Hemochromatosis-or-Iron-Overload

Just hearing the word hemochromatosis can be overwhelming if you have not heard of it before. In the following hub, I will share my personal story because many people need some insight on this condition and how it can effect you if left untreated. On a side note, let me say I am not doctor, and this hub is in no way to be used for the substitute of seeking professional medical advice or any other services necessary to determine whether or not you have hemochromatosis . It is meant to be informative and entertaining. OK, the following is a true story.

I am currently 29, in good health, and can thank my mother for having me tested. Back when I was 18, she decided to have my brother and I genetically tested to see if we had the genes that cause hemochromatosis. So, my brother and I take off to a local lab together to have the proper blood work performed. Well, and few weeks passed, and the results came back. The lab says my brother has the 2 genes that can cause this disorder. They also said that I was a carrier. Meaning, I only had one of the genes that causes the disorder and that I would not likely develop it. At this time, my family I did not know much about hemochromatosis and how it can affect your body. All my mom knew was that she had some relative(s) die of whatever it is. The lab tells me there's nothing to worry about that I can go on with life. They tell my family that my brother should see an oncologist to determine the best method to combat the disorder. Within the next few days, my brother had an appointment scheduled for the doctor and the date of the appointment finally arrived. After arriving at the doctor, and being seated, my mom and brother are anxiously waiting to be called out of the waiting room.

Finally, they get called out of the waiting room and into one of the doctor's rooms. The doctor proceeds to tell my brother that there's good news and bad news about having each of the genes that cause the disorder known as hemochromatosis. He says that usually the disorder is not diagnosed until a male reaches approximately thirty years old and the excess iron collected in the blood stream has had sufficient time to cause damage to individual organs within the body. The good news is since the testing identified his susceptibility to the disorder early, about 20 years of age, that the disorder has not had sufficient time to cause any damage to the organs within the body. Wow, what a relief. The doctor further explains that since no damage has been done to any part of his body, that he does not actually have hemochromatosis, but a condition known as "iron overload." He proceeds own to say that the best way to combat "iron overload" is to have a periodic "phlebotomy" which is nothing more than giving blood like you would at your local blood donation office. He also explained that the disorder is only know as hemochromatosis once it has caused sufficient damage to the organs within the body and is only know as iron overload when caught early in a perfectly healthy individual. In this case, all the person with iron overload would need to do is to have their iron level checked once a year to make sure that it is in the normal range. Plus, the individual needs to have periodic phlebotomies done in order to keep the iron level within a normal range.

Now, everything seems great for my brother. The doctor says his iron level is so out of whack at the moment that he needs to have multiple phlebotomies done right away to get his iron level back to normal. The doctor says he needs to have roughly 2 phlebotomies done a week in order to move his iron level back to normal. He agrees. The lab completed one that day and sent my family home to await the next phlebotomy. He continued to complete multiple phlebotomies each week as the doctor had instructed. At the time, my brother was attending college about 2 hours away from our home and had to drive back and forth. Prior to the results of the multiple phlebotomies coming back, he noticed he felt somewhat sluggish and tired after each one. Well, X number of weeks passes and it is time to get the results from the multiple phlebotomies, to see how his iron level is doing. So, back to the doctor he goes and is once again anxiously awaiting the results of the "ferritin" test which is the amount of iron in the body.

The doctor comes in somewhat perplexed at the results, stating that there is no way his iron level can go from X to Y in such a short period of time. The doctor was saying that for his iron level to be so high at one point and to have dropped to an extremely low point in just a few short weeks, something had to be wrong. He continues on and questions my mother about when we were tested and so on and so forth. The doctor comes to find out by a series of other questions asked to my mom, that we were tested on the same day,in the same lab, and so on. Therefore, he asked that we (my brother and I) be tested again to determine what is going on. As it turns out, the original lab had gotten our results mixed up and I was actually the one with iron overload. The doctor's hunch was correct. This came as quite a shocker to me as I thought I was in the clear. After the doctor found this out, I had to go through every test over and get on the same schedule for phlebotomies that my brother was previously on. Even so, I am eternally grateful to this doctor for his outstanding ability and diligence in trying to figure out what was happening with the test results. If he had not been so attentive in gathering the facts, there is no telling how unhealthy I would be today. It is possible I might not be alive. I continue to see him once a year so he can monitor my iron level and check my progress. I am 100% healthy thanks to his acute awareness.

In conclusion, if someone in your family has had hemochromatosis and died early in life, please have the rest of your family checked for the genes that cause this disorder. Many people discover they have it after it is too late. Early detection is a life saver. If iron overload is caught early, before it develops into hemochromatosis, the individual can live a normal life. Once damaged is caused to the internal organs and it is considered hemochromatosis, mutiple side effects can occur and lead to a possible early death. If anyone in your family has ever had hemochromatis or has it, get tested! It could save your life!