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Anemia

What is anemia?

Anemia is a common condition in people living with cancer. Anemia happens when your red blood cell count or hemoglobin level is lower than normal.

There are three main types of cells in your blood: white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from your lungs to body tissues. Oxygen is needed for energy. Low red blood cell counts may be caused by cancer, chemotherapy or radiation treatments, or other medical conditions.

How do I know if I am anemic?

The only true way to know if you are anemic is to have a medical history, a medical examination and a blood sample taken. The lab technician will measure the amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells along with other factors. A normal hemoglobin count will be 120-130, but it may drop as low as 80-100 without serious harm.

Signs of anemia:

• Difficulty concentrating and remembering
• Feeling tired and having less energy most of the time
• Feeling dizzy, lightheaded or possibly having a headache
• Being short of breath, or breathless after very little activity
• Pale skin colour, pale lips and fingernail beds
• Pain in the chest, fluttery feeling from your heart
• Ringing or pounding in the ears
• Very sensitive to cold temperature, feeling cold when others do not
• Sore mouth or tongue
• Poor appetite
• Less interest in social pleasure
• Feeling down, or irritable

What should I do if I notice symptoms?

Contact your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if you are experiencing symptoms of anemia. You may need to have your hemoglobin count checked. You may need a transfusion of red blood cells or medications to treat the anemia or the cause of it.

If you live out of town, call the telephone triage nurse at LRCP or your family doctor. Your family doctor or the treating physician can call the on-call oncologist at 519-6854-8600, and Press ‘2”.

When you have anemia…

Do:

• Avoid heavy strenuous work and exercise
• When sitting or standing up, take plenty of time to change position getting up quickly can cause a lightheaded, faint feeling or a fall
• Talk with your caregiver and doctor about how you feel
• Balance short periods of activity and rest
• Do light exercise SLOWLY (you will be able to do more)
• Let others help with the chores so you may do things that are enjoyable
• Get 8 hours of sleep per night
• Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water or liquids a day
• Eat well and have small meals often.
• Eat green vegetables, red and organ meats, citrus fruits, and dried fruit
• Enjoy shorter social activities and visits

Do not:

• Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery if you are feeling faint or lightheaded, or if you feel sleepy
• You should not smoke when you have anemia: smoking can worsen the symptoms, so try to reduce or abstain
• Do not do heavy, strenuous work or long periods of activity
• Do not have a bath or shower when home alone, in case of lightheaded spells, dizziness or shortness of breath

Helpful Links:

Anemia - Canadian Cancer Society