Anemia
Francl27
Posts: 26,371 Member
Got my blood work results and it's all good except I'm anemic... again. And that was taking my blood 2 weeks after my period, and after eating beef for 3 days straight.
Sigh. Advice?
Sigh. Advice?
0
Replies
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Doctor. Anemia caused by diet is easily treated, but anemia is also a symptom of other health conditions that must be eliminated. On the diet front, use a parsley pesto that has some acid in the preparation. Avoid calcium rich foods (and obviously calcium supplements) on the same meal you are trying to get iron.1
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eugenia94102 wrote: »Doctor. Anemia caused by diet is easily treated, but anemia is also a symptom of other health conditions that must be eliminated. On the diet front, use a parsley pesto that has some acid in the preparation. Avoid calcium rich foods (and obviously calcium supplements) on the same meal you are trying to get iron.
Yeah I have my follow up in 2 weeks anyway. But when I had anemia before (4 years ago... before I lost the weight), she didn't really give me much in term of advice.0 -
Supplemental iron with vitamin c is what I take when my iron is low. 1-4 times daily, depending on your numbers. I have iron deficiency anemia due to an autoimmune condition and that is what my doctor recommends when I have a flair. I took it daily for years and years before I got my disease under control.
You do need to find out what the underlying cause is though. It's not usually a stand alone disease.1 -
I had anemia through most of 40s due to heavy periods. Now that I am menopausal, no more problems.
What worked for me was iron supplementation. I used one called Natural Factors Iron Chelate that did not bother me at got the job done.
You will either need to supplement or do something about your periods. Now if you periods are not heavy, you might have to investigate further, but most likely it is the periods. For me, I couldn't get enough iron through my diet to correct it.1 -
I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.1
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Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
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Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
Well, that's pretty much the complete opposite of her. Have you googled high iron foods? Add a heap of them into your diet daily and see if it helps.1 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
Well, that's pretty much the complete opposite of her. Have you googled high iron foods? Add a heap of them into your diet daily and see if it helps.
Yeah I have. I track it on MFP (I'm aware that a lot of people don't enter Iron in their entries, and I don't always double check) but I can't seem to be able to reach 100%, ever. Maybe it's time to eat more chocolate
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I just went and checked my iron for the last week, I average around 20%. But hardly any of our food labels list iron, so i really have no idea how much I'm truly getting.0
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What was your hemoglobin? I went from a 13.6 to a 10.5 in less than 2 months and it took me another 2 months to get to 12.5. I'm not the biggest meat eater though and I hate spinach. Unfortunately supplements hurt my stomach.0
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Try drinking orange juice or something high in vitamin c when you eat high iron foods as it helps with absorption.
I became severely anaemic due to a chronic health condition which caused internal bleeding. Couldn't tolerate supplements as they destroyed my gut. I managed to get my levels back to normal by eating liver (yuk -hate the stuff),steak and other foods high in iron.
As I think someone else has already said, you may need to get your ferritin and b12 levels checked as well.1 -
I gave up trying to control my anemia with food or supplements. I seem to have some malabsorption issues (doctor's rather dry comment when I presented my food logs. I LOVE red meat) and the supplements just make me throw up. So now I just go in roughly every 6 months for a blood test and an infusion. I can usually tell it's time to go when the stairs up to my office seem an insurmountable obstacle (that's one floor to go up...)1
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What was your hemoglobin? I went from a 13.6 to a 10.5 in less than 2 months and it took me another 2 months to get to 12.5. I'm not the biggest meat eater though and I hate spinach. Unfortunately supplements hurt my stomach.
I have no idea, going to have to ask the doctor. I get issues with supplements and vitamins sometimes too (I was that woman who threw up her prenatal vitamins every time). Same for ferritin and b12.ladyreva78 wrote: »I gave up trying to control my anemia with food or supplements. I seem to have some malabsorption issues (doctor's rather dry comment when I presented my food logs. I LOVE red meat) and the supplements just make me throw up. So now I just go in roughly every 6 months for a blood test and an infusion. I can usually tell it's time to go when the stairs up to my office seem an insurmountable obstacle (that's one floor to go up...)
That's the thing though, I've been generally completely fine. I have plenty of energy, I walk a lot... Yeah, once in a while I'm really tired and don't feel like doing anything, but it doesn't happen much...0 -
That is really odd. Everyone I know who suffers from anemia (that's about 4 of us if you want the statistical sample) report the over the top exhaustion.1
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ladyreva78 wrote: »That is really odd. Everyone I know who suffers from anemia (that's about 4 of us if you want the statistical sample) report the over the top exhaustion.
