Jaundice, pallor, anemia? Sickle cell disease?

[AnnaG]

We have just returned from our pediatrician and she said that our 20 months old baby has been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia .. The first symptoms that we notices were his color of skin, he was so pale so I started to think he was anemic, like I am, so we went to doctor and she run some tests. Soon after that we started noticing pallor and jaundice too, which was very strange to me so I started panicking and asked for other pediatrician opinion. After few weeks, she came back with this diagnose. Is there anybody with the same situation as I am. I could really use some advice and support how this disease will affect his life. I am scared

 

[FeFeV]

I'm so sorry that you and your precious baby has to endure this struggle. My best friend has Sickle Cell Anemia. He doesn't speak about it a lot, but when he has it is described as being very physically painful in a way that can not be comforted. He currently is 33 y/o and plays professional football for the CFL. Sickle Cell Anemia and it's complications had him released from the NFL team that he once played for. The major career change has been the biggest impact that the disease has made to his life. He just had a baby girl in May, he has expressed concern of her having a future diagnosis or being a carrier for the disease. I honestly don't know what you can do to help your baby in the future, but I remember hip-hop artist Prodigy making very informative video's (found on YouTube) speaking about the effects of Sickle Cell and how one takes optimal care of their body/health while living with Sickle Cell Anemia. He spoke in depth about one's diet being linked to the pain management.

 

[OoohShiny]

I'm not sure what support services there are locally but there should be charities and organisations specifically dedicated to assisting those coping with this illness.

Seek them out and hopefully they will be able to provide you with reassurance and tools to deal with the situation.

 

[AnnaG]

our 20 months old baby has been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia .. The first symptoms that we notices were his color of skin, he was so pale so I started to think he was anemic, like I am, so we went to doctor and she run some tests. Soon after that we started noticing pallor and jaundice too, which was very strange to me so I started panicking and asked for other pediatrician opinion.

Hey, right. The disease is to serious to deal with it alone - I think.
I found a self-help group, I hope it will help us in some way. At least to know that we are not alone beeing afraid.

 

[OoohShiny]

I wish you all the very best for dealing with this situation - try to remain in a positive frame of mind and look forward to the future, as positivity is very helpful when things get tough and (I'm pretty sure!) has been shown to give actual health benefits