Iron levels

[littlemissmonday]

To ask if anyone can help me with understanding my iron levels. I've had chronic anemia, over ten years.

I've had a few bouts of taking iron tablets, iron injections but nothing seems to raise it and so it's always sat at at around 8. I've always managed and it hasn't bothered me too much until now. Over the last month I've been feeling exhausted, rather than just day to day tired. I've also been experiencing really bad heart palpitations for the last year. My blood results are back and are now down to 6.

Should I be concerned, worried? Ive starting back on the iron tablets. I'm just really unsure of what it means to have dropped to 6.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

The amount of iron in spinach/kale is negligible compared to that in meat.

Your issue is likely periods + diet.

You can get iron in a vegetarian diet but spinach and kale are not especially good sources as you don't really eat that much of them - you would have to eat massive quantities to equal what you get from a tiny steak and if you think how spinach melts away when cooked, they actual quantity of iron eaten in each portion is small.

Other sources are beans, nuts, dried fruit, tofu and whole grains like brown rice - do you eat any of that?

Otherwise you need to look at your periods. Would the pill without a break be an option for you?

Minor point but there isn't actually much iron in spinach- you need about 3 whole bags just to get the same iron youd find in one portion of black pudding.

You say you have IBS... have you ever been tested for SIBO? It can cause problems with iron absorption. If your coeliac test comes back negative, I'd ask for a SIBO test next

As has been mentioned above, you need vitamin C along with your iron sources to aid absorption. This isn't the case with meat, but is with non meat sources as they are more efficient

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm awaiting my GP phoning me back.

I can't believe you ladies managing at the 2 mark! Although, I know what you mean when you don't feel like anything is different.

I actually didn't say anything to the GP about the heart palpitations and chest pain so I'm going to mention that this morning. I think it's prob worth mentioning. She really just asked about my periods, which haven't changed, although period pains are worse since giving birth, but my friends have similar and I've not been concerned about that. I'm due a smear this year but haven't had any issues with previous smear tests.

I'm going to boots this afternoon to pick up some vit C tablets.

As for my diet, unfortunately I can't eat nuts as I have an allergy to tree nuts.

My husband is quite upset with me as he thinks it's as easy as just taking the iron and that's it and I'm being irresponsible. It's hard to explain to someone that you don't really notice the difference and few fine.
Although, to the poster who said I may just be used to this feeling, that's a good observation. I do tend to just get on with stuff.

Even during pregnancy my iron levels did not increase by a whole lot when I was taking tablets.

Sorry for such a gloom post, I'm feeling a tad sorry for myself this morning! Hopefully a wee gym session will get me sorted!

Op I’m exactly the same! Although I do eat meat but for some unknown reason whenever I get blood tests (usually for other reasons) the first thing that comes back is I’m anaemic again 🙄

I can soo relate to getting used to being anaemic as I always completely forget that I have to take the tablets and I don’t feel so bad even when my iron is very low. I experience heart palpitations too, my GP has never been able to suggest why I’m always anaemic (I don’t have heavy periods)

My mum and I have severe anaemia. Sometimes it does just happen- neither of us have bad diets or heavy periods etc. In fact I didn’t have periods for many years due to mini pill and I still had anaemia! It just seems to run in our family. My Gran had it as well. My mum does have Crohn’s disease and I have Addison’s disease but neither of those thing necessarily cause anaemia- although something like Crohn’s can stop you absorbing the iron.

If you have persistent anaemia you’ll need to be on the iron tablets potentially for life. I take 3 a day long term and if my blood tests show the levels are bordering normal / high then I drop to one a day for a while (210mg ferrous fumerate).

The stuff you get over the counter and liquid iron is absolutely pointless for severe anaemia- you’d have to take about 2 boxes of it to make up the same amount as 3 ferrous fumerate.

You have to be very careful not to overdose on iron as it’s very dangerous (as I’m sure you know) so you do need to be under a specialist if it’s a long term problem. I have my blood checked every 4-6 months.

My mum has regular blood transfusions because she can’t take iron tablets well because of her Crohn’s disease.

Also, can’t stress how important it is to keep taking the tablets regularly. The body uses them to store and produce iron, if you just take a few here and there or not all the time you’ll never build up your iron stores.

