BLOOD volume testing available NOW

[Allyson]

BLOOD VOLUME MEASUREMENT TEST
have you had your blood volume measured?
this is important for all of us as it it some positive proof of our illness
Print it off and take it to your GP and /or or specialist
I have had this done in Australia at ROYAL Melbourne Hospital with a hematologist ( from RMH) referral
My GP referred me to the hematologist who ordered the test - not sure if a GP can order the test.
My blood volume was very low - 4.33 litres intead of 5 litres and i may have some brain damage due to small blood vessel ischaemia as a resultt according to my MRI - also done at RMH after a referral from a neurologist there.
I drink LOTS of electrolytes every day so they evidnetly do not fix it
A MAJOR hospital wil be needed to do this simple non-invasive test - the blood volume test though as it need a nuclear medicine department to do it MRIs can be done in a lot of places.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/services/tests/nuclear/bloodvolumetesting.aspx
Please share widely !
for more on blood volume and IV therapy see this thread
http://forum.notcrazy.net/index.php?topic=9571.0


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[Sasha]

Thanks for posting this, Allyson. I'm sorry you've found that you have brain damage - that must have been very hard to hear.

I'd already bookmarked this post from the other thread and I'm glad you've posted it separately - it's important. I'll be looking into this myself.

 

[Allyson]

Thanks so much for that Sasha.

I phoned the Nuclear med dept in the RMH hospital today and thy said any doc - including GPs - could refer patients to the department for the test - you do not have to go through the hospital for a referral.

Some further details ont he test form a techy....they took aout 10 mls from me.
RED CELL mass/ plasma volume test

You take a sample of blood of fixed volume, label the red cells with Cr51, the plasma with I131 and then re-inject and allow labelled blood to circulate for a while. ( I was able to go away for an hour or so then)

Take another sample of blood and count the percentage of the original labelled red cells and plasma in the sample to estimate the dilution and hence red cell mass / plasma volume of the patient. ( I actualy had a few samples takend every 20 mins or so for about an hour.)
There was no fasting or other prep needed.

best regards,

Ally