I was that way before I lost the weight too, but I also had really heavy periods.1 -
My ex-wife was anemic. I introduced her to eating chicken livers and hearts couple times a week. Healthy, delish and nutritious. Try that once a week or so.
I actually like liver (I've only tried veal though and that was 25 years ago), just can't find it anywhere. And wouldn't know how to cook it, lol.0 -
I was actually hospitalized over Thanksgiving due to severe anemia. I was feeling weak and tired for a couple of weeks, but dismissed it because that's what I do. LOL By the time my husband insisted I go to the ED, I was so anemic that I was wheezing and it was affecting my heart. My hemo level was a 4 and normal is 12-16. I had 4 blood transfusions while I was inpatient. Every doctor I saw was like "you dodged a bullet". I take crazy iron supplements now but I'm still not at a normal level (last blood draw had me at 9.2). Anemia is no joke, man. Ferro-sequels are my new best friend.1
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AngryViking1970 wrote: »I was actually hospitalized over Thanksgiving due to severe anemia. I was feeling weak and tired for a couple of weeks, but dismissed it because that's what I do. LOL By the time my husband insisted I go to the ED, I was so anemic that I was wheezing and it was affecting my heart. My hemo level was a 4 and normal is 12-16. I had 4 blood transfusions while I was inpatient. Every doctor I saw was like "you dodged a bullet". I take crazy iron supplements now but I'm still not at a normal level (last blood draw had me at 9.2). Anemia is no joke, man. Ferro-sequels are my new best friend.
I can relate. My serum iron was undetectable for almost a year and my normal hemoglobin level was 8 but it dropped to 6 on many occasions. I was getting regular iron infusions at the time. I had quite a few blood transfusions as well but it didn't get up to 100 until my Crohn's was stabilized. Definitely no fun!2 -
ladyreva78 wrote: »That is really odd. Everyone I know who suffers from anemia (that's about 4 of us if you want the statistical sample) report the over the top exhaustion.
At my worst I could barely walk upstairs without having to stop and get my breath back! It's what sent me to the doctor- I honestly thought I had a heart problem!0 -
Did the doctor tell you it was iron deficiency anemia? Anemia could also be related to deficiency of vitamin B12.1
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corinatolamaa wrote: »Did the doctor tell you it was iron deficiency anemia? Anemia could also be related to deficiency of vitamin B12.
Yeah it's always been low iron.0 -
Surprisingly many women hover around 11. Many people get used to being anemic that they aren't tired because it is a baseline for them. Usually hgbs 9-11 aren't very tired when they're used to it.
A hgb of 4 is a definitely exhausting.
When I had my tonsillectomy when I was 12 I hemorrhaged and lost a great deal of blood. I was in the hospital for a week and they didn't want to transfuse a 12 year old that was no longer bleeding in a small hospital. I went home and had to lie on the floor after taking a shower I was so exhausted.1 -
Surprisingly many women hover around 11. Many people get used to being anemic that they aren't tired because it is a baseline for them. Usually hgbs 9-11 aren't very tired when they're used to it.
A hgb of 4 is a definitely exhausting.
When I had my tonsillectomy when I was 12 I hemorrhaged and lost a great deal of blood. I was in the hospital for a week and they didn't want to transfuse a 12 year old that was no longer bleeding in a small hospital. I went home and had to lie on the floor after taking a shower I was so exhausted.
Yah, the morning I went to the ED, I couldn't even lift my arms to wash my hair in the shower. I had to get out and sit on the toilet to catch my breath. LOL And I STILL thought I could make it into work. Wimmins are crazy.1 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
Well, that's pretty much the complete opposite of her. Have you googled high iron foods? Add a heap of them into your diet daily and see if it helps.
Yeah I have. I track it on MFP (I'm aware that a lot of people don't enter Iron in their entries, and I don't always double check) but I can't seem to be able to reach 100%, ever. Maybe it's time to eat more chocolate
Many cold cereals have lots of iron. I take a one a day with iron (check labels - look for the child proof cap). Stand alone iron supplements have huge daily %'s.1 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
Well, that's pretty much the complete opposite of her. Have you googled high iron foods? Add a heap of them into your diet daily and see if it helps.
Yeah I have. I track it on MFP (I'm aware that a lot of people don't enter Iron in their entries, and I don't always double check) but I can't seem to be able to reach 100%, ever. Maybe it's time to eat more chocolate
Many cold cereals have lots of iron. I take a one a day with iron (check labels - look for the child proof cap). Stand alone iron supplements have huge daily %'s.
