Columbus Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
tammiRN
My OB didn't want me transfused b/c she said "I was young and could rebound easier and she'd like to avoid transfusing."
I just can't believe how much blood I lost...and I did stay in pp recovery for 6 days. They never did re-check my H&H levels either. I can tell you I would have felt a lot better sooner if they had transfused me...I ended up with an infection in my incision, mastitis, thrush, and I lost 50 lbs in the course of 2-3 weeks, but I also wouldn't have been able to be a donor milk mom which would have sucked.
I can tell you I couldn't even walk a month after the delivery for more than a few minutes!
My delivery was so emergency I would have had to have had blood from the general blood donor pool. I am O- and family could have given me blood if we had known ahead of time...I woudl have rathered that. The general blood donor pool, while safe, still makes me slightly uneasy.
Do you think I should push for a re-check? Even now, 12 months later? I was also *severly* anemic both during and after the delivery.
I just can't believe how much blood I lost...and I did stay in pp recovery for 6 days. They never did re-check my H&H levels either. I can tell you I would have felt a lot better sooner if they had transfused me...I ended up with an infection in my incision, mastitis, thrush, and I lost 50 lbs in the course of 2-3 weeks, but I also wouldn't have been able to be a donor milk mom which would have sucked.
I can tell you I couldn't even walk a month after the delivery for more than a few minutes!
My delivery was so emergency I would have had to have had blood from the general blood donor pool. I am O- and family could have given me blood if we had known ahead of time...I woudl have rathered that. The general blood donor pool, while safe, still makes me slightly uneasy.
Do you think I should push for a re-check? Even now, 12 months later? I was also *severly* anemic both during and after the delivery.
Re: tammiRN
They certainly should have rechecked you, and it might not be a bad idea to be checked now. It just amazes me that they never rechecked your levels, even when you would have gone for pp checkup. It does make a huge difference when we transfuse, patients feel much better. I can understand being uneasy about the general supply.
We transfuse because you won't heal as well because you're not carrying enough oxygen to tissues, you're not as able to carry nutrients to tissues, all those good physiological things that you want a healing body to be able to do. And needless to say, you know how it affects your ability to just function at all.
Even though I was a vag delivery with usual blood loss, I was checked both the day after delivery and the morning I was discharged even though the first Hgb was 11 ( I usually run around 14, even pg). Our standard is to check at least the morning after delivery, if it is less than 9 to repeat the next day.
Also, my FP checked my labs during my yearly well visit a few months after delivery, just because he could.
I'd be curious to know just how low they would let you go before you absolutely would have been transfused.
I know my first H&H was 6, then 5.8, then 6, then 6.2 and I was discharged.
I am going to request that they check it when I am in next.
It very much affected my recovery, and I was EXTREMELY weak.
Looking at your numbers and "hearing" that you were symptomatic (dizzy, lightheaded, weak, prolonged recovery), it should not have been rocket science to offer you the transfusion (we do allow people to refuse).
Even though your numbers went up slightly, you were still at a dangerously low level. That is not considered trending up by our standards. Plus, you had a greater than 2 gram loss (probably within about 5 minutes of hemorrhaging), which can make you feel weak even if you are at a number close to normal. I would venture to guess that you are still at least a little anemic. Had I been your nurse, I'd have been up the docs butt to get you at least the offer. I don't care how "young" a person is - we have transfused 18 year olds with higher numbers than that because they were symptomatic.
I'd also be curious to hear why your OB didn't trend your Hgb when you continued to have problems as an outpatient-it is a simple and very inexpensive test to do in comparison to treating what happens. There is a lot to be said for prevention.
My OB had her third child about 6 weeks after my boys were born so I think that might also be why I fell through the cracks.
Thanks for the comment on my new pic!
I will be sure to ask about the testing. Also, I know nursing takes a ton out of me as well...I KNOW my body isn't still *right* KWIM? Especially after the delivery, my immune system was SHOT. I had mastitis, infections in the incision, thrush, I developed athlete's foot of all things, a urinary infection, AND I was sick. My levels being that low were KILLER on my body. David used to have to wheel me in a wheelchair to the NICU.
And the nurses on PP told me 2700ccs is a LOT to lose. I was also on the silatted PUMP which they had to dig out of a closet b/c the surgery was so bad.
I honestly am scarred from the whole experience emotionally, and I am sure physically as well. I try to remind myself that I should be thankful we are all OK but sometimes I wonder if there isn't a little bit of PTSD going on. Especially as their 1 year birthday is coming this week I have been revisiting the emotions a lot.