Sickle Cell Symptom #1- Anemia

Living with anemia has taught me a lot about pacing myself. Pacing myself means slowing down for the sake of my body.

For any Sickle Cell Warrior, Anemia is a lifelong symptom we have to live with. Living efficiently in a way that one is aware and conscious of their body. Many times, we are called lazy or unreliable because we are unable to do work that strains our bodies.

Personally, I would like to climb Mt Kilimanjaro before the year ends. This however may not be advisable the doctor says, because of my body's inability to carry enough oxygen throughout my body. And going to a place with very low oxygen levels, is really pushing my body and blood in ways that could cost me my life. So the doctor says. What exactly is Anemia?

Anemia is a condition in which one doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues. Having anemia may make you feel tired and weak.

And because I have Sickle Cell Disease, there is constant deformation of normal red blood cells to sickle red blood cells which then leas to rapid destruction of Sickle cells. Hence the name Sickle Cell Anemia

Anemia is lifelong, starting in the first year of life as the fetal hemoglobin level falls. The average red cell survival is reduced from a normal of 120 days down to an average of 10 to 20 days in sickle cell anemia. This produces anemia, a high reticulocyte (immature red blood cells) count, and a large reproduction of red cell precursors in the bone marrow to compensate for the destruction of red blood cells. Other problems related to the anemia are jaundice/yellowing of eyes and skin (elevated indirect bilirubin), changes in bone structure, and a high lactic dehydrogenase. In later childhood and early adult life, pigment gallstones are very common, related to increased breakown of hemoglobin. These cause cholecystitis (inflammation of gall bladder) in many individuals and removal is advocated by many as soon as stones are documented.

How do you know you have Sickle Cell Anemia?

·         Fatigue

·         Susceptibility to infection

·         Delayed growth and development in children

·         Episodes of severe pain, especially in the joints, abdomen, and limbs

·         Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)

·         Brown or red urine

·         Leg ulcers

·         Failure to thrive in infancy

·         Symptoms of gallstones

10003 Symptoms of Anemia

One thing to note is this, when one is Anemic, they have no sufficient oxygen circulation in the blood. Oxygen functions to sustain life and without it we are prone to many inadequacies due to a weakened the body.

The way the world treats Anemia is by using supplements that will lead to formation of new Red Blood Cells and Blood Transfusion of packed cells.

How i chose to bring balance to my body to avoid Anemia is through food. Food that build the Red Blood Cells and food that oxygenate the blood. You can learn more about this on an upcoming post that seek to enlighten on uses of food to manage Anemia.

Do you think I should still climb Mt Kilimanjaro?

Love Life!

Lea