I think my iron levels are low but my GP disagrees - wwyd?

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

I lead a very active and healthy lifestyle and generally have lots of energy. However recently my hair has started to fall out and I do feel tired and a bit emotional esp in the evenings.

Based on MN advice (thank you!) I booked a GP appt and was pleasantly surprised to be taken seriously. The GP immediately said, might be low ferritin. She ordered full bloods.

Thing is, these have come back now and my ferritin is 18ug/L whereas it describes the normal range as 11-307. These results are flagged as normal, no follow up required.

I can obviously see this technically is in the "normal" range, but it also feels like it's right at the bottom of a very big range.

In this situation, would you pursue? Try to supplement naturally? Or just leave?

I'm really sorry to hear that

Ferrous fumarate.

Don't take it every day as your body releases a hormone afterwards which means you can't absorb it for 48 hours.

Don't take with tea, coffee or milk.

Your ferritin shoukd rise by 10 per month.

It may be “normal” but it certainly isn’t optimal. I had the same. I had palpitations, literally rolling all day, hair loss, breathlessness and I felt like death all the time. Mine was 24. I now take 2 ferrous sulphate every other day with orange juice at night and it helps but still my level was only 58 after a year of supplements.

the doctor probably won’t even see your blood results if they have come back normal, the lab stamps them as normal and the gp only even hears about the ones that require attention.

Should add I take my ferrous fumarate with orange juice to increase absorption.

https://haematologica.org/article/view/9379

Ferritin of 18 is very low. I’d be aiming for 80-100

Hi yes @EndoEndoNoNo that is where I am seeing my results! The NHS app.

I had the bloods, was told the results would come up in the app. They didn't. Waited a bit, then contacted surgery to enquire. Was told there was a glitch their end and I had to re-do some form - but in the meantime, the receptionist kindly assured me, she could see my results and the GP had put a note saying she didn't want to see me again.

I thought hmm well, that still doesn't explain why I have these symptoms, but the receptionist was getting a bit harried by this point, so I didn't argue anymore but thought, I'll look at the results in the app in my own time and then consider pushing for another appt to see if more investigations needed.

When I got the results in the app, it was flagged as 18 - normal. Normal range specified as 11-307.

How can it be different in the app for different people??

My doc recommended natural supplementation for the same reason so I upped green veg and also used Spatone. My hair grew back

That is super helpful, thanks!

Huh, I randomly burst into tears all over the place during a minor argument with DH a fortnight ago. Which is very unlike me.

Thing is , I am really happy to do more green veg but I think I likely have more than most people so not sure that is the silver bullet.

I have spinach or cavolo nero or broccoli at least once a day and often more.

I've had really low readings before and GP said they're fine - when they quite clearly aren't! Later diagnosed with CFS/ME!
Working with a homeopath to improve ferrin levels.
Take iron bisglycinate (gentler) and vit c tablets to help absorbtion.
Might be worth talking to someone properly trained to provide support as a lot of over the counter supplements are pretty low quality.

If not a vegetarian consume liver twice a week, liver is high in iron and contains all the cofactors necessary to absorb iron, such as copper, zinc and vitamin A. Lambs or chicken livers is more palatable than beef if you do not like the taste.

Eat a good quality Pate on good quality bread

Fish like mackerel and sardines, apparently frozen or tinned helps preserve the iron so an easy way to top up.

People quote leafy vegetables like Spinach but they contain antinutrients that can make it harder for us to absorb the iron which is why it's more bioavailable cooked than raw.

A Vitamin C tab or orange juice with all meals.

@Crunchymum your comment was not technically correct, the guidelines have changed and a lot of NHS trusts have yet to update the system. NICE guidelines state a low bar of 30, though it is true that until quite recently it was 11.

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff people have different results ('Normal' or not) depending how clued up / up to date your local NHS trust is on the current guidelines. They usually have a backlog of things to change and operate on the old ones for that reason. We need to advocate for ourselves - I always go to a GP appointment armed with the NICE guidelines on whatever it is I am ill with, because they don't have time to know everything. When it comes to low iron, hardly any GPs realise the impact of having a ferritin lower than 30. They will try to dismiss you, because lower than 30 you have Absolute Iron Deficiency and now qualify for an infusion (under old guidelines you would be 'a bit low'), and infusions cost the NHS about £500

You know it was literally a locum I saw a few months ago who told me if the iron is high but the ferritin is as low as mine

Then you ignore the 'high' iron reading. Iron levels apparently can fluctuate from day to day. It is the iron stores that are a constant so to speak.

This was news to me, I had previously heard that high iron, means avoid supplementation as it can be dangerous until you find out why.

But this doctor said, no still supplement because the ferritin is too low to be a false negative for low iron, if that makes any sense.

The irony was I was there for something completely unrelated and got decent advice on iron for once. Still no infusion though!

£500!

And a ton of women fit the criteria.

Yeah I see now why I'm not getting one!

Definitely buy iron tablets over the counter and consume iron-rich foods.

My GP prescribed them to me multiple times after having a ferritin level of 3 last year.

I still feel like I’m at death’s door, so I would love to have an iron infusion. My GP didn’t refer me for one at the start, so I doubt he will now.

Am not a veggie so liver is a good shout! Plus will gross the DC out as a bonus

Not giving you an infusion with a level of 3 is bloody cruel especially if you're still having periods.

3!!!!!

Do you know what your levels are now? If they are still single digit values then I would go back and push for one with a decent GP.

I cannot imagine if you had given birth and they tested and found a level of 3 that they would not have infused you.

Certainly if you had to have an operation no surgeon would operate on you with a level that low unless it was an emergency.

Dear god.

If your hair is thinning then you need to get an appointment with a dermatologist who has a specific interest in hair loss - you may have to go privately. Many women are fobbed off about their hair loss and don’t get a proper diagnosis as many GP’s don’t actually have the knowledge about it. It could be iron related - ferritin levels need to be over 70 to help hair. It could be thyroid, it could be a form of alopecia - there’s a huge amount of hair loss now being reported across all age groups. Suggest you start by looking at alopecia.uk (think that’s the right site) as there is a huge amount of information there. I know because I started losing hair several years ago was told it was age related - turns out I have two types of alopecia and where the hair has gone it could possibly have been saved if treatment had been started earlier had I not been fobbed off!

This is very very low. Most countries supplement anything under 50. The UK seems very thick when it comes to ferritin. I was ignored by doctors who said my low (but in range according to the UK labs) ferritin was fine. It really wasn’t. Go buy ferrograd tablets from the pharmacy for about £4 a packet. Take one on an empty stomach with a vitamin c tablet every morning for about 4 months then re test. You’ll feel much better once your levels are 50+ Doctors irritate the hell out of me about ferritin. They’ll brain wash you and insist it’s fine when it’s not. A bit like they do when they say you can’t be in perimenopause because you still have regular periods. It’s so thick.

I have never felt to shit when my ferritin was 15. I felt like a new person once it was back up to 70. To also put it into perspective, my ferritin was once about 90+ just before a c section. I kept a keen eye on it during pregnancy. After the c section it was 15. Not good!!!

Really!!! Crikey. Well I now have a phone appt for Thurs so I'll make sure to look up those guidelines before then

This. With bells on it.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8002799/

I still have periods, I’m 30!

My last reading was 14, but I’m due another blood test soon.

Well, I am glad I started this thread! I have learnt a lot. Thanks everyone

My husbands was the same. It dropped to 13 and they’ve offered him an IV… for 6 weeks time