I am a Witness..how long do I wait between operations to let my blood count build back up?

Question

I am to have another surgery within a month of this one..Is it too soon?

Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept blood transfusions.
I need to know how long to wait for future surgeries.

Paul S..yes I just wanted a ball park figure..I has radical rhinoplasty for snoring and deviated septum...after the operation I vomited a half gallon of blood..and my nose keeps bleeding small amounts....so I am sure my blood count is low..I think I might need colon surgery and was wondering if I should put it off for a few months..they haven't found out if it is cancer yet but my family is riddled with it...Just thought my wonderful, loving brothers and sisters would know since we are very aware of health care due to the blood issue..
I also ignore the apostates...for people who don't want to be witnesses anymore they sure do hang on our every word..lol
Tahoe...my 4 year old grand daughter went on EPO this week..she has ALL leukemia..she is on Chemo and they found out she has the chromosome to fight it. She is acting like herself although she tires quickly. But it looks as if she's going to live.

Paul S..yes I just wanted a ball park figure..I has radical rhinoplasty for snoring and deviated septum...after the operation I vomited a half gallon of blood..and my nose keeps bleeding small amounts....so I am sure my blood count is low..I think I might need colon surgery and was wondering if I should put it off for a few months..they haven't found out if it is cancer yet but my family is riddled with it...Just thought my wonderful, loving brothers and sisters would know since we are very aware of health care due to the blood issue..
I also ignore the apostates...for people who don't want to be witnesses anymore they sure do hang on our every word..lol


Tahoe...my 4 year old grand daughter went on EPO this week..she has ALL leukemia..she is on Chemo and they found out she has the chromosome to fight it. She is acting like herself although she tires quickly. But it looks as if she's going to live.

Tahoe...my 4 year old grand daughter went on EPO this week..she has ALL leukemia..she is on Chemo and they found out she has the chromosome to fight it. She is acting like herself although she tires quickly. But it looks as if she's going to live.

Answer 1

As already stated, obviously this is a serious medical matter that needs professional attention (but I guess you simply want a rough idea):

My two cents:

You'll be advised to eat healthily but at the same time your body needs everything it can get so don't suppress it via low calorie diets. You need to be eating plenty (preferably high calorie foods e.g. dairy/meat products) while at the same time getting in the foods with high vitamins/minerals (e.g. fruit and veg). Don't just depend on supplements. Eat a protein and iron rich diet, e.g. Pork Liver, Oysters, Chicken Liver, Mussels, Beef Liver, Beef, Shrimp, Sardines and Turkey.

The doctor will check your blood count before attempting to operate so I wouldn't worry about the time scale (they wouldn't operate if it's too low)...they know what they are doing.

The doctor should also have given you a drug that helps your body to build up blood cells.


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Check out my link in the sources section too, they specialize in bloodless surgery questions.





Gretch - Your answer was unprofessional, insulting/disrespectful, biased, un-researched...so overall, this answer (which was just a rant) was not helpful whatsoever to the questioner and is enough to get your answer removed from Y/A's...let alone an embarrassment to the medical field. Besides, you say you're in the medical field; what's that, a nurse? You aren't a doctor. I know I'm not either, but at least I did some research.

Answer 2

I don't know I've never had to have a surgery where I need to get my blood count up. but I did do some research for you. These come from our magazines and are experiences from other's worldwide. If you have our CD for the publications just type in "blood count", that's what I did.

I have a rare blood cancer, and when it was diagnosed, the doctor told me that I was going to die in six months if I did not immediately begin taking blood transfusions. That was back in 1991. I found a doctor who has respected my beliefs on blood, and I made a personal decision to take, under his direction, weekly injections of erythropoietin, which has helped raise my blood count.

By Friday my blood count had dropped to 4.7, and I was losing strength. The doctor agreed to give me an alternative treatment—injections of erythropoietin (EPO), which, along with iron and blood-building supplements, stimulates red blood cell production. By now, Jay and Joel had arrived. How good it was to see my husband and my son!

At approximately 1:30 a.m., a doctor told Jay that the hospital had already obtained a court order to administer blood if my condition worsened. Jay told him that my wishes were that I not receive blood under any circumstances. “Then she will die!” the doctor replied.

Jay talked to the Hospital Liaison Committee about transferring me to another facility—one that would respect my wishes. Not that everyone at this hospital was antagonistic. One doctor, for example, assured me that she would do her utmost to make sure that I was treated with all the respect I deserved. But soon other doctors were pressuring me. “Do you want to die and leave your family behind?” they asked. I assured them that I wanted the best treatment available without blood. The doctors were not moved to help. “You are going to die!” one stated bluntly.

