Thread: Multi-Vitamin??
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Old Tue Feb 17, 2009, 05:03 PM
Neil Cuadra Neil Cuadra is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
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Nancy,

Do you know how many units of blood you have received so far, altogether? It's worth keeping track since that is a good indicator for when iron overload becomes a concern and testing becomes advisable. It's not the number of transfusions, it's the number of units, since you might get more than one unit at a time.

People at risk for iron overload (those with a history of blood transfusions) should avoid iron supplements and multivitamins with iron. Doctors might want you to avoid iron-rich foods or iron-fortified cereal too. Even Vitamin C can be an issue since it affects iron absorption.

The starting point is to ask your doctor about these issues: the sensible steps to take now with changes in diet or vitamins, and when to get tested for iron overload.
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