I just visited the dr for lab results, he said that my iron count came back as undetectable. This means I have no iron in my blood. I'm new to all this. Please give me any feedback you can. Thank you.

bluiz13--Sorry that you got the unwanted news. You can post your numbers if you like and we can take a look at them. The first thing is to find out WHY, do you know that yet? Did they start you on supplements? I got this way from heavy periods, there are many different reasons but usually heavy periods. Is that a problem for you? My best advice to you is to read the threads on this board and you will learn lots of great advice. If you have questions post them and someone here will help you out. Your not alone. FLFLOWERGIRL:)

Do you know what test they ran? Was it the "serum iron" test or the "ferritin" test. It makes a bit of difference.

I was told that anything under 10 Ferritin means no iron. This CAN get very confusing. FLFLOWERGIRL:)

I was told that anything under 10 Ferritin means no iron. This CAN get very confusing. FLFLOWERGIRL:)

FLFLOWERGIRL, I was just curious if they even ran a ferritin on the original poster. She used the term "iron count" and that could just be her serum iron. Which, I'm not sure would be as reliable an indicator as the ferritin.

Christine--I agree, I was just giving the meaning of ~iron~ regarding ferritin according to my doc. And...for example, if you have a 2 Ferritin as I did, how is that counted as no iron. That confuses me because I would have a low serum iron at that time as well. The doc said that after the ferritin is gone then you pull iron from the organs. So does that iron go into circulation as serum iron? I guess not or there would always be some iron? Do I sound nuts?

I have read that you are ID if your sat% is under 20 and your ferritin is under 40. Have you encountered that as well? FLFLOWERGIRL:)

I'm really confused too!!;)

I have not read about the ferritin under 40 and iron sat % combo meaning IDA. I just know that my endocrinologist has now given me the magic number of 50 as a desirable ferritin.

I thought that ferritin was the amount of iron you have stored--be that in bone marrow or organs. Once that is depleted, your body will use of everything that you are intaking that day (which is serum iron).

The reason I question the poster's test is that, IMO, serum iron tests are a bit misleading and vary so much. I have no doubt that the poster has an issue with iron, but I'm wondering if it is serum iron (which might not be so serious) or ferritin (which would).

I am going to call the dr and ask what my ferritin and iron serum levels are and then I'll let everyone know on Monday. Thanks for the info, I don't know what levels are important and which ones are not. All I know is I feel like crap and I hope it doesn't take months to feel better. I just want to feel like my old self again. You know, the one that had energy and didn't feel like a slug.

RE: New medication ~ I didn't start taking my iron pills yet, I plan on starting tomorrow, when I'll be home all day. I'm just worried that my stomach will not react very well. It says to take on an empty stomach and not to eat certain foods 1 hour before or 2 hours after, (eggs, milk, bread, cereal, coffe, tea, etc.). Plus side effects don't seem great either. Any advice on taking these pills? Please let me know.

bluiz,

The reason they tell you to take iron on an empty stomach is because it is best absorbed that way. The other foods you listed are known iron inhibitors--they block iron.

Many doctors will tell you to start of gently with the iron and they may also tell you to *start* taking it with a meal and ease into it. When that feels okay, then try to take on an empty stomach.

It's so hard to know who will have problems and who won't Just be careful about taking a high dose iron right away, you could really mess your stomach up.

I got my iron info from my dr. this morning:

Ferritin: 3
Total Iron: 7
Iron
Saturation: 1%

Any ideas on what this actually means?

Bluiz13--It actually means that your Ferritin and Serum Iron are very low, meaning your body has almost nothing to pull from. I see why the doc said it was undetectable now. We didn't know what he meant by that before, what numbers he was looking at.

I hope that you started supplements and are having success with them. Be sure that you do all you can to absorb the iron when taking it, as Christine mentions above. How much and what type of iron did your doc prescribe for you? If you have any problems give us a shout.

Do you know a reason for the anemia? Keep us posted. FLFLOWERGIRL:)

I think this is all due to my period. It's pretty heavy, but I kind of felt that over the last 6 months it had gotten a little lighter. My gyn told me to try taking (3) ibuprofen every 6 hours and that might help, and it did. I have Lupus and they don't recommend taking birth control pills. Anyway, I just started taking Ferrous Sulfate, 325 mg twice a day. Today is my second day and so far so good, no side effects. I didn't realize how often I eat, until I started these pills! The directions say to take 1 hour after eating and not to eat certain foods for 2 hours. So I'm going to take one around 8-9pm and then one when I get up at 6am. I go back to the hemotologist on 3/4 for a follow-up.

Thanks for all the feedback! It's nice to get info from people who have been through this. I feel like I've gotten more information on this site than I got from my dr.

I thought that ferritin was the amount of iron you have stored--be that in bone marrow or organs. Once that is depleted, your body will use of everything that you are intaking that day (which is serum iron).

I have no doubt that the poster has an issue with iron, but I'm wondering if it is serum iron (which might not be so serious) or ferritin (which would).

christine; so is ferritin your stored iron? i was told pretty much the same thing as bluiz13 (that my iron was virtually non-existent but given no numbers), took iron for a couple of months, and got retested. my dr told me that my serum iron was up, but that i still had no stored iron. she said that was fine and that i didn't need to take the supplements any more, even though i don't feel any better. but you have heard that low ferritin is more serious? i am so confused!

i don't know the source of my anemia either. how can they find that out?

Bluiz13--Perhaps it is your periods. Because of the fact that you do have Lupus, you might want to check to see if that is also a possible contributing factor. Sometimes there is also more than one reason for anemia. It's great that you have had good results with the FS supplements. Good luck to you. FLFLOWERGIRL:)