Any hematology HCP's around?

[Yecartmannew]

Sorry, this is going to be long......

I am anemic which is causing some really unpleasant symptoms including my nails flaring up at the edges and coming away from the nail beds, severe breathlessness on exertion (a flight of stairs!) along with palpitations and pins and needles in my chest and shoulders, and severe tiredness leading to inability to concentrate and mild confusion. These symptoms have been getting worse over the course of the last year or so.

The cause of this is most likely to be my very heavy and long periods. and although I am 47 I'm not showing any menopausal signs yet, so these are likely to go on for some time yet.

All this is severely affecting my life and my job.

I can't take oral iron supplements as they make me violently ill, so throughout my pregnancies (many moons ago) I had to have iron injections. Not pleasant to have but did the job.

Anyway, now apparently the GPs don't do iron injections so they referred me to my local hospital. They apparently don't do them either due to risk of Anaphylaxis so the only treatment available is iron infusions in a hospital 30 miles away that will take most of a day by the time travelling is factored in. That would be bad enough, but they have said my iron levels are not low enough to warrant this.

They have therefore suggested that I "continue to eat a diet rich in iron and come back in 4 months for further blood tests to see if the issue has resolved itself"

My questions are this:

1. Did they miss the bit where my symptoms have been getting worse for a year
2. In that case given my periods haven't stopped what makes them think I will be miraculously better in 4 months
3. Do you think a private doctor would give iron injections?
4. I feel like I am being totally dismissed. Do you agree or do think the GP has called it right?

if you managed to get through all that , thank you.

Have you explored the possibility of other treatments that could lighten your periods e.g. oral contraceptives / Mirena coil? What about a gynaecologist referral? It sounds as though you need some treatment for the heavy periods rather than just trying to top up with ever more iron.

Thanks, and I do see your point

However having been on hormonal contraception for most of my adult life I would really rather not continue with that, and to be honest the pill never did anything to lighten them, and although the Mirena did work for that i didn't really like the fact it actually made the pain worse.

It might be the only answer though I suppose.

If I could only take a bloody multi vitamin with iron I would probably be OK.

Have you tried tranexamic acid (prescribed by GP) for the heavy periods?
Have you tried the full dose of liquid iron as opposed to iron tablets. You can buy Spatone at a pharmacy. It’s easier to absorb and you tend to have less side affects. I actually found it really worked for me in pregnancy.

I had this. Insisted on a gynae referral and an endometrial ablation. Life changing. GP wanted to give me the pill or coil and I refused as didn't want hormones and associated risk. Get vit d checked as well.

A few years ago I had low ferritin, although I wasn't quite anaemic, and I couldn't tolerate any of the usual iron supplements, they gave me painful cramps and severe diarrhoea. I eventually managed to get my levels up taking a haem iron supplement called proferrin, with no side effects whatsoever. I had to ship it in from America though, and it wasn't cheap - about £30 a month back then, probably more now!