Iron deficiency?

mdcjmom

I take a vitamin as well as iron rich foods! My bidy thanks me. My defiency manifests as bruising and so I always know whwn I need to add the iron rich foods to my pill

terilou87

iron tablets can be horrible. during pregnancies i get anemic so to keep my iron up i eat broccolli sprouts ect, lots of greens basically and that always kept it over the anemic mark, i also have a multi vitamin in the morning.

melodymedlin

I'm iron deficient anemic. I take iron supplements right around the time of my monthly. I agree with the others check with your doctor first!!!!!!!
Not everyone is the same and your doctor will tell you if its low and how low. You may be able to get the iron you need in food; if not a supplement may be prescribed or offered over the counter. A few years ago I got so anemic from loss of blood etc... that I was sent to er and given liquid iron (its nasty). Good luck and if your truly worried and can't get in with your doctor soon just start a multi vitamin the good definantly out weighs it all.

pland54

Thanks everyone! I didn't realize iron supplements adversely affect so many people. My initial reasoning was "it's just a supplement- might as well try it before resorting to another doctor's appointment/more blood work", but now I think I will go ahead and go back to the doctor.

I totally agree with not blindly trusting MFP's iron totals, but given that I really feel like I eat a lot of iron-rich foods and yet I'm still having these problems, it seems to be a possibility that I've got an issue with absorption.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to write back.

jsiricos

Dr time!

Have them check your Vit D also, thats a good one for fatigue, I was put on the 50k a week, and feel like a new person.

Oh and spinach is awesome

n0ob

Your body absorbs the heme iron from animal sources much better than plant iron or supplements, just another thing to consider.

keshiabug1

I have been diagnosed with anemia also, but my problem is my body doesn't absorb over the counter iron pills.

The doctor wrote me a prescription for another kind, which helps...
and he also told me to eat a lot of spinach, raisins, and wait for it...

LIVERS! lol

I also was put on a birth control pill to cut back on the days of my cycle... I was having a 7 - 10 day cycle and the pill made it only 4 days. You lose a lot of your iron supply during that time of the month!
Hope you figure out something that works for you! Low iron can really make you feel awful!

SoozeE512

The blue lips is particularly concerning...I'd recommend seeing a doctor to find out what is most appropriate for you.

myfitnesslife75

Yep, LIVER is a good source of iron! I love me some liver and now I'm craving it! I've always been told I'm low on iron, especially after having babies when it were dangerously low. I'm always told to eat an iron-rich diet. Steaks, burgers, liver, beef stew, almonds (any nut, really) and natural molasses.

Getting a doctor's diagnosis is very important, so I would suggest that first.

Princess4Run

I would go to your doctor and request blood work done. Ask them for an anemia workup rather than just simply a hemoglobin or CBC.. Often times a primary care doctor will order solely this and often times anemia can be missed or treatment ends up being inappropriate. You can be a full blown anemic with symptoms and have a borderline low or even normal hemoglobin. Let them check your ferritin level (iron stores) serum iron concentration, total iron-binding capacity, serum vitamin B-12 and folate. In mine they also checked heavy metals (lead being one of them) and thyroid levels, as hypothyrodism can go hand-in-hand with iron deficiency anemia. I've been battling anemia for years now so I wish you all the best of luck.

BamBam125

You can also cook with cast iron (not enameled, just seasoned). The iron will leak into your food as you cook. If you cook acidic foods you'll need to re season the pan more often though. I loved my cast iron. When we redo the kitchen in our new house, I want to ditch the glass top stove and add gas so that I can use it again. It's cheap too. You can get a decent cast iron skillet at Walmart even.

Mustang_Susie

I would go to your doctor and request blood work done. Ask them for an anemia workup rather than just simply a hemoglobin or CBC.. Often times a primary care doctor will order solely this and often times anemia can be missed or treatment ends up being inappropriate. You can be a full blown anemic with symptoms and have a borderline low or even normal hemoglobin. Let them check your ferritin level (iron stores) serum iron concentration, total iron-binding capacity, serum vitamin B-12 and folate. In mine they also checked heavy metals (lead being one of them) and thyroid levels, as hypothyrodism can go hand-in-hand with iron deficiency anemia. I've been battling anemia for years now so I wish you all the best of luck.

Thank you for posting this. I had not thought about doing an iron panel. Good idea

myfitnesslife75

You can also cook with cast iron (not enameled, just seasoned). The iron will leak into your food as you cook. If you cook acidic foods you'll need to re season the pan more often though. I loved my cast iron. When we redo the kitchen in our new house, I want to ditch the glass top stove and add gas so that I can use it again. It's cheap too. You can get a decent cast iron skillet at Walmart even.

Oooh, I love my cast iron, too! I just recently bought a cast iron roasting pot. I also have 4 cast iron pans in different sizes and have a new gas stove. Great stuff!

D_barre_addict

I've had similar symptoms, tried upping iron just through diet, but to be honest this did not have the same effect as when I started taking liquid iron.
However, everyone is different, I agree with other about importance of getting a diagnosis