Anemia

Hi

I am very concerned about my 18 year old grand daughter, last May she had an implant put in her arm to prevent her getting pregnant, however since this was at the insistance of her mother who is very self absorbed and lacks in emotional skills ( has never told any of the grandchildren they are loved by he and believs that material things are the only sign of love she offers ).

the Implant ahs caused my grand daughter to bleed ( Menstrally ) since the day it was inserted she was already anemic and this has got worse she requested it to be removed after three months but was told that it has to stay implanted for 12 months by the nurse at the clinic which I do not believe that her medical records were ever checked my gran daughte is also Asthmatic she consulted her GP and was given Iron tablets for a month this has had no affect and 15 months down the line she is still showing signs of severe anemia.

she also having problems gettin an appoinment with her GP to get a blood test and wants the implant removed so she can go on the pill my concern with this is there could be long term damage which would stop her from conceiving in later years regarding this problem her skin is almost transparent as she looks physically exhausted all the tim, please can anybod offer advice as since the breakdown of my sons 20 year relationship with the mother we are constantly worried about her and her sister who we believe may have Asperges syndrome.

Regards

Trina

[Obsdian]

That is not true that an implant has to stay in 12 momths. I have known several people with the same bleeding issue and they had their implants removed for that reason.

The implant won't cause long term fertility issues but it can take up to six months for your cycle to renormalize.

[Hidden in reply to Obsdian]

Thank you for confirming what I had already suspected [edited by admin to remove personal information]

[Obsdian in reply to Hidden]

You put a name in there which you might want to remove.

If you suspect domestic abuse going on anywhere it is your right to report it to the police.

[humanbean]

A nurse cannot insist that a contraceptive implant must stay for twelve months.

I'm only guessing but I wonder if she (the nurse) thinks she needs a doctor's permission before she can remove it.

was given Iron tablets for a month this has had no affect and 15 months down the line she is still showing signs of severe anemia.

Giving an anaemic person iron tablets for a month is pointless - it's a drop in the ocean. It often takes a long time for iron levels to rise because it is hard to absorb for many people. In my own case it took me nearly two years to raise my ferritin (iron stores) to the middle of the reference range. And then I took a lower dose for several years to maintain my ferritin at that point. Whenever I stopped taking iron my levels would drop like a stone.

One thing you might not be aware of is that iron supplements prescribed by doctors can be bought in UK pharmacies without a prescription.

This is one that many people tolerate moderately well :

expresschemist.co.uk/ferrou...

If you buy from your local pharmacy you should ask for :

Ferrous Fumarate 210mg Tablets packet of 84 tablets.

The brand may be different from the picture I've linked to above but as long as the contents are the same the brand doesn't matter.

This link gives you information about dosing, as suggested by the NHS :

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/ferro...

Initially 210 mg once daily, reduced if not tolerated to 210 mg once daily on alternate days, alternatively

It is a good idea to get iron levels tested before supplementing. Then re-test after 6 - 8 weeks. At that point you will then know how well the iron is being absorbed.

The best test I know of is this one :

medichecks.com/products/iro...

and there is a 10% discount code here :

thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

If you decide to go ahead and buy a test you should ask on the forum before carrying out the test how to get the most accurate result.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

I have messaged her and she has promised to see the doctor A S A P as both my husband and myself were very alarmed at how unwell and extremely tired she looked yesterday.