To find my blood results confusing? Low iron

[disappointeddino]

Hoping someone with more knowledge can help explain this to me as google is only adding to my confusion!

For some reason I've had low iron levels since haemorrhage during birth with dc1, I also have very heavy, long periods which I think adds to the issue.

Anyway the consultant advised me that my "level" (not sure which she was referring to) was 21 and the range of normal is up to 300 so I should take an iron supplement as I mentioned I feel extremely tired and no matter how good my sleep is I'm struggling by about 3pm most days.

GP said my bloods were fine at my last appointment and the receptionist has reiterated this twice to me now.

Do I insist on speaking to GP to get prescribed some iron tablets? I feel like shit and the consultant said that it would likely help. Wished I'd asked which results she was referring to but it was at that moment my dcs turned feral and I couldn't hear a word.

Could be your ferretin level? It's a measure of your iron stores. Mine was down to 5 and I felt awful. GP prescribed heavy duty iron tablets.

Just ask for a print out of your blood results, post the results, with the reference ranges, on here if you need to.

You can buy some, you don't need to get them on prescription. Cheaper to buy than pay for a prescription too.

I am pretty sure you are talking iron storage, i.e. ferritin where the 'range' is from 15 to 300. So technically, you are 'fine'. However, it is generally agreed that you need a ferritin of at least 70 or thereabouts to feel halfway human .

you iron itself may have been fine.

I had normal blood iron but low ferritin (22). I felt like death. I heavily supplemented for 3 months with ferroyse sulphate and my ferritin went to to 70. I felt like a completely different person. My periods became weaker too - apparently there is a bit of a vicious circle with low iron and heavy periods. it's not just heavy periods which depletio your iron but low iron leads apparently to heavier periods. catch 22.

GP would not prescribe me iron - it's OTC. I took on advice of the GP 3 x daily 200mg ferrous sulphate. I would speak to the GP though to get a test booked on 3 months to see if it goes up again.

I would agree that I would just request your results and then you know what they are talking about. How are your other levels and what have they tested you for? You may be low in other things too (B12 or vitamin D - my vitamin D was only borderline deficient, and I literally thought I was going to die I was so exhausted, I was sure I must have had cancer or something else that was slowly killing me).

But yes, get yourself some iron and take it. You don't need a prescription and it will be much cheaper to buy yourself.