Progressing Weakness due to getting lots of Blood Drawn (I think)
 

Hi NeuroTalkers,

I hope all of you are doing well today. This is my second set of posts. I went to a new Neurologist yesterday and rheumatologist the day before - (I tried posting a link to my previous thread, but it wouldn't allow me because I don't have 10 or more posts yet) - but if you click on my name, you can see my earlier post - I posted it in 2 forums.

I was told that I likely won't have a condition that is out there... so no MG or CIDP or anything like that, maybe some variant? I know my Neurologist brought up multifocal motor neuropathy which I had never heard before. They're trying to decide if my condition is inflammatory or autoimmune response so they can figure out whether to treat me with IVIg or Steroids.

My question today is, I have had progressive muscle weakness. On Monday I had 10 vials of Blood drawn and on Tuesday I had 14 vials of blood drawn and since then I am so weak I can barely function, I thought I would wake up today feeling stronger and I don't, my legs are so weak.

Has anyone had this experience and do you know if this is something that will take my body a long time to bounce back from or do you know if I will progressively get weak from? My Neurologist treats outpatient so I am hesitant to go inpatient for treatment, also I live in NYC, so hospitals have not been willing at this point to treat me in patient.

I am going today for pulmonary lung function tests to determine whether I need to get a Phrenic Nerve test and I'm just worried about my energy level. I suppose I'm looking for someone who can relate.

If you can relate or have any thoughts, will you let me know? I would love to hear from you.

I wish everyone in NeuroTalk all the best.

The average blood draw vial is about 10ml each. Some vials are smaller, some a bit larger.

When a person donates blood, they typically take a pint (480ml).
So when you give 10 vials you are giving about 100ml.

So an estimate for you 24 vials is 240ml or 1/2 pint.

People who are anemic might feel 240ml.
Blood volume in the body varies from big people 5+ liters (5000ml) to smaller people 3500 ml.

I would assume you have had blood work before, so was anemia one factor in the results?

I'd report your reaction to your doctor, as it might aid in your diagnosis.

If your ferritin levels are low, you might take time to rebuild the lost iron. But wait until you get your results before you ask for any supplement.

When you give blood you lose other things like the carrier proteins that carry stuff around. It can take time for your body to replenish those. Hormones and drugs are carried by these proteins.
This is a power point that lists what these proteins do:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...0AsK4rBz33DNJg

You need to stay hydrated, and eat well, after giving alot of blood.

Hi, Something I found really REALLY surprising when I had tetanus, before I knew I had it, was weakness. One day I could move a chair on my deck, the next it was as if the chair had suddenly become 10 times heavier. I thought my kitty had gained weight when it was hard to lift her.

In fact the problem was my nerves, though what I experienced made it feel as if the problem was my muscles.

If you have symptoms of low vitamin B12 you may want to create a Time Line of your symptoms and start using sublingual methylcoblamin, recording how you feel each day, along with the amount of B12 you use.

For me, when I used B12 in a rather intense way, nerve damage that doctors had told me was permanent... went away. Well, the pain went away. I'm not totally healthy.

But, the sooner you replace B12 if you are low, the more recovery you can experience.

Karen