Are these normal signs of iron deficiency?

[krisskross]

A few months ago i had a blood test beacuse of heavy periods and doc said my iron stores are 14 and they should be 70! She told me to take ferrous sulphate.

i have been a bit hit and miss with it as it gives me tummy ache and its hard to find the right time to take it (lame i know), but recently i have been feeling pretty grim.

I had a migraine- first ever- 2 weeks ago and doc prescribed co codamol which did the trick.

Then last week the day before my period began i felt v tired and on one side had v heavy limbs- not pins and needles really or numbness as i could completely feel them, but very heavy. This continued through my
period on and off. Then a couple of days ago i got a headache which i still have - on the one same side, around my eyes and upper cheeks. Its sore but not horrific like a migraine.

I actually think the headache is from general worry about the heavy limbs on one side and now i seem unable to stop worrying so the headache will prob never go!!

I am seeing GP TUes, but do any of these things sound like iron deficiency. ?? (I have been googling terryfying things like brain tumours).

bump

Not sure. I had iron deficiency after pregnancy and didn't have the symptoms you describe. I was tired (although that could have been the pregnancy) and a little pale.

When I'm feeling anaemic, I get breathless and fall asleep a lot, in a really dopey kind of way, early in the evening. Also, my hair starts to fall out - it was actually my hairdresser who alerted me last time that I needed iron!

Iron is difficult to take - pharmacist can help find one that is easier on the stomach. My routine is to take it in the middle of my evening meal, making sure to get something nice and solid in before and after - pasta, rice, potatoes etc. If I start to get constipated - common problem! - then I just stop for a day or so. But if you're very low, they usually recommend a higher dose to start with and then a lower one to keep levels stable so you may have to persevere.
Don't google anything! Guaranteed to cause panic! Wait and talk to your GP and try not to stress in the meantime. Any chance of moving the appointment up to Monday if you tell the receptionist your concerns? You could also talk to a pharmacist tomorrow and see what they say, if they think headaches are connected to iron or lack of it - pharmacists are usually very good and very helpful and reassuring. (Honest - I'm not one, nor married to one! Just my experience.)

I had low iron once with incredibly heavy periods, GP told me steak was the best thing. I ignored GP and ended up with PICA (very strange) - once your iron levels are low it takes 3 months to build them back up again, so find a daily supplement that works for you.

I would worry about strange feelings down one side of the body TBH. Is Tuesday the earliest you can be seen? Could you not phone up for an appointment in the morning?

Are you on the pill BTW?

I would have said yes, 100% normal, if it hadn't been for you specifying that it's only on one side. I experienced pretty much what you described when I was first diagnosed as anaemic, including the headaches and limb heaviness (but with pins and needles and numbness, in addition to the heaviness - vit B12 related, but common to go hand in hand with anaemia) but my symptoms were not only on one side. I'd see the GP ASAP, but try not to worry about it because if you haven't been treating the anaemia, you will feel awful, and it's likely all just because of that. You need to switch iron supplement to one you can tolerate and that still gives you a decent amount of iron per day. Ferrous fumerate works for me...I still take it daily and was first diagnosed a good few years ago. It's really important you don't just ignore your iron deficiency as it causes a lot more symptoms than most people realise.

Ferrous whatsit is disgusting. I couldn't sustain it. I take Spatone instead and tolerate it fine.

Never had headaches with iron deficiency (I get it every time I'm pregnant) but I get very clammy and sleepy and lose my appetite.