Battling anemia

10-02-2016, 09:46 PM

Three weeks ago I had bloodwork done and found out my hemoglobin was at 8. My iron level is 14 normal value 50 to 212 mcg and ferritin was at 8 normal is 12 to 212 ng/ml. I have been on iron pills 250mg extended release for the past week. Last Thursday I passed out at work. I went to the doctor he did a stat cbc and my hemoglobin had went up .3 so its now 8.3. He attributed my passing out to a viral infection. Im religously taking my iron pill but i am not sure if my body is absorbing it the way it should be. Emotionally i am a mess. Simple things like walking a short distance leave me breathless. If i move suddenly or attempt stairs my heart starts pounding in my ears. I get dizzy and see black spots and sometimes have a constant ringing in my ears. When i lay down my legs tingle and I have to keep moving them..i cant sleep. Im craving dirt..the thought of it makes my mouth water..my nails have ridges in them and my lips are dry all the time. Just standing is a chore sometimes. Im extremely irratable and emotional all the time. Before i was diagnosed with anemia i thought i was just seriously sleep deprived because i have a large family and i work two jobs. I am also diabetic I am medication and diet controlled. I had a gastric bypass 4 yrs ago i use vitamin patches to get the vitamins including b12 that i need as my body will not absorb b12 pills. In february when my a1c was checked my hemoglobin was 11 so i figure since than its been on the downfall. I have felt this way for months. I never even told these symptoms to my dr because i figured i just needed extra sleep. I am not feeling better...evenings are the worst. I am scared if i tell my dr he will think im being a hypochondriac because i never mentioned them before. But i cannot go on like this. I just want to feel better!!!

10-02-2016, 11:02 PM

Hey,

You should look into taking something called Lactoferrin. This supplement protects the iron from the bad bacteria that try and steal it away from you as fuel and it helps to transport the Iron where it needs to be in your cells. Many times people don't absorb the iron they are taking in through food or supplements because they have an underlying infection (could be bacterial or parasitic) which would result in anemia. I am also anemic and I have been diagnosed with a bacterial overgrowth, and so this explains why I am low in Iron. As gross as it sounds, the bacteria feed on iron, and so taking iron as a supplement could potentially worsen the underlying infection and make you feel more miserable. But I really suggest you look into lactoferrin, because this isn't something that most doctors will talk about with their patients that have anemia and it could really help you.

Another thing to look into is lithium orotate. It helps with any sort of mental health issue and it helps to assist with B12 absorption.

10-03-2016, 05:27 AM

Thank you for the info. However i do not think i have the bacteria you are talking about. I really think it has to do with my surgery i had 4 years ago and my inability to properly absorb vitamins. Thats why im conerned that maybe the iron pills really arent benefiting me like they should.

10-05-2016, 05:48 PM

I had the same gastric bypass in 03. battled anemia since then, have had the lowest levels my specalist has seen. If you can find an aggressive doctor to start infussions that would be great. I never absorbed iron, take B12 shots. Now on folic acid. My anemia was maintained for all these years and now I found a good doctor to help me feel better with infussions.

Battling anemia

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