2 teaspoons/day (1 tsp = 5ml) is a good dose for ages about 2-4 (see suggested dosage below).
The table below is a estimated dosage guide which can be modified to suit individual cases. The suggestion that children under 6 months get the benefit of carao through their mother's milk is simply to avoid giving a such a young baby ANY other food except mother's milk. However, I believe that Dr. Attahiru Sokoto in Nigeria gives carao to newborns for sickle cell disease.
For children under 4 yrs, carao should always be given with milk or formula, since the strong taste is likely to be a turnoff for the very young. Children 4 and up who like the taste of carao can try it plain.
ages 0-6 months: nursing mother should take carao at 4 tsp/day
ages 6 months-1 year: 1 tsp
ages 2-4: 2 tsp
ages 3-5: 2-3 tsp
ages 6+ 4 tsp
Andy,
What i don't get is that while her hb was normal,why was she feeling so tired and down in the last week,and she was looking so pale that i was assuming that her hb must be low,
Zaini.
Zaini,
And this brings up a question for thals. Can you tell when hemolysis is taking place? Is there something inside that you can feel?
Zaini,
What you describe has also occurred with my son on couple of occassions. He says that he cannot express what is going on, and he also seems to be out of breath. His doctor however says that his lungs are perfectly clear, his O2 is 100%, and his lung capacity is not only normal but it is above average. I am also confused by this and it also scared me. He described this feeling last week when his hg was 10.4. Maybe as Andy says the kids are experiencing the symptoms of hemolysis - and maybe the feel it more as they get closer to a hemoglobin of 10.
Have other thals ever noticed this?
Sharmin
.. and i donno how to explain it... sometimes i ask if its in my mind? to imagine that since its near to my transfusion my hb must be this low
Andy,
Can some of the symptoms that Zaini, Maako and I describe during the last week before tx be related to hypoxia and an increased volume of blood flow during the last week due to the bodies response to low hg (the body produces large volumes of blood in response to the low hg level) causing pulmonary hypertension? This really makes me want to keep my son's hg above 95 at all times!
Sharmin
f bi monthly was such a beneficial thing, then why would world wide doctors prescribe it monthly or when the body needs, there has to be a catch to it or else all the kids would have gone thru bi monthly.
Doctor at the hospital once told me that if you transfuse a patient with hb of above 10,it puts pressure on heart which is not good,i don't know if it's entirely true,just sharing it.
Also one time I came across a mother who said that the blood transfusion has to be done very slowly over a period of 6 hours or more, cos according to her the faster you give (in govt hospitals they are short of resourcres as in beds) the faster the hb comes down. Meaning if the transfusion has been given over a peiod of 4 to 6 hrs the next required blood transfusion requirement will be over a month and if it is faster then her daughter needed transfusion with in 21 days.
And the head nurse told me that a bag of blood should be transfused with in 2 hours,or bacterias get developed in the blood,is that correct?
I think that this is true, because you are causing less damage to the red blood cells when you infuse them slower. Also, it is much easier on the body because you are increasing the volume slower. It is also good for people who have antibodies, slow rate, small transfusions.
Hey guys,
My son's doctor has asked me whether we should begin doing bi weekly transfusions (smaller transfusions, slower rate) or whether we should continue with the monthly ones. This time he received a full transfusion (on Monday it will be 2 weeks) - so hopefully he will go another couple of weeks. After that I am considering the biweekly schedule. Do you guys think that it is a good idea?
| Case Frequency of trans. units per trans. times of transf. per year units per year iron load per year A be-weekly 1 26 26 5200-5850 B three-weekly 2 17,33 34,33 6032-7798,5 C monthly 3 13 39 7800-8775 |
Gabri,
Thank you kindly:):)
Sharmin
It looks so simple this way but if this should be decreasing iron overload why it is left to patients to decide on their own? i think i have lots of questions but can not put them in words but i have one which is the rate of hemolysis, does it differ in a child than an adult, meaning that after two weeks is one unit suitable for an adult as well as for child
manal
Hi Lloyd,
My son is doing very well, i have no need to visit the hospital since after starting again on carao. His blood level is ok, there is less infection and crisis.
Thanks very much, if you can still help me get in contact with the woman whom i can use her credit card to order for more because i need to have carao always with me.
Best regards
Uche
Dear Lloyd and everybody
I am extremely soooooooooo happy,i did a CBC today and for the first time since my son was diagnoised his Hb is 7.2 I know some of you may think this is too low but for me i never saw this reading before
Lloyd,
HB for January 7.2
MCV 53.4
bilirubin (total) 2
Retix count 6.4% ( i really don't understand this at all because when HB increase this count should decrease but with me it goes the opposite.....any explaination)
The only thing i am giving Ahmad beside the carao for the last 3 month was an extenssive course of supplements ( all what he was having deficiency in including zinc, vitamin A, gluthathione.... and others)
Lloyd
As for me, my HB increased from 10.9 to 11.3 and i feel good
Please feel free to ask any thing
manal
There are many factors that are affecting his hg right now - such as the antibodies, therefore I cannot give you a conclusive answer about whether or not carao is affecting his hg levels. I do however believe that from the time that I started using carao and bcomplex his energy levels and general mood have changed 110%.
After his ritixumab treatment this summer he was easily tired, irritable, quiet, easily out of breath and he did not look well. Since I began carao and bcomplex he is a completely different child - happy, energetic, not easily out of breath, and I can barely keep up with him.
" OMG !! why would nana do that to me " ?:rotfl
You will be happy to know that my HB today is........ 12 in such a short timeI'm real happy for you, Manal! You're thal minor, right? What was the total time you used carao?
manal
2. Date when carao is begun - October 28, 2008
3. Dose given - 2 table spoons, my spoon is 10 ml
4. Age and diagnosis of patient - 35, thalassemia minor
5. Average hb before carao was begun on October 4: - HB is 10.9 - MCV 62 - WBCs count 3.200 - platlets 365,000
6. Whether or not any other treatmen were started during the period that carao was given - : just a mutli vitamin centrum silver but not on regular basis sometimes i take apeppetite supression medication cause i am working on decreasing my weight
Hi Kitkat,
Wheatgrass tablets come in varying sizes, but are usually medium to large tabs. An alternative is the wheatgrass supsershots liquid. It's a little pricier than wheatgrass tabs but easy to take. http://www.drwheatgrass.com/