Question 1

can u die from low red blood cell count and what other side effects can you get,my body goes cold i get pins and needles in my hand and feet,get dizzy?

Accepted Answer

Anemia: We can classify anemia as mild, moderate, &amp; severe. Low RBC counts &amp; the notion of death puts us in the severe range. Usually people with cancer, radiation treatments, trauma victims in shock, and severely malnourished folks are in this category. Unless that describes your situation then, you have time to get to a doctor to work your symptoms out which could be related to anemia or other things.

Question 2

apheresis plasma return failure and swelling during double red blood cell donation procedure, what does this mean?

Accepted Answer

Vein perforation: The message is just the machine reporting it could not return the plasma (=failure). The swelling most likely means the needle unknowingly punctured the back wall of the vein--so drawing was OK, but return allowed it to leak out and make a bruise (that might be light in color since the RBCs were removed). Local warm compresses should help resolve it quicker.

Question 3

what are some possible reasons that my lips tingle during double red blood cell donation?

Accepted Answer

Preservative: It is attributed to the preservative solution in the system, which i believe can cause a mild reduction in calcium level (why they often offer calcium-based antacid to counter it). It usually resolves on its own after several minutes, and the antacid can speed the process.

Question 4

divalproex sodium has affected my platlets and red blood cell indices (e.g., mcv).  does neurontin (gabapentin) have similar effects?

Accepted Answer

Neurontin (gabapentin) likely : Won't cause above blood picture. Leukemia and the chemotherapy would likely contribute to the low cell counts more than the meds you mentioned. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/neurontin.

Question 5

what is red blood cell disorder; some examples?

Accepted Answer

Many: 1/3 the field of hematology is devoted to RBC disorders ( the other 2/3 is platelets and wbc's).  The most common disorder is anemia which may be caused by a large  variety of conditions. One could have the opposite disorder of too many red blood cells and this is known as erythrocytosis. One could have red cells that are filled with unusual hemoglobin such as the thalassemias.

Question 6

how does oxygen enter a red blood cell?

Accepted Answer

Diffusion: Oxygen enters red blood cells by passive diffusion through the cell membrane. Once inside, it binds to hemoglobin molecules.

Question 7

can you have a mature red blood cell that doesn't contain iron inside of it?

Accepted Answer

No: A mature  red blood cell contains hemoglobin. And the hemoglobin molecule requires iron as a component. The iron is part of the "heme" subunit of the molecule, where it is bound within a structure called a "porphyrin ring". Hope that helps.

Question 8

what vitamins are necessary for red blood cell production?

Accepted Answer

Rbc production: Vitamins B6, B9, B12 &amp; A as well as Iron &amp; copper are important for red blood cells.

Question 9

what does abnormal red blood cell mean?

Accepted Answer

Depends: This depends on what is being called abnormal. There are many possibilities, ranging from red cell count, red cell size, or red cell morphology. And on occasion, some may use this terminology to refer to an abnormal hemoglobin.

Question 10

what does abnormal red blood cell morphology mean?

Accepted Answer

Shape or size is off: Morphology refers to what the red cells look like under the microscope.  Changes in size or shape of red cells can give a clue about underlying disease.  For example, in iron deficiency, RBCs are small and pale.  B12 deficiency they are large in size.  Different changes can show liver disease, kidney disease or a bleeding disorder.  Changes are most useful in diagnosing anemia (low RBC count).

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Doctor answers about:

Red blood cell donation side effects

A member asked:

Can u die from low red blood cell count and what other side effects can you get,my body goes cold i get pins and needles in my hand and feet,get dizzy?

A member asked:

Apheresis plasma return failure and swelling during double red blood cell donation procedure, what does this mean?

A member asked:

What are some possible reasons that my lips tingle during double red blood cell donation?

A member asked:

Divalproex sodium has affected my platlets and red blood cell indices (e.g., mcv). does neurontin (gabapentin) have similar effects?

A member asked:

What is red blood cell disorder; some examples?

A member asked:

How does oxygen enter a red blood cell?

A member asked:

Can you have a mature red blood cell that doesn't contain iron inside of it?

A member asked:

What vitamins are necessary for red blood cell production?

A member asked:

What does abnormal red blood cell mean?

A member asked:

What does abnormal red blood cell morphology mean?

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