Iron deficiency

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  • suz74
    suz74 Posts: 77 Member
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    Wait, wait, wait!!!! Before you start taking extra iron and vitamin C to boost the absorbtion you need to know about a disease known as hemochromatosis. The only way to test for the disease is a genetic screening where they take a sample of your blood and screen it genetically to see if you are positive for the specific gene as a carrier or as having the disease or both. Please, please don't take anything until your doctor tests you for this. A regular blood test may show you as anemic but you could still have the disease. What it boils down to is that your body could be very efficient at absorbing iron. It will then store the excess iron in your organs and joints, causing fatigue, achey joints, renal and heart failure, immune system problems, symptoms of arthritis and so on and so forth. It is extremely common but very uncommonly diagnosed. My whole family suffers from it. Please if you haven't already, get the genetic screening. I haven't looked at your profile but if you are a female, of menstruating age, that small amount of a blood loss each month may keep the blood iron levels from being elevated and may even show low. And google the disease. You will find lots of information. In Canada there is a society whose mandate it is to help others with the disease and teach them how to manage it.
    Gosh, had never heard of it! will get googling and be informed with everything that has been raised for next week, thank you
  • rbryntes
    rbryntes Posts: 710 Member
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    Take the iron pills, and eat an iron rich diet. Kidney beans have a lot of iron too.
  • butterflychick
    butterflychick Posts: 4
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    thankyou you know that is exactually how i felt first off i had got down to my ideal weight and now im three stones 5 pounds heavy i was so fit then struggled to ndo just even one walk a day but i thought this as got to change as im only 35 and i need to get myself back right so im trying and i do hope you start to feel better from doing this think ive been on my iron tablets about 9 months to a year now and my doctor said i might have to be on them for the rest of my life as my body doesn't like to keep its iron store hey oh but i thnik i would probably feel worse if i didnt take them. let me know how you get on over the weeks :)
  • butterflychick
    butterflychick Posts: 4
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    i do also take a multivitiamin which i checked with boots which was the best and they advised of one with very little iron in as i didint want to overdose with taking my prescribed ones which are 200mg 3 times a day although i can only manage 2 a day which doc has said is ok ,anyway this tub of mutivitiamin is thier own and its only 97p for 30 so quite good its a red and white tub
  • ilcole
    ilcole Posts: 1 Member
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    I too have an iron deficiency, diagnosed last month and was anemic. Is it safe to sign up for this and only have 1200 calories? there seems to be no way to enter in a medical condition so it takes that into consideration.
  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
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    I got a Mirena IUD, and now my iron levels are normal. It was a huge help and I recommend it to anyone who has severe symptoms due to abnormal periods.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Hey, PB and others, if a woman (I am assuming woman!) is low in iron and her doctor has given her therapeutic iron to correct it, she has to take the iron! There isn't enough spinach in her market to go the "natural" route.

    Spinach has 0.8 mg of iron in one cup.
    A single portion of blade steak (247g) has 7.7 mg of iron.
    A typical therapeutic iron pill has about 300 mg of iron.
    http://www.anemia.org/professionals/feature-articles/content.php?contentid=306

    My anemia was temporarily halted with an ablation of my uterus. I have much smaller periods now. The anemia is back likely due to poor absorption and I will be on iron pills for a very long time. I hope the doctor tracks down the reason soon, OP.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    One thing to remember, if you're getting your iron suppliments over the counter, you may not be getting enough of it. The only regulation on those is to make sure nothing toxic is in them. If you can, get it as a prescription. Costs more, but you're more likely to get exactly the amount you've been told to take.
  • auntchellebelle
    auntchellebelle Posts: 127 Member
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    hm_day wrote: »
    I have severe anemia and have to take an iron supplement every day. I eat enough red meat and such, but my body simply doesn't absorb the iron. Feel free to add me if you'd like.

    This is my same problem. I can eat red meat for every meal and my body just won't absorb iron. My hemoglobin is at a level 7 without taking my pills. Be careful because they make a lot of people sick. I take mine with a small glass of OJ and it works good. Anemia is a pain. If I don't take my pills I will be too tired to work out and sleep all day.
  • xnikki70x
    xnikki70x Posts: 3 Member
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    I had iron deficiency and had to be given two iron infusions due to my blood count being so low ....a word of warning if you take iron supplements prescribed off the Dr make sure you take a laxative .... hopevyou feel better soon :smiley: ♥

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