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Original poster

Tell me about Anaemia....

22 replies

BikeRunSki · 06/08/2017 17:34

Went to the GP about something else, went for a blood test, iron levels very low, went for another blood test to be sure, iron levels even lower. One of the iron compounds that should measure around 80 mg/l (I think it's mg/l) measured 5! We went through various triggers for anaemia (diet, pregnancy, menopause, accident/heavy bleeding and others which I've forgotten) and none of them seemed to apply.

GP has put me on ferrous sulphate tablets for 3 months and told me to go back for another blood test, with a view to more iron tablets for another 3 months and so on for a year.

The good news is that now I know why I am knackered all the time! Not just working and 2 primary school aged DC! And I try to keep fit.

My Q is.... will iron tablets really take 3 months or more to kick in? I've entered a 60 mile bike ride in a couple of weeks time. I'm usually more than capable of doing 40 miles, and am limited by time rather than anything else. But this weekend I'm wiped out by 7 miles with the DC!

I'm 46 but still have light, regular periods. I don't eat meat, but do eat lots of pulses, beans and greens.

OP posts:

lookatthestars · 06/08/2017 19:06

Hiya
I suffered with anemia in the past. I found iron tablets really helped me. I saw the difference in my energy levels after about a week and felt a lot better after a month. What I would say is that for if I stopped taking them I would soon feel tired etc again. I now take a low daily dose and have done for a year and feel brilliant on it.
I hope you feel better soon :)

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 06/08/2017 19:46

Thank you stars. That sounds promising!

OP posts:

Painfulpain · 06/08/2017 19:50

I've been on iron tablets for 4 months now; 210mg tid (ferritin was 7) I still feel like shit

Apparently some doctors will send you for an infusion. Mine wouldn't. Maybe worth asking

It makes me so mad, that we are expected to continue feeling like this for months and months. Would be so interested to hear of men with low iron and how they were treated

Painfulpain · 06/08/2017 19:51

Did you have a full blood count and B12...make sure they check for pernicious anaemia

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 06/08/2017 19:52

Yes I did Painful.

OP posts:

DuckWaddle · 06/08/2017 20:00

Just to say it's a good idea to check for coeliac disease if you have unexplained anaemia. I was very anaemia and had to have a blood transfusion. When I had my baby I was anaemic and iron tablets kicked in really quickly- within a couple
Of weeks I think

YellowLawn · 06/08/2017 20:09

anaemia is a symptom so in addition to supplementing you need to find the cause as well and treat it.

coeliac is a good one as are heavy periods, shit (I mean really shit) diet, bleeding sonewhere (stonach ulcer?)

BarchesterFlowers · 06/08/2017 20:21

Lifelong anaemia here (vvv heavy periods) plus pernicious anaemia.

The iron tablets you have been prescribed make me ill (nausea and constipation), if they affect you ask for something else. I have ferrous fumerate.

I would ask if an infusion would be appropriate - my doctors have always suggested it rather than the other way round.

Yes, they can take months to work.

I am struggling this summer, have today admitted to myself that I am not up to cycling in the Netherlands, leaving on Wednesday evening's ferry, only we are not! What a waste!

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 06/08/2017 21:03

I get that anaemia is a symptom rather than cause. GP said he would investigate further if levels still poor in 3 months, but nothing obvious came up when discussing usual causes. Diet is actually very good - no meat, but lots of fish,pulses, fruit, veg, grains etc....

Can Coeliac Disease come on in your 40s, with no family history of it?

OP posts:

YellowLawn · 06/08/2017 21:43

coeliacs can come in many forms. sometimes wild digestive issues, sometimes ,just, tiredness, acheyness
a friends didn t realise she had it until her mid forties. same story as often, was always tired, gp and her blamed small children and hectic lifestyle...

if you don t get on with the tablets your gp can prescribe duodenal tablets. they only dissolve in the intestines and have fewer side effects.

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 06/08/2017 21:48

I'm getting on ok with the tablets at the moment thanks. GP didn't actually give me a prescription as he said they'd be cheaper OTC. He write me down 3 different iron compounds/dosages to try, ferrous sulphate was first on the list, so that's what I got.

OP posts:

Tw1nsetAndPearls · 06/08/2017 22:32

I don't want to panic you but I want to echo the point the anaemia is a sign that something else isn't right. In my case it was bowel cancer. Anaemia was one of the big clues to my diagnosis. It is unlikely to be cancer but get it looked into.

VoodooChimp · 06/08/2017 22:55

I've just been diagnosed with anaemia, I'm also in my 40s. I can only think it's my periods that are the cause as they have got heavier but aren't too bad, I've certainly heard of worse. Just how heavy do your periods need to be for this to be a cause?

I'm taking spartone as I can't tolerate the it on tabs my GP prescribed.

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 06/08/2017 23:16

Don't know about how heavy is too heavy, but mine are getting lighter and lighter.

OP posts:

BarchesterFlowers · 07/08/2017 07:20

Mine are currently disgustingly heavy Voodoo, I use ten nighttime pads in 24 hours and leak through them.

But I have been anaemic virtually all of my adult life with using 5 super pads a day for four or five days so I guess it depends on you and your body.

Milliways · 07/08/2017 16:50

I had iron deficient anaemia recently, and GP sent me for a 2 week wait Endoscopy and Colonoscopy- which was clear and no real reason ever found. I managed to get my iron levels up to a great level within 2 months on just 1 tablet a day, by also cutting out any tea or coffee within 2 ours of a meal (tannin affects iron absorption), no calcium in my iron rich meal (body takes calcium over iron so eat the dairy stuff IIn a separate meal) and taking the tablet with orange juice and an iron rich meal midday.
2 months after stopping the tablets but still avoiding tea with meals my iron levels are holding.
I was also tested for coeliac and other stuff, as periods very light and scanty now. If anaemia returns will have a capsule endoscopy to look at the one bit the cameras can't reach.
As an aside, all the testing showed a heart abnormality, but can't see that had anything to do with anaemia.
Good luck x

DuckWaddle · 07/08/2017 17:21

Just to say yes, coeliac can come on at any age and, as others have said, can present very differently. Anything from no symptoms to severe

Helenluvsrob · 07/08/2017 19:38

Why is my initial reaction to this thread " well it's not a very good girls name is it?"

I've been on MN too long

sunnyhills · 08/08/2017 08:39

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 08/08/2017 11:14

Thanks milliways, I think that plan of action is what the GP has in mind if my ferretin levels haven't recovered in 3 months.

OP posts:

out4