So now I see they found internal hemorrhoids during his colonoscopy, plus gastritis from the endoscopy. Everything else came back "clean"—meaning nothing malignant—but could this actually be the root cause of the anemia, or what?
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About 3 months ago, my father (87 years old)—who had been perfectly healthy until then—suddenly became weak, pale, and started getting fatigued incredibly fast. (He’s already become a regular here).
After a transfusion and two months on Ferrous sulfate 2 x350 mg, this is how his levels look:
In the meantime, he had an abdominal ultrasound, a gastroscopy, and a colonoscopy—all clear.
The blood work is improving, but honestly, it feels painfully slow. What's weird is that some parameters actually dipped after the first month of iron supplementation.
Looking at these results, can we pinpoint what kind of anemia we're dealing with? Is sticking to iron enough, or could this be a B12 deficiency? (I've read it's common for seniors to lack the "intrinsic factor" in the stomach needed to absorb B12, meaning they might need B12 via IV instead?)
After a transfusion and two months on Ferrous sulfate 2 x350 mg, this is how his levels look:
- Post-transfusion
- After one month of iron
- After two months of iron
In the meantime, he had an abdominal ultrasound, a gastroscopy, and a colonoscopy—all clear.
The blood work is improving, but honestly, it feels painfully slow. What's weird is that some parameters actually dipped after the first month of iron supplementation.
Looking at these results, can we pinpoint what kind of anemia we're dealing with? Is sticking to iron enough, or could this be a B12 deficiency? (I've read it's common for seniors to lack the "intrinsic factor" in the stomach needed to absorb B12, meaning they might need B12 via IV instead?)
My father (87 years old) has been perfectly healthy until a few months ago when he started feeling weak and looking pale. Here are his blood results:
RBC 3.72
Hgb 75
Hct 0.241
MCV 64.9
MCH 20.2
MCHC 311
RDW 17.3
plt 482
MPV 6.1
WBC 5.9
He was sent for an immediate transfusion—received two units (not sure what type)—and after a week, a follow-up test showed a slight improvement:
RBC 4.25
Hgb 89
Hct 0.300
MCV 71.1
MCH 21.0
MCHC 295
RDW 19.0
plt 413
MPV 6.7
WBC 6.7
He had an abdominal ultrasound (all clear) and has been scheduled for a gastroscopy and colonoscopy. His primary care physician prescribed iron supplements (Feosol 350mg twice daily).
He gets occasional low-grade fevers (around 98.6F) and doesn't seem to be feeling any better.
Can we determine the type of anemia from these numbers? Is taking iron the right move, or could this actually be a B12/folate deficiency?
Since his endoscopy/colonoscopy isn't scheduled for another two months, should he be doing other tests in the meantime? Which specialist should we see, especially since there hasn't been much improvement since starting the iron?
RBC 3.72
Hgb 75
Hct 0.241
MCV 64.9
MCH 20.2
MCHC 311
RDW 17.3
plt 482
MPV 6.1
WBC 5.9
He was sent for an immediate transfusion—received two units (not sure what type)—and after a week, a follow-up test showed a slight improvement:
RBC 4.25
Hgb 89
Hct 0.300
MCV 71.1
MCH 21.0
MCHC 295
RDW 19.0
plt 413
MPV 6.7
WBC 6.7
He had an abdominal ultrasound (all clear) and has been scheduled for a gastroscopy and colonoscopy. His primary care physician prescribed iron supplements (Feosol 350mg twice daily).
He gets occasional low-grade fevers (around 98.6F) and doesn't seem to be feeling any better.
Can we determine the type of anemia from these numbers? Is taking iron the right move, or could this actually be a B12/folate deficiency?
Since his endoscopy/colonoscopy isn't scheduled for another two months, should he be doing other tests in the meantime? Which specialist should we see, especially since there hasn't been much improvement since starting the iron?