IRON OVERLOAD DISEASE

SO YOU HAVE IRON OVERLOAD DISEASE?
(OLD NAME: HEMOCHROMATOSIS)
SO WHAT?


STEP ONE: Take a deep breath and don't panic.................

STEP TWO: PREPARE TO TAKE OVER YOUR OWN HEALTH CARE AND MEAN IT!

STEP THREE: PREPARE TO RECEIVE CONFLICTING AND ERRONEOUS ADVICE MOSTLY FROM MDeities WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER BUT WHO DON'T KEEP UP. THIS IS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CONDITIONED TO ACCEPT THE "MD" AS AN ORACLE.........................MOST MDS ARE TOTALLY UNABLE TO DEAL WITH THIS DISEASE AND TRY TO COMPLICATE IT WITH ALL KINDS OF HURDLES TO GET OVER BEFORE THEY START THE IMPORTANT TREATMENT.

STEP FOUR: TRY TO LOCATE A LONG TERM SURVIVOR WHO HAS NOT ATTACKED THE IGNORANT DRS.............WITH EITHER A MACHETE OR A TIRE IRON..........IF THEY HAVE SURVIVED OVER 20 YEARS, THEY PROBABLY HAVE GOOD ADVICE FOR YOU.

STEP FIVE: TRY TO KEEP IT SIMPLE.................SO GET A QUEST LAB IRON PANEL DONE AND FOCUS ON THE SERUM FERRITIN RESULT.

STEP SIX: IF YOUR SERUM FERRITIN IS 150 OR OVER, YOU NEED TO GET TREATMENT.

STEP SEVEN: THE SIMPLE TREATMENT IS PHLEBOTOMY, ITS THE ONLY PRACTICAL TREATMENT. YOU DECIDE HOW OFTEN YOU WILL DO THIS BUT IN THE BEGINNING, YOU TRY TO DO IT EVERY WEEK UNTIL YOU GET THE SERUM FERRITIN DOWN BELOW 20. DON'T BE IMPATIENT--THIS WILL TAKE A YEAR OR SO.

STEP EIGHT: GET RX FROM YOUR DR. FOR BLOOD BANK PHLEBOTOMIES, THIS SHOULD INCLUDE SPECIFIC PCV ( CALLED PACK CELL VOLUME OR HEMATOCRIT HCT) IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS: RX..........DRAW FULL UNIT OF BLOOD WHEN HCT% IS >37% > MEANS "GREATER THAN". NB: GIVE THE BLOOD BANK A COPY AND KEEP THE ORIGINAL RX BECAUSE THEY WILL LOSE THEM AND YOU MIGHT BE TRAVELING AND NEED TO GO TO ANOTHER BLOOD BANK.

STEP NINE: THEN GET YOUR BUTT TO THE BLOOD BANK AND START THE PROGRAM.

STEP TEN: DIET IS SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPORTANT AND UNIMPORTANT. YOU DO WANT TO AVOID SMOKING, ALCOHOL, VIT C, VIT E AND ANY VITAMINS WITH IRON ADDITIVES. ALSO BREAKFAST CEREALS ARE LOADED WITH IRON, AND IN THE BEGINNING WHEN YOU ARE JUST WORKING ON LOWERING THE SF, YOU DON'T WANT TO EAT ANY OF THEM OR OTHER PREPARED FOODS. READ LABELS.

DON'T FREAK IF YOU EAT A STEAK, BUT TRY TO EAT FISH OR CHICKEN WHEN YOU CAN. AT THIS POINT, THE MERCURY IN FISH AND THE SALMONELLA IN CHICKEN IS BETTER FOR YOU THAN THE IRON.
mls