I have high iron and my doctor wants me to give blood to lower it. However, I've read that higher iron can hold of Babesia. Is this true? Will lowering iron make my babesia flare? Up till now, my babs symptoms have been easy to control - I'm afraid that might change? Any ideas?
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
You can't give blood with babesia. You can have blood taken out, but it's not usable. Babesia is on the list of illnesses that can never give blood.
I am anemic, unrelated to Lyme, and I had terrible babesia, it was one of my worst infections.
Posted by dan67 (Member # 20344) on :
Six: yes, I mis-spoke. I would never donate blood, you'd have to be a devil to do that with this disease. I meant doing phlebotomies. I go to the lab, they take blood, toss it in the trash.
So, your experience with anemia perhaps confirms that low iron may make babs worse. So I'm not sure what to do - dump some of this iron, or wait? Maybe I'll do it, but go slow.
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
Artemisinin may remove the iron from the biofilm. Dr. K. talks quite a bit about this. I would not give blood!!! Google.
If you were actually lacking it at some point, that is not a good thing. My husband needed several blood infusions and that was a very very tough decision and it did not save his life. He had Babesia without any of the symptoms that we know about.
Posted by Lauralyme (Member # 15021) on :
Iron feeds Babesia, is what my LLMD told me
Posted by sickmate (Member # 31502) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lauralyme: Iron feeds Babesia, is what my LLMD told me
True. It also feeds cpn and other bacteria.
Posted by nonna05 (Member # 33557) on :
so taking Immuplex for Immune or eating liver for same ,can actually increase Babs symptoms???
What is cpn?
We just had a post about eating liver from someone . That it helped ,or,they thought so..
Someone else mentioned Immuplex to get organ benifits ...
Can nothing be simple with this Buggy-Bug??//
Posted by sickmate (Member # 31502) on :
Cpn is chlamydia pneumonia
Posted by nonna05 (Member # 33557) on :
Couldn't wake up yesterday and haven't been to sleep yet today ...go figure...
Any way Chlamydia pneumonia ,is that like a yeast thing or something else??
Does it come and go like some of the other thing's?????
Still wonder about Iron// Immuplex//Eating liver Posted by nonna05 (Member # 33557) on :
up
Posted by manybites (Member # 33750) on :
I had babesia and I was anemic and IRON levels were low.Each time in my lifetime when I had low RBC I was very sick .I know you are not suposed to give blood with babesia . WHen I had the car accident BABESIA EXSPLODED and I was forced to take BLOOD as my RBC were so low they never saw a person survive with those levels at the unit in hospital.I survived and THE BLOOD I TOOK -2 bags helped in 24 hrs to increased my RBC and some other things they were checking.I knew I have had babesia as I WAS SEVERELY VOMITING , SWEATING AND HAD STRONG CHILLS while they told me we do not find babesia in their lab .BUt my eusinophils were high that showed that based on Dr JS in FL this is babesia strain that I HAVE HAD it since in EUROPE when I have the same eusinophils and was assymotmatic as I used to take BACTRIM every time I would get sick.SO without knowing it I was killing it while had a fever. In my country MALARIA is a well respected dieaseae and is known in certain areas and they know it and help people with cronic infections ( we call it malaria ) with blood transfusion.THE GOVERMENT treats them .BUT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED to give blood and I knew it as it can be transmited. Low iron is true showes some activity of babesia. I have had the proof of LOW IRON , LOW RBC ,fever with chills , cold hands and feet , vomiting necl pain , sweats , fatigue , headaches and blood transfusion that THANK GOOD STICKED in me and I am alive.This is what has happened to me in 20 years and I never knew what it was. BArtonella was not active and while bartonella was activated and reinfected with fry bug and another strain of bartonella this OPENED THE DOOR for babesia and LYME to become activated .BEfore ONLY with babs activated and assymtomatic while bart was not in the picture so was not lyme I HAVE HAD THE SYMTOMS ABOVE .
