Discussion Forums > Thalassemia Major

First Transfusion

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Lisacroft:
Andy,
   I know he had the mutation test. He is adopted so therefore, we don't know anything about his parents. I know his mother must have had only the trait, because I never knew her to have any transfusions. Although, I don't "really" know her either. I never knew his father.  They are doing another mutation test to see if they missed anything... we won't know anything until August.

Lisacroft:
Andy,
    Hello, my little boy is now 16 months old. I took him to the doctor on Thursday because he kept pulling at his ear. I thought it was probably an ear infection... well I was right, it was an ear infection. While we were there I had them take his blood for a CBC just in case and it came back as 8.7 hb. That is the lowest, it has ever been. I am really worried now that it has begun to drop. He has had ear infections in the past and it never got down this low. I go back on Thursday to have it re-checked and to have a retic test done. Please pray for him. I really hope that it is just down due to the infection. How low should I allow it to get before we start transfusions, and for how long?

Lisa

Andy Battaglia:
Hi Lisa,

Don't worry too much, as it probably is the infection that caused the drop in Hb. Be patient and see if his Hb rebounds once he is well. It may take a few weeks to rebound.

Lisacroft:
Thank you Andy... I really do try not to worry, but I am new to the whole Thalassemia thing and a little freaked out by the whole thing. I have read that my son can have a normal life, however, I have also read a lot of horror stories. I just want to make sure that I am doing everything that I should to keep my little man as healthy as he can possibly be. He is my WORLD. We go his Retic test back and it was 3. I'm not sure if that is good or bad for him. Also, the nurse at one of the care centers that we go to asked about folic acid since his Hgb is at 8.8. His specialist has never mentioned folic acid to me. Is this something that he should be taking? Again, Andy thank you so much for all your help.

Andy Battaglia:
Yes, folate helps build red blood cells and platelets and is recommended for thals. The best form is L-methylfolate.

The retic count will be higher than normal in thals, as the bone marrow is more active, and more red blood cells are produced when the Hb is lower than normal. The count will rise as Hb drops.

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