Low Blood Count?

Question

My father has just been told he has a low blood count, it should be 12 when it is only 8. He is to have tests done, Chest Xray and then other tests that he has not been informed off yet. His body has already had problems because of this last week his blood pressure dropped so dramatically that his body went into shock. He looked like he was having a stroke or something. he has been told it could happen again at any time.

What could be wrong, and how can he have a low blood count when he has not lost any blood.

Please help we are all extremely concerned.

Thank you to the person who talked about the aneamia and that he should take more iron, my dad has been taking Spa Tone every day since the start of the year and is very good with taking iron rich foods already. So i cannot see how he can take anymore than this.

I am glad to hear you are doing much better.

Answer 1

I am very sorry that your Dad has problems and sorry too that you are worrying so much. Blood count is usually based on the number of white cells in a measurement. It isnt about the amount of blood in his body - the blood is made up of white and red blood cells (too few red cells and one is anaemic, too many white cells can be a symptom of leukaemia)He has 8 but I have known people with just 1 or 2. So he is slightly down.This means that your dad probably has something wrong elsewhere and from what you say, you already know he isnt well.

Low blood pressure is something many people have and it is quite common for people to faint. It is also common for someone with low blood pressure to experience palpitations followed by rapid pulse and feeling as if you are having a heart attack...nasty feeling and you can see legs and arms shaking uncontrollably. But you say there are tests being taken for your dad and I think that once these have been looked at, the doctors will have a better idea of what is going on.

You dont say if he has been prescribed new medication prior to these problems. If someone who has variable blood pressure is prescribed atenolol for example, this can cause severe drops in blood pressure and side effects, also statins can casue a similar reaction.

You need to contact your doctor to discuss your concerns as a family. I expect you could get an appointment on Tuesday. In the meantime, keep a close eye on your dad, if he has any further blood pressure collapses, dont hang about, just call an ambulance.

But a couple of hints. Dont give him big meals (the aorta pumps blood into the stomach to help digest meals and that takes it away from the heart and, often after a big meal, a person with low blood pressure can feel faint or get one of these attacks).

Give him plenty of fresh fruit salad throughout the day. Keep him on a light diet - no fatty foods or red meat as that puts a strain on the digestion...fish, or chicken, or turkey and vegetables, a few boiled spuds. Grapes are good for snacking on during the day. The evening meal should be no later than 6pm. That gives him plenty of time to digest it. At around 9pm he can have two slices of toast thinly buttered with marmite or jam. No alcohol at all. De-caffeinated tea or coffee. At LEAST two litres of water a day and drink it very cold. If he has an attack give him ice cold water to sip. Ensure he sits up with his knees bent and a pillow under his knees if he does have an attack. Ice cold water works on the parasympathetic nerves and stops the attack.

Be watchful but do be aware that the doctor is probably thinking that he is not in any immediate danger and prefers to wait until he gets the test results back before starting any treatment - if any is necessary. The blood count is not dramatically low at present but it is an indicator of the fact that there may be something else to look out for. The low blood pressure is not necessarily connected with the blood count.Your dad is very fortunate to have such a caring family around him and if you can just relax but keep an eye on him, and it is very important to keep him to the diet I have mentioned until he sees the doctor again, I am sure all will be well in the end.

Answer 2

Blood Count Of 8

Answer 3

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your dad, I hope things are improving.

Blood count can be affected by alot of different things.

You're red blood cells are constantly dieing and being replaced by the body. If you're cells are dieing, but no new ones are being made then blood count will drop.

If your dad had a normal blood count which suddenly plumeted this would suggest that something has recently changed to cuase this effect. The liver and bone marrow have alot to do with the maintenance of the blood, so a change in either of these might cause blood count to drop.

If your dad has a poor diet (low in iron for example), this might contribute to a low blood count as his body may not have the required elemants to make new blood cells.

The human body is an amazing and complicated thing showing both amazing resilience, and frailty at the same time.

A freind of mine's mum had a stroke which lead to her being diagnosed with cancer. She has since recovered and is living the life she used to.

Answer 4

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RE:
Low Blood Count?
My father has just been told he has a low blood count, it should be 12 when it is only 8. He is to have tests done, Chest Xray and then other tests that he has not been informed off yet. His body has already had problems because of this last week his blood pressure dropped so dramatically that his...

Answer 5

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Ask the doctor if vitamin B12 shots once a week or once a month is an option for you.Also since you were just hospitalized for this,you need to ask your doctor if iron supplements are what you need.I am surprised that they released you without any thing for your anemia.Diabetes can attribute to alot of problems withe the body.With a low white blood cell count did they do any extensive tests to determine if you have an underlying disease/problem?If you had a low RED BLOOD CELL count,did they check for any place where the blood was going?Usually a low red blood cell count is caused by bleeding,internal/external. Be careful if you do decide to take iron supplements b/c overdosing can occur,(but this too can happen with regular vitamin supplements too,people just do not heed the warning or realize they can over dose on any medication including dietary supplements). JRL-LPN

Answer 6

I can't tell you why your Dad has a low blood count.
I can only tell you of my own experience. In June 03 I was diagnosed with a blood count of 6. I was given an emergency blood transfusion to get me up near normal (12-16 for a man)The Doc's probed me in every orifice available and then made some of their own. I had to take two 300mg iron tablets per day to control the anaemia. This July my Doc did a blood test and no more anaemia. Just as it had mysteriously appeared so also it had disappeared.
So if you Dad can get on to iron tablets and also eat iron rich foods such as red meats and green vegtables such as cabbage, broccoli, spinach it will all help

Answer 7

There are lots of reasons why he would have a low blood cell count. You don't have to physically lose blood in order to have a low blood count. It sounds as though he has some kind of anaemia, such as iron deficiency anaemia where a lack of iron means that red blood cells cannot be "built" in the body or haemolytic anaemia where your body destroys its own red blood cells when it doesn't need to. Obviously this anaemia is what caused his blood pressure to drop. There are a lot of causes of anaemia from things like liver problems and cancer to simple malnutrition... You really need to speak to your doctor to get more information specific to your father. Its difficult for anyone here to give you advice without knowing other symptoms, history etc. Go and pester him/ her now!

Answer 8

Anaemia due to iron deficiency could be the cause.
Remember that anaemia causes problems such as breathlessness, tiredness, dizziness, palpitations, headaches and unusual pulse caused by the lack of oxygen in the blood.
Also you don't need to lose blood in order to have a low count, it could be due to past treatment, infection etc..

I'm sure that his doctor has ordered all these test to be 100 per cent sure of your dad's condition. Good luck and hope it helps.

Answer 9

Here's something else you can try. Buy a cast iron skillet and use it when you prepare your daily meals, instead of a non-stick skillet. This is an old remedy for curing low iron levels. The drawback is that cast iron skillets are more difficult to clean, but that's a minor aggravation. Of course, as many others are suggesting, you should check with your doctor to ensure that there isn't some other problem.

Answer 10

You didn't mention how old your dad is. A low blood count is also known as anemia which can be caused by numerous factors. Is you father taking aspirin or any blood thinners? Are his stools real dark? (he could have a GI bleed)[bleeding in the bowel]. If your father suddenly feels light headed or weak, get him immediate medical attention as this could be a sign go a very low blood pressure. Ask his doctor if he did a bleeding scan on your dad. Get a blood pressure cuff and check you dad's blood pressure daily and if he gets light headed.