I have very low iron levels and regularly have iron infusions and blood transfusions. I’m confused by your numbering though. My iron levels are currently 62, I feel awful and if I have any kind of bleed I have to go straight to hospital. I’ve always had it as a number out of 100 rather than a lower number.

I also have numbers out of 100.

My mums is always around 56ish.

I’m always about 80. I have been told it should be about 150 for a woman having periods.

Iron used to be given in single digits e.g 6, 7.5, 10 etc. However they now are given in double digits so 60, 75, 100. No idea why it changed!

I’m amazed people are walking around with levels of 2! Is that even possible? At the level I’m at now 6.3/63 I’m awaiting a blood transfusion which I should get in the next few days, have to go straight to hospital if I have any kind of bleed and am having to sleep downstairs as I can’t climb the stairs to bed.

There are two different levels. Your iron level and your haemoglobin level. You’re not actually anaemic until your haemoglobin level is low. You can have low iron levels without being anaemic. With severe anaemia you need 200mg of iron three times a day.

@Housey my doctor was equally amazed that I was walking around with a level of 2.8. The only explanation she said was that as I had been veggie for 15 years at that point, since my mid teens, my levels must have decreased so slowly over that time that my body just got used to it. I felt much better once they got up to 10, I think I never knew what it was like to feel that good so never thought anything of it!

After giving birth I was back down to 8 and honestly didn’t even notice it so everyone’s body obviously just reacts differently.

Ferritin levels are your stores- you won't be symptomatic if they're low.

So my haemoglobin levels are also low, and 1 of the four things that cake back as abnormal one the full blood count.

I've been prescribed to take iron tablets 3xtimes daily.

Sorry I do t know how to at whom I'm talking too!

The GP wasn't concerned about the heart palpitations. I guess we'll just see what the new bloods show next week!

Really appreciate all of the replies.

I had iv iron when I was pregnant. Not a blood transfusion. It was amazing, the difference in a few days.

I've been anaemic most of my life. We've been trying to figure out why for over 20 years now. Run out of conditions to blame, so I'm not allowed to come off iron tablets or go vegetarian. I've had times where I should have been sent for a blood transfusion but refused, due to needle phobia, so was given high dose iron tablets instead. I was only slightly more tired than normal at that point.

Is 6 your HB or iron ?
As iron - my DD sits at 1 most of the time and manages ok. Doesn’t require blood transfusion unless her actual HB drops. ( we have discussed iron infusion but they won’t do it as she is to young )
Her HB eventually drops below 8 about 2 -3 times a year when she then gets a blood transfusion

Housey that is your hemaglobin levels
Not iron levels.
2 very different things.

I am a chronic sufferer too but iron tablets play havoc with my IBS. I do not have coeliac I’ve been tested multiple times

I also notice my WBC count goes very low but then it goes back up to normal randomly

The culprit is heavy periods for which I had an ablation (didn’t work)
I am so used to feeling like this but this time the palpitations and breathlessness were worse than before so I have gone back on iron tablets but only 1 a day and always with effervescent vit c. Not a bit c tablet

It is true you can feel ok on very low ferritin but ok Hb. This time I have low HB not just low ferritin
Isn’t ferritin just your ‘stores?’

Ah, it must be my HB that’s 63 then. I must pay more attention to the doctor!

With an iron level if 60 surprised you are still functioning. You really do need a referral to a haematologist. That is way to lie to be caused by diet. We would transfuse of our patients were that low!

Unfortunately I have nothing really constructive to add but I had to comment as I could have written the OP!

Last tested my iron levels were 6.
Also vegetarian and allergic to nuts so very restricted diet.
Also extremely low B12 for which I'm supposed to have injections for (I have trouble scheduling appointments around work).
I've just always assumed that I'm one of these people that is just always tired/hair falls out in clumps and put the palpitations down to work stress.

Reading how shocked people are that the low numbers manage to function has prompted me to go back to the doctors.
Imagine getting home from work and not going straight to bed! Or being able to brush my hair without losing most of it!

Hoping if I list all the issues at the same time they might look into it a bit further (periods aren't a problem and have taken supplements to no avail)

Thank you for posting OP and I hope you get sorted too!