Quote Originally Posted by TopCat3
Thank you so mych everyone from the bottom of my heart for all your kind replies and caring good wishes.
Jessica yes please see what your instructor says. It is my understanding that the injections are to stimulate the bone marrow to produce the RBC, but the iron is needed as a building block, a vital "ingredient" in the RBCs. A bit like asking a bricklayer to build you a wall but not giving him any bricks, only the cement, I guess! Good luck with your practical!
Well that's the thing -- iron is vital yes, but without erythropoietin you can't make RBCS, period, so the iron wouldn't do anything. Iron is only useful in hemoglobin creation, not in the actual creation of RBCs themselves. Hemoglobin is produced later, after the cell is already created. So therefore it would help yes but erythropoietin is THE building block of RBCs because without it you can not have an RBC and if that is what you are lacking, iron may help, but erythropoietin is vital.

I do sincerely apologize I was not able to even get a word in with my instructor today; in both classes I have with her we had practicals and to be honest she wasn't even in the room for either class except for a brief overview and then she was out of the classroom with groups of students doing their practicals. This could go on all week and I have a final with her in one class tomorrow so I will try my best!! Sorry

EDIT: To reiterate, iron is also a vital nutrient for RBCs but it is not involved in the initial creation of them, I hope that makes more sense