Thal minor, miscarriage and devastation..!!

Hi Crissy,

I'm really happy to hear that your pregnancy was successful.   

I took 800 I.U. of Vitamin E, 1600 mcg of Folic Acid, 2500mcg of B-12, 100mg of B6, 2 amino acid chews (GNC brand)  I tried prenatals and multivitamins off and on, but they always made me sick.  I also tried slow release Fe but that also made me sick.  In the first trimester I ate a lot of carbs, mainly because of morning sickness.  I focused on protein (red meat) a lot more in the 2nd and 3rd trimester, but still had a lot of carbs:)  At the end of my 1st trimester I started having problems with my iron levels and tried adding cream of wheat and coco wheats to boost my iron but it wasn't enough.  I was referred to the hematologist at the beginning of the 2nd trimester when I started having problems with headaches, numbness in my hands, shortness of breath/dizziness.  The hematologist monitored my iron levels and my Hb through the rest of the pregnancy and I recieved iron infusions every 2 weeks.  The iron did help a lot with how I was feeling.  I would say the biggest thing is knowing your Hb numbers so you are not worrying and having someone to talk to who will listen about your symptoms.  My hematologist was great!

Thanks Andy!  And thanks for the advice as well:)
My baby boy is in the 90th percentile for everything so he must have got what he needed!

Hi Andy,
My this question is unrelated to pregnancy. I am experiencing severe lower left leg pain recently. Whenever I walk long (15 to 30 min), I feel like my left leg muscles get tighten and sometimes I feel that very low circulation of blood and soon it will be numb. This happens after swimming too. I thought may be my shoes but then it happens without it too. Is there any connection to thal minor? If I do more exercise, more pain. Sorry if this is unrelated, now I have become so much skeptical about thal minor. I don't do much exercise, just swimming every alternate day for 20 min max, but walk 15-30 min everyday. I also do yoga in the morning for 20 min. My age is 31 years.

Should I see a doctor? Even I don't know to which specialist I should go. Any advice please!

There are several possibilities for leg pain. The simplest is cramps that develop from a loss of electrolytes like sodium and potassium. If an electrolyte drink like Gatorade or anything similar, helps relieve the pain, it's probably a mineral depletion. Another nutrient that is known to be involved is magnesium, which is extremely important to muscle development and health. I typically suggest magnesium for thal minors anyway, because it is needed for the health of red blood cell walls.  500 mg daily is suggested for muscle issues.

Some other more serious causes of leg pain that are "peripheral artery disease, a decrease in arterial blood supply due to narrowing of blood vessels to the leg," and blood clots. PAD would probably not be considered because of your age. Again, the clotting connection is a possibility in miscarriage, so this may also be a possibility. This type of clot in the leg poses no danger of embolism, but it is a health issue. Vitamin E can help. If a doctor suspects clotting, a daily baby aspirin may be the recommendation. There is a good article that includes a discussion about leg pain at http://www.emedicinehealth.com/leg_pain/page2_em.htm#causes  The page begins with physical trauma related causes, which as far as I know, aren't involved. Review the traumatic cases to rule out any possibility and then scroll down to the Nontraumatic Leg Pain section.

I would try the easy approach and try electrolytes and magnesium along with vitamin E. If clotting may be an issue, you might want to try a daily baby aspirin. If you don't get improvement with potassium or magnesium, you might want to talk to your doctor. If there is any suspicion of clotting, the doctor might want to order an ultrasound of the legs to make sure there are no small clots.

Hi there!!  fyi, I'm going to start a new post right now regarding my successful pregnancy story....stay tuned!

Elizabeth

looking forward to it..!! Let me know the thread once you post it.

Thanks Andy,
Yes, you are right. I tend to have cramps more often during swimming. I shall try the electrolyte drink and magnesium. I saw it at the Puritin's pride, High potency magnesium 500mg. I'll order soon. As you know I am taking 400 IU Vit. E.  Crissy took 800IU vit E. Should I take two of those if it is o.k now or I should wait till I become pregnant. I don't know whether clotting is the issue. How can I know that? I mean what symptoms or do I have to go for lab testing? I can look my blood cells in my lab..:-) if it is helpful.

After this approch, if it still remains, which specialist should I go to?

hi!  I posted it - it's called Finally!!  Successful pregnancy!!! 

Hi Sciencepassion

My daughter doctor's (Neurologist) recommendations is that the electrolyte drink (sports drink) be taken 20 mins before the starting of the swimming session and drink water during the session.

Regards

Catherine

Thanks Catherine, I'll keep this in mind.

Hi Andy,
Before I place the order I just want to make sure with you the right dose . I am going to order Liquid vit. D3 5000IU, Bit B complex sublinqual Liquid with vit. B-12, 1200mcg, High potency magnesium 500mg.

I thought may be I have Vit. D deficiency. My Prenatal has only 8 mcg  Vit. B12. Magnesium as you suggested. Can I increase Vit. E dose from 400 IU to 800IU? My folic acid intake is 1200mcg at presently.

Let me know the right dose for me to prepare myself for healthy pregnancy.

You have been extremely helpful and thanks a lot..!! I trust you totally :-)

sciencepassion,

The doses are good. I would suggest if possible that you get a vitamin D test first, so you know what level you're already dealing with. This baseline is important for determining dose and sometimes approach to raising the level. I suggest starting with 400 IU natural vitamin E. Get the mixed tocopherols, as they work much better as a complex. A dietary consideration is to make sure you get fresh fruit regularly. Some fruits like blueberries are high in antioxidants. Watermelon is a good source of nitric oxide inducers, which is very important for the health and flexibility of blood vessels, which in turn is very important in the context of trying to provide an adequate supply of blood to the whole body.

Thank you very much Andy..!!

you know Andy, just two days I took Gatorade and my leg pain is gone..!! My goodness, you are awesome. No numbness, no tightness and no pain..woo hoo..!!