Bruised Ribs and Having Anemia!

I've been anemic most of my life. In my case, I have too much iron (almost to the point of toxic)...it is an absorbancy issue and I am on liquid B-12.

At times, especially during pregnancy, I had B-12 injections regularly.

I bruise if you look at me....that part is not fun because I'm always walking around with some bruise.

I realize you went to the ER. It is important to follow up with your regular Dr who knows you to get more test and be monitored closely. I routinely have complete blood counts and I also go to Medical City to the Cancer center to be monitored there as well. The blood Dr's are supposedly very good so I go see them. At one point it was thought that I had leukemia but thankfully that was not the case. My body does not absorb nutrients the way it is supposed to.

I don't know anything related to gastric bypass as the only time I have weighed over 116 was when I was pregnant and I think I was a whopping 135 at that time.

Good luck..

If you are anemic (iron deficient) - you can also be B12 deficient, which is called pernicous anemia. You will need to take supplemental iron. Given your surgery, likely your ability to absorb nutrients has been impacted, so this may well be a lifelong thing for you. You should talk to your doctor or nutritionist about getting on a high quality nutritional supplement.

And, if you have been anemic for a while, you should be screened for celiac disease/gluten intolerance as anemia is a hallmark symptom. As well, as the bruising, etc. - again, if you have this condition, you don't absorb nutrients due to the intestinal damage of the gluten protein and can have a myriad of systemic problems.

Also, they are finding that folks with celiac/gluten intolerance are often overweight as folks overeat because their bodies are craving the nutrients that they are not absorbing.
So, while it's too late for you to have avoided this surgery, doctors really should be screening for this prior to these surgeries - it is the most highly underdiagnosed genetic disorder in this country - 2+ million people have it and don't know it.

A bruised rib just literally means one of your ribs is bruised. It'll hurt while it's bruised but will heal in time. Lortab and Motrin are normal prescriptions for the pain that you may suffer while the rib heals. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle and only take them if you need them. Some people do have side effects from them so be sure to read the side effects if you are unaware of them and be sure to look for them carefully if you've never taken those drugs before. Anemia is a condition many women have. There are different types and you can ask if you have a particular type. Anemia is generally a condition many women have througout their life though there are things that may help the condition depending on what type you have. Many women have the iron deficiency anemia and this type just means that you perhaps lack sufficient iron in your diet which can be remedied by eating iron rich foods such as red meat like steak or green veggies like spinach. You can look online or look at packaging labels to see which foods have iron in them. Sometimes eating more iron rich foods can correct anemia or at least help it, however not always. It usually doesn't cause a problem and many women don't even know they're anemic. It means you probably won't be able to give blook any time soon, but other than that it shouldn't effect you on a daily basis. If you have further questions there's information online, in doctor's offices, and in books that you can read up on if you need further information. Good luck and hope you feel better!:)

I deal with anemia. I found a natural iron at the health food store that I really like. I agree with the mom who suggested following up with your doctor. They can test to see how anemic you are, and let you know how much iron you need. I learned that the iron that you can buy at the drug/grocery store is only actually about 65 mg of iron. The rest is other stuff. That Iron would make me sick, esp when pregnant. I have not had any problems on the iron that I bought at the health food store. Also, one mom mentioned that iron deficiency and B12 deficiency go hand in hand. I have heard and read that as well.