Abnormal clotting during phlebotomy
Posted , 3 users are following.
Every phlebotomy i do i clot multiple needles and iv bags before they can get things started and then it takes over two plus hours to get 70% to 75% of whats needed out of me.
My oxygen saturation seems to have a habit of staying in the low 90's some days for some reason yet to be understood.
I had AML in my younger days and do so some odd blood test results all the time.
I was supose to be tested for clotting factors but it turns out due to a lab error i was only tested for the jak2 ones.
I had three surgeries and clotted during two and the only reason i didn't clot on the last one was due to be given blood thinners.
I am no doctor but i am getting a little concerned here that something not adding up here.
I Am certain that going up the stairs to my bedroom isn't suppose to feel like i am climbing mount Everest without oxygen.
Thoughts?
High: blood tests.
Polychromasia Slight
IRF 17.9 % 2.3 - 13.4 H
MCH 35.5 pg 27.0 - 32.0 H
MCHC 362 g/L 320 - 360 H
MCV 98.0 fL 82.0 - 97.0 H
RET-He 37.4 E9/L 29.3 - 35.8 H
Iron Total 39 umol/L 9 - 32 H
Saturation 0.63 0.20 - 0.50 H
Vitamin B12 Level >1107 pmol/L A (B12 since been corrected with diet change and adding a supplement)
0 likes, 10 replies
sheryl37154 eric06641
Posted
It makes a simple procedure so tiresome, doesn't it, no matter how motivated you are. I had the same problem for years with clotting but I did not have AML. My MCV was always =>100.
When my blood was clotting, they would try a butterfly tap and insert a saline syringe to flood the tube to get it flowing again.
With no help from haemotologist who blamed it on the phlebotomists, I decided to try 100mg aspirin daily. It worked quite well for a long time but now my veins go on strike - different problem. Your problem may be too complex for this simple cure. Vit K provides clotting action, and I eat vegetables that contain Vit K. They are nutritious foods so I do not want to not eat them.
I now have a Vit B12 injection to increase blood volume even though my B12 is within the accepted range, in the morning or the day before my vx. Sometimes it works, but I am finding that the phlebotomists do have difficulty finding a new vein to attack without the use of a portable U/S machine.
I hope you can find an answer to your problem, because I know how much it makes the procedure difficult.
eric06641 sheryl37154
Posted
Irony here is i am already on the Aspirin.
Have been since the first clot during surgery caused a pulmonary embolism which lead to nine months of blood thinners..i don't recommend lol.
Either i am clotting really fast or my blood thicker then normal and the question is which.
Its certainly not the phlebotomists as i had them all and its something of a running joke when i show up.
sheryl37154 eric06641
Posted
Yes, I was not sure if you continued with the aspirin. I reckon the phlebotomists draw straws when I turn up too.
I think my blood turned from black to red after my ferritin went into the 20s. That was also when my TS% came down to normal range, and my MCV into normal range.
Have you still got a high TS%?
eric06641 sheryl37154
Posted
Still on the aspirin to this day.
As for the ts% it hovers around 65 to 75 Percent .
My Mcv and Mch are always above normal although its not my a lot just never in normal ranges.
sheryl37154 eric06641
Posted
Unless you can find a medical cause for your thick blood, you might have to wear it until your ferritin and TS% come right down. In the meantime, ask the phlebotomists to try the saline wash on you using a butterfly junction.
I could not find a medical cause so if you do, please let me know.
eric06641 sheryl37154
Posted
Problem is i had a low TS% when i was doing blood draws ever two weeks to get it low.
It made no difference at all which is rather crazy.
I gather there three likely possibilities talking to my neurologist.
Low B12 which can cause immature red blood cells except my B12 is normal.
Macrocytic Anemia due to the bone marrow producing immature cells
Last would be cancer of the chronic type.
They do know iam making immature red blood cells as they shown up in blood tests but got written off as low B12.
Doctors are human sadly and they sometimes miss the obvious or making incorrect guess.
I had mri tech reference a mri in 2016 which didn't exist and in fact i never had any mri that year. lol
sheryl37154 eric06641
Posted
Try the B12 injections, they work better for me. They are an enzyme. My B12 is actually in the normal range before I tried the injections, but because my husband had such a fantastic result from the injections a couple of years post Hodgkins Disease treatment, I decided to try them too. B12 tablets don't work for my husband, and he likes his red meat which is a food source of B12. Deficient B12 was giving him severe neurological problems which dr tried to treat with depression medication for a couple of awful years.
Blood clotting problems were not evident as when he was de-ironed as a homozygous H63D, he no longer loaded iron (I think the treatment for HL had something to do with it too.)
The other possibilities suggested to you don't sound very nice.
Only radiologist drs. are allowed to report on MRIs, scans, CTs etc. in Australia. I talked to an radiologist tech who was from the UK who was disappointed that she was not allowed to do reports in Australia.
eric06641 sheryl37154
Posted
Ironically iam also H63D what are the odds lol
Yeah they don't sound great and i already had the leukemia that one of those leads to if left untreated so not a fun thought.
Also i had a normal hematologist at one point but was transferred to hematologist/oncologist so its not hard to figure out what they are worried about.
That's life for you rarely fair but you take the hits and keep moving forward. 😃
sheryl37154 eric06641
Posted
Our hematologist is also an oncologist - I think it is fairly normal for them to be both here. But I can understand your concern regarding your transfer. At least it means you are getting specialist help.
My husband's HL was simple to diagnose. He developed a lump under his ear on his neck. I had read what that means - so straight to the dr. His bloods were not positive but the gp knew it would be HL and immediate referral to the oncologist who was also our haemotologist. It was all confirmed within days even though it was xmas/new year period. Then the chemo treatment was immediately arranged. No mucking around.
I was sitting next to a 16 year old girl who had also had HL. Her lump was near her clavical on her chest. They do not remove the lump but they take a biopsy to determine positivity. My husband also had a biopsy of his bone marrow.
Just letting you know what the process of diagnosis was. Check all your lymph glands for swelling. Someone should have already done this along the way.
Usually a CRP test will indicate if you have some chronic malignancy.If that is negative, it is best to think more positively. Recently I was told it is best to water up the day before the vx. Sorry, but mine would all be in the toilet the day before too.
eric06641 sheryl37154
Posted
Those biopsy of the bone marrow are fun 😦
No CRP test surprisingly when i checked my records although there was as abnormal AFP test.
Have to see my Gp tom so it should be interesting.