Yeah I typically don't eat cereal though. Bleh, maybe I should. Don't know if I want to spend the calories on it though.0 -
I feel your pain. Unfortunately, I just don't absorb iron and have to have iron infusions once or twice a year. *sigh* And none of my doctors seem to care to find out WHY I am not absorbing iron.
One suggestion is to pair your iron with Vitamin C. It helps absorption. And don't take around calcium. That blocks absorption.1 -
I feel your pain. Unfortunately, I just don't absorb iron and have to have iron infusions once or twice a year. *sigh* And none of my doctors seem to care to find out WHY I am not absorbing iron.
One suggestion is to pair your iron with Vitamin C. It helps absorption. And don't take around calcium. That blocks absorption.
So a bowl of cereal, with milk is a no go?0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I feel your pain. Unfortunately, I just don't absorb iron and have to have iron infusions once or twice a year. *sigh* And none of my doctors seem to care to find out WHY I am not absorbing iron.
One suggestion is to pair your iron with Vitamin C. It helps absorption. And don't take around calcium. That blocks absorption.
So a bowl of cereal, with milk is a no go?
It probably wouldn't be as good as, say, eating dry cereal.
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
Well, that's pretty much the complete opposite of her. Have you googled high iron foods? Add a heap of them into your diet daily and see if it helps.
Yeah I have. I track it on MFP (I'm aware that a lot of people don't enter Iron in their entries, and I don't always double check) but I can't seem to be able to reach 100%, ever. Maybe it's time to eat more chocolate
Many cold cereals have lots of iron. I take a one a day with iron (check labels - look for the child proof cap). Stand alone iron supplements have huge daily %'s.
Yeah I typically don't eat cereal though. Bleh, maybe I should. Don't know if I want to spend the calories on it though.
You can use cereals in different ways. For instance, you can crush them and coat meats to oven fry them. Some might even hide nicely in smoothies if you have a good blender. If it isn't sweetened, I'd even consider putting it on a salad. Mmm...steak and grape nuts salad...
Personally, I had a kidney transplant 16 years ago, and the immunosuppressants work in the bone marrow and prevent the body from making blood. After blaming depression and switching migraine meds, I got in with some good doctors who sent me to the ER as soon as they saw my bloodwork! That was my second blood transfusion (rare kidney disease + being a woman = not enough blood ever! Some days I want to go back in time and punch my mother for every time she called me lazy, since I was peeing blood by the time I was 6...). For the past 2.5, I have received Procrit injections every 2 weeks, and will for the life of the kidney. Still haven't hit 12 for my hemoglobin.1 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I'm not saying this is the cause for you. But my daughter in law was recently diagnosed as severely anemic, which doesn't surprise me one bit, as she eats NO fruit/veggies and very rarely eats red meat. All in all her diet sucks (and consists of mainly junk food and packaged stuff), and the doctor pretty much told her this. Her's is so bad that she feels she needs to take a nap after doing something simple like hanging the washing out.
I actually haven't felt tired much at all, and I'm walking 15-25k steps a day too. I eat pretty balanced too
Well, that's pretty much the complete opposite of her. Have you googled high iron foods? Add a heap of them into your diet daily and see if it helps.
Yeah I have. I track it on MFP (I'm aware that a lot of people don't enter Iron in their entries, and I don't always double check) but I can't seem to be able to reach 100%, ever. Maybe it's time to eat more chocolate
Many cold cereals have lots of iron. I take a one a day with iron (check labels - look for the child proof cap). Stand alone iron supplements have huge daily %'s.
Yeah I typically don't eat cereal though. Bleh, maybe I should. Don't know if I want to spend the calories on it though.
You can use cereals in different ways. For instance, you can crush them and coat meats to oven fry them. Some might even hide nicely in smoothies if you have a good blender. If it isn't sweetened, I'd even consider putting it on a salad. Mmm...steak and grape nuts salad...
Personally, I had a kidney transplant 16 years ago, and the immunosuppressants work in the bone marrow and prevent the body from making blood. After blaming depression and switching migraine meds, I got in with some good doctors who sent me to the ER as soon as they saw my bloodwork! That was my second blood transfusion (rare kidney disease + being a woman = not enough blood ever! Some days I want to go back in time and punch my mother for every time she called me lazy, since I was peeing blood by the time I was 6...). For the past 2.5, I have received Procrit injections every 2 weeks, and will for the life of the kidney. Still haven't hit 12 for my hemoglobin.
Ouch,that sucks!0
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