B12 injections when required. He takes 40 gms of omeprazole (PPI) daily…may have to revise this 🙂
Deb