Why am I craving ice?!

[LikeACowsOpinion]

It's an unbearable craving; almost a compulsion,
So much so that I'm going through roughly 10 trays of 21 cubes a day, sometimes more.

I'm 110% not pregnant. I did crave ice when I was - but no where near this bad.

Any ideas?

It's the first thing I want when I wake up in the morning and the last thing before I go to bed. I'm always crunching the stuff.

Low iron levels?

You may be iron deficient/anaemic

Yes, it's common if you're anaemic.

The anaemia itself might be a sign of something else.

See that's what I thought.

But I have regular blood tests because I have RA and EDS and no one has mentioned it to me. Wouldn't someone have picked up on it?

Pica craving. Low iron levels.

I came on to say anemia too. Does it hurt when you swallow while eating? I ate ice when I was a teenager and could not stop but didn’t know why, eventually it started to really noticeably hurt when I swallowed and after many many tests they sent me for a barium swallow (which was vile) and it turned out that I had a web in my oesophagus reducing it to less than 1cm from being severely anaemic!!

@Chelsea26 ouch, that sounds uncomfortable!

No noticeable pain while swallowing, although it does sometimes feel like I have a lump in my throat when eating.
Hmmm, I'll have to ask my doctor to double check my iron levels.

Anaemia. I crave leather.... so I have to eat biltong like foods to help the craving. Not quite the same and can't eat leather.... But I love the smell. I sometimes Google full grain leather sofas when I'm particularly craving.... yes it's weird. But I am pregnant.....

A woman I work with eats ice. She makes it in shallow trays so it's easier to crunch on

Ask for a copy of your last blood test and see what the actual levels were. People are often told they're normal when they're not.

I came on here to say I had exactly the same craving when I was anaemic too

Very conclusively anaemia then!

@AGHHHH oh really? I'm seeing my consultant in 2 weeks time, I'll ask her then.

Thank you all.