Re: ****HELP****...( Some Procrit Advice)

[Guest guest]

My dear Fibroidal Friend:

Try to hang in there!

Don't throw in the towel just yet!

This topic about PROCRIT has come up several times before.

But, let me reiterate.... ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING.....

PROCRIT IS *NOT* APPROPRIATE for the treatment of IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA!!!!

So, to you-- and to ALL Fibroidal heavy bleeders, REMEMBER: just say " NO " to

Procrit!-- if you're already low on iron.

I'll tell you why.

Procrit is very expensive--but that doesn't happen to be the reason you

iron-deficient women should avoid taking it!!

Procrit requires HUGE AMOUNTS of iron

(that is, EXTRA IRON) because, yes, it increases production of

red blood cells but it quickly DEPLETES YOUR IRON STORES!!

That's why you quickly found yourself in an even MORE dangerously deficient

iron state

by taking Procrit.

----------------------------------------------------------

To give you a less-than-perfect comparison of what happens when an

iron-deficient patient like you takes Procrit:

OK....... Suppose one day you couldn't drive to work because you had no gas

in your car. Your gas gauge was on empty.

Well, imagine someone came along and thought they could solve your

" transportation problem " by giving you 25 shiny new cars. GREAT!!!!

Oh, but one little itty bitty problem--all of those new cars of yours can't

run, can't get you to work, or do anything...You can't even run the

air-conditioning,in any of them...... because none of the new cars has gas.

Would having those 25 shiny new cars in your possession solve your

transportation problem?

No! ON THE CONTRARY!!! It would only increase your NEED for GAS--you've gone

from needing to fill up one car's gas tank to now needing to fill up a whole

lot-full (26) cars' gas tanks!!!

Well, that's kinda how it works with Procrit. Procrit causes your marrow to

produce many more red blood cells ( " i.e., shiny new cars) but without providing

the necessary extra iron (i.e., gas to make the cars run).

Without iron, you just won't have adequate hemoglobin. Red cells exist for

the sole purpose of transporting hemoglobin. Think of all your newly

manufactured red blood cells as being fuel-starved " vehicles. "

Once you began Procrit, your " fuel " requirement went WAY UP because your

marrow (much like an automobile factory, in my silly example )started producing

more RBC's.

Not only was your doctor's treatment an exercise in futility, but it was

totally COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, and as you experienced, Procrit can make a bad

problem

worse.

A cautionary tale for all of us.

Furthermore, it should be noted that Procrit is NOT without side

effects--even for those who are appropriately prescribed Procrit.

This is NOT OPINION--this information on needing lots of EXTRA iron while

taking PRocrit is clearly stated on the Procrit package insert

(i.e., that Procrit REQUIRES ***INCREASED IRON SUPPLEMENTATION*** )

So any doctor who prescribes Procrit for IRON DEFICIENCY is either negligent

or ignorant-- or, like Rumsfeld with newspapers, simply chooses NOT to

read

the information!

Anemia is SERIOUS.

Do consider finding a competent specialist--a HEMATOLOGIST-- not your

Gyn-ILLOGICAL specialist--to treat your iron deficiency anemia...STAT!!!!

ALSO- Consider the possibility of IV iron and iron injections, with this NEW

DOCTOR.... as well as transfusion.

Best wishes to you in getting your counts up!

-Roma

message dated 6/11/2004 6:07:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sljcsu@...

writes:

Hey girls,

I was scheduled for a myo on 5/19 & 6/9 & now 6/30....My blood is low..so its

taking some time to get that up..I did go on the procrit with my blood level

at 8.5..after getting poked for 3 weeks with that procrit...my blood level did

not go up, it went down to 7.4...I am so frustrated and Im really getting

tired of getting poked and prodded...Does it really take all of this to get

these

blood sucking fibroids out of me???????????!!!!!!!!

Now, I have to get a blood transfusion..in which I was told would be the last

option & I have to take iron pills...Im really thinking to myself.. If I

managed to take the pain from age 12-29 with these fibroids...Im wondering if I

would be able to take the pain a few more years before menapause!!! I am really

ready to say the hell with these fibroids LEAVE THEM IN!!!!!!!

*******HELP*******