I was fully energetic ATLETIC runner BEFORE BABESIA .MY RBC WERE VERY HIGH AS A YOUNG KID.Since my infection 20 years ago the list went on and on till I got the blood transfusion. NOW THAT YOU KNOW keep treating it till YOU KILL IT as it can come back in CAR ACCIDENT as it did in me.Dr JS wrote the book about it.Patient with BABS if they have car accident THEY SHOULD SEE if BABESIA IS EXSPLODED if they get sick.
Posted by terv (Member # 29410) on :
When you say you have "high iron", what numbers are high?
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
Do you have a diagnosis of Hemochromatosis? If so, you will need to get your iron levels down so as not to develop organ damage.
My recollection is that iron feeds babesia.
Terry I'm not a doctor
[ 02-07-2012, 08:45 PM: Message edited by: TerryK ]
Posted by dan67 (Member # 20344) on :
Serum Iron: 128 Serum Ferritin: 314 Iron Saturation: 46% TIBC: 276 UIBC: 148 Hematocrit: 48.3
Posted by terv (Member # 29410) on :
Is your Hgb about 16.1? If so have you ever been tested for Polycythemia Vera? Was this a one time test result and do you live in a high altitude? Were you dehydrated?
Your TIBC is high so that is good. Was this test a fasting early morning test? Serum Iron rises very easily due to the food we eat before the test or even the night before. I finally got mine down by not drinking a beer the night before.
How do you feel? Could you tolerate losing a pint of blood?
As you probably know ferritin can increase with inflamation. There was an interesting thread on my iron list on how to determine whether ferritin is caused by inflamation or high iron stores. I cut and paste it below (start at the bottom):
Hi sherry, There's no one simple answer to your question. However, there are some clues as to the cause of elevated serum ferritin (SF). Firstly, if the fasting TSat% is also elevated, HGB normal and TIBC is low then this in combination with high SF is an indicator of HH related high iron stores.
There are a number of tests that can indicate inflammation such as an elevated ESR and CRP. Many people with HH also have inflammation. Many others, non HH with inflammatory conditions suffer with high SF and low HGB in combination with a low TIBC. This is known as anaemia of chronic disease or chronic inflammation (ACD).
Does this help? Cheers, Marcia
SAmmecure wrote: There are other acute phase reactors such as Sed rate (ESR),CRP & ANA that are elevated with inflammation but not with excess iron.
If it is elevated due to inflammation you would definitely not want to have a phlebotomy, especially with a ferritin of only 280. If it were me I would hold off until you were sure anyway.
Sherry
In a message dated 1/31/2012 4:39:37 P.M. Central Standard Time,
How do you know if your serum ferritin is elevated due to excess iron vs due to inflammation? I'm recently diagnosed HH with the H36D gene and serum ferritin of 280ish.
I also have a diagnosis of an auto-immune disorder that generally causes inflammation around the joints.
So how would I know the cause of my elevated serum ferritin? And would knowing the cause change the treatment plan?
Sherry F
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
Nonna:
CPN is another bacterial infection that people can have. Many with lyme also have it.
Check out CPNhelp.org
Posted by BryanRosner1 (Member # 49076) on :
Bringing this topic back up. I have high iron and am considering doing phlebotomies to lower it. While VERY LOW iron may activate babesia, high iron is also very dangerous and feeds infections.
Posted by terv (Member # 29410) on :
Do the phlebotomies. High ferritin/TSAT% is so dangerous as it sounds you know.
I just had to do one. I have to keep my ferritin below 50 or my TSAT% goes way up. In this case it was up to 90%. I just envision all this unbound iron flying around my body damaging organs, feeding bacteria etc.
When my LLMD saw my low ferritin he ordered iron infusions. He didn't know I had hemochromatosis. I quickly informed him.
Posted by BryanRosner1 (Member # 49076) on :
terv, my ferritin is high but my trasnferrin saturation is only 15%. what the heck does that mean.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)