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To give blood to find out omit I'm anaemic

29 replies

SunshineAutumn · 04/09/2024 13:52

Phoned my GP on Monday as I'm breathless and exhausted. Suspect I'm anaemic.

Haven't been to GP for about 4 years. Was told on the phone to phone back next week to book an appointment and will be seen in 3-6 weeks.

Am I wrong in giving blood tomorrow to find out if I'm an anaemic? Is the test as accurate as a blood test.

I'm at my wits end. I hate my GP surgery!

This crashing exhaustion is affecting my life.

OP posts:
angeldelite · 04/09/2024 13:58

Just take iron tablets in the meantime.

1 x 210mg Ferrous Fumurate tablet twice a day. One hour before breakfast, one hour before dinner. Have it with a glass of orange juice as vitamin c helps absorption. Try to avoid taking it with food as you only absorb 50% of the tablet that way.

Don’t take iron tablets for 24 hours before the test as it will give a false high reading for iron.

FatmanandKnobbin · 04/09/2024 13:57

You can buy a test online for less than a tenner.

Might be quicker and less hassle than going through all the stuff to give blood.

Peonies12 · 04/09/2024 13:56

The test to give blood isn't the same as a test for anaemia. It only tells you if your blood iron is too low to donate, and the threshold is much higher than if you were anaemic, especially for women. Why not just start on some iron supplements in the meantime, whatever the highest you can get from a pharmacy, and wait?

SunshineAutumn · 04/09/2024 13:52

Sorry to find out if I'm anaemic.

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