Why am I frustrated? I’m over being anemic. I’m getting shortness of breath(SOB), chest pain, tachycardia(elevated heart rate), hot flashes and dizzy/feeling light headed. I. Am. So. Over. It.
I went and saw my PCP today because yesterday I had tachycardia(M checked it and it was 130 beats per minute(BPM)), I was light headed and was feeling really warm just walking around. I knew I wasn’t feeling right and they were able to get me in today. So they ran some labs, took a chest xray and did a 12-Lead ECG(aka EKG) on me. All of which came back normal except I had a slightly elevated WBC count. Which I figured I already had because I have active inflammation in my colon. I’m also getting an inhaler. Who knows how much that will help though because when I get SOB I’m not wheezing.
I just read about Albuterol and apparently it does treat SOB and chest tightness. Hopefully whatever I get helps. Unless I randomly developed asthma at 25? My younger brother has it so I guess it’s a possibility. Although all of those symptoms could be related to the iron deficiency anemia. It just sucks because I just want to be better already.
I’m supposed to be a 25 yr old happy person in my prime but I feel like my IBD is robbing me of my health and my life at times. I just want to be better. I haven’t ever been so sick in my entire life. The last 6 or 7 months have been the worst between being hospitalized, multiple colonoscopies, allergic reactions to medications and now I’m dealing with anemia on top of everything else.
Sorry things are so rough–I know the feeling.
I’ve had asthma since I was a kid, but it gets worse when I’m anemic. I assume that’s because red blood cells transport oxygen, so anemia decreases oxygen. (I’m just guessing here, based on half-remembered biology classes from 12 or 13 years ago.) Also, if it’s hot and humid where you live, that can exacerbate it too. (I forget where you live, so that may not apply.)
But albuterol does help with the shortness of breath and the tight chest, not just wheezing. I don’t have any major side effects from it, just some shakiness after I use it. I hope it helps, and I hope soon you’ll be able to feel more healthy and less like your whole life is being uprooted by this disease. It’s a hard thing to deal with, I know.
Yeah, that is why you get SOB while anemic. I think iron also helps to produce red blood cells. And it does get pretty hot here in Southern Oregon. It was around 105 earlier this week. Thankfully the humidity is relatively low here.
I did get Albuterol. I get to take two puffs every four hours. I really hope it helps. I’m tired of feeling like I am. Thanks, Hope. I’m hoping for the same. I also hope that you’ll feel better soon also!
105? Geez! And I thought 92 was bad here in western Mass. I hope you have air conditioning!
I just have to say, every time I see SOB, I automatically read it as “son of a bitch,” which gives me a giggle because that’s pretty much my opinion of anemia, at this point.
I do have AC!
Lol, that’s pretty funny. And I share your opinion of anemia. It’s terrible.
Once you find the right treatment it does get better! I had all those exact same symptoms last fall and no one understood the amount of pain I was in but once I changed medications and started to manage my stress better they went away!
We’re having trouble finding the right treatment for me. I’ve had a couple of bad reactions to some medications. I start Humira on Monday so hopefully that will help and I don’t have a bad reaction to it. I wish I could make it to the gym to help manage my stress but I don’t have the energy for that right now. It’s really frustrating.