Any body else have low blood iron levels without iron-deficiency anemia?

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,488 Member
    edited May 2021
    gothchiq wrote: »
    Intestinal bleeding... there are various possibilities. I wonder if a colonoscopy will be the next thing your doctor orders.
    Had both colonoscopy and endoscopy with no bleeds. I did swallow a pill camera about 6 months ago, but nothing revealing. So I may have to do it again.


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  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
    I have been anemic all my life, so much that while pregnant, I had to have infusions. I take a centrum complete vitamin every morning, it has 100% of the daily iron value. I also eat iron rice foods to add to , but I eat the foods that also high in fiber( i.e. spinach, oats) the fiber helps combat constipation. Plus drink plenty of water.
  • Beverly2Hansen
    Beverly2Hansen Posts: 378 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Hmm.. an odd feeling on the tongue, pain or swelling sounds more like vitamin B12 deficiency. Did your doctor also test for that? And if he did, were you off all B12 for at least 4 months? That's including multivitamins and fortified cereals. Also, how's folate? B12 levels might be normal, but if folate is too low then it won't get utilized properly.

    This is a great observation. I do not absorb vitamin B without L Methylfolate and was misdiagnosed numerous times prior to getting a saliva test that showed my B12 was low because on my own I don't absorb enough naturally. My symptoms mimic severe anemia but are in some ways worse. I had the feeling of suffocation upon waking and the back of my tongue and my throat felt odd. It is notable that I have much lower than average iron as well so they thought my symptoms were anemia related. So yeah this comment is super important for people like me.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,388 Member
    Beverly2Hansen wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Hmm.. an odd feeling on the tongue, pain or swelling sounds more like vitamin B12 deficiency. Did your doctor also test for that? And if he did, were you off all B12 for at least 4 months? That's including multivitamins and fortified cereals. Also, how's folate? B12 levels might be normal, but if folate is too low then it won't get utilized properly.

    This is a great observation. I do not absorb vitamin B without L Methylfolate and was misdiagnosed numerous times prior to getting a saliva test that showed my B12 was low because on my own I don't absorb enough naturally. My symptoms mimic severe anemia but are in some ways worse. I had the feeling of suffocation upon waking and the back of my tongue and my throat felt odd. It is notable that I have much lower than average iron as well so they thought my symptoms were anemia related. So yeah this comment is super important for people like me.

    I hope you're feeling better now <3
    The annoying thing with B12 deficiency is that if only a tiny bit gets absorbed then serum levels go up big time. But it's not enough to heal the damage. Also, the serum test only tests for all B12, while the body needs two types of active B12 that needs to be converted. The blood test doesn't show how much of that is present. It's a *kitten* disease, with doctors often having a very poor knowledge about. But it's only women that are mostly affected. So not important (sorry, being a bit cynical due to living with this for a looong time and moving frequently).
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    I went to my regular dr. yesterday for something unrelated, and I had him test my blood iron level while I was there. Got the results today, and my blood iron level, % saturation and binding capacity were within the normal limits. My blood iron level went from 42 to 113, % saturation went from 17 to 42, but binding capacity went from 276 to 267--which I guess makes sense since I now have more iron. I've only been on the Ferrous Sulfate for about a week. I was surprised it worked that quickly. The last time it was tested was back in February (about a month after a blood donation), so it's possible it had already risen before then.

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