The Hospital Liaison Committee found a hospital in Barcelona that agreed to treat me without blood. What a contrast between the two hospitals! In Barcelona two nurses gently washed me and made me feel comfortable. When changing my bandages, one of the nurses saw that they were green and caked with dried blood. She said that she was ashamed that her fellow countrymen had treated me this way.

Soon I was receiving the medical treatment that was supposed to have been started at the hospital in Logroño. The results were dramatic. Within days my vital organs were out of danger, and my hemoglobin count had gone up to 7.3. By the time I left the hospital, it had risen to 10.7. When I needed more surgery at a hospital in the United States, it was up to 11.9.

I am grateful for the efforts of doctors and nurses who are willing to accommodate the wishes of their patients, whether they agree with them or not. When the hospital staff respect a patient’s beliefs, they are treating the whole person—and thus they are providing the best treatment available.

For Bible-based reasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions.—See Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 7:26, 27; 17:10-14; Deuteronomy 12:23-25; 15:23; Acts 15:20, 28, 29; 21:25.

Whether a Christian will accept EPO or not is a personal decision.—See The Watchtower of October 1, 1994, page 31.

Answer 3

By all means, ask your doctor. Everyone is different and there may be factors that we could never know about that would figure in (your overall physical and mental health etc).
If you think your doctor's pushing you too quickly, get a second opinion.

I just love hearing objections from med students and nurses regarding our stance on blood.
My husband is a DOCTOR and he refused blood even before becoming a Witness because of the risks involved. Nowadays, he's an Opthamologist but in early days he worked ER's.

Anyhow.. I hope your surgery goes well. Please, keep us updated.

Answer 4

Most hospitals should have a liason commitee, the ones in Jacksonville Fla. is a good source. Id have to get the name of the hostpital but they also work with doctors to find the best stratagies in bloodless surgeries depending on your personal preferences on your blood card & dpa form.

Answer 5

If the operation goes good, and if you dont loose much blood, if u wait 15 days you will be able to get another operation done and be ok. but i suggest u wait a little bit longer than 15 days, and remember to eat healthy, with your 3 full meals...u know the rest. One month is ok to have the other surgery. but remember to eat WELL to replace your lost blood fast. good luck

Answer 6

I'm not certain how long. I refused an emergency blood transfusion in Sept 2003 and it took about a year before I felt back to my normal self. The important thing is to concentrate on a high iron diet and even taking iron supplements as recommended by your Dr. Your Dr should also be checking your hemoglobin count before your surgery and can tell you what your reading should be. It may take a little while to build your hemoglobin back up, but it can be done.

Answer 7

I've had surgeries within 6 weeks of each other. Talk to your Doctor. He/she must already be aware of your no blood stance, so they will better be able to advise you on this.

Answer 8

communicate with your medical team about blood building medicines.
As for gretch? As a person in the medical field, you could perhaps tell us how many instances you personally know where people received blood transfusions and then went ahead and died?
Or perhaps you could come clean and speak intelligently about the average 2,000 people a year who die in the US alone, as the direct result of a blood transfusion? Or the Tens of thousands who die later after being infected with hepatitis laden blood? Get a grip gretch, blood transfusions kill more people every year than the World Trade Center attacks.

I, as an informed person, elected for bloodless surgery, by the simple reason that the most brilliant surgeons in the world, themselves refuse blood. If the smartest doctors and surgeons regard blood transfusions as highly dangerous, and unnecessarily risky, then I'm with them!

Oh BTW gretch? I personally know of a woman who was pregnant with twins, and her doctor told her that if she did not abort one of the twins, she would die. She said no, and here doctor basically (and unconscionably, washed his hands of her, because she made her decision regarding this situation) and guess what? She had both babies, and lived!
This whole blood saves lives propaganda is just that-propaganda. There are perhaps more than 70,000 people who are killed worldwide by accepting blood transfusions, and you (as the brainwashed medical person you are) sit there and call people stupid for refusing a well recognized dangerous medical 'tradition'. Do your homework girl, you are way out of line.

Answer 9

While I can't understand your beliefs of not accepting blood or blood products, I really think this is a question for your doctor.

Answer 10

I don't know what that means.. I am a Witness.. and then talk about medical procedures.

If this is serious and not a joke, perhaps this information is something you could obtain from your doctor?

EDIT:

Thank you for the information. I did not know that about Witnesses. You taught me something today. Thank you. I would still discuss that with your doctor. I want you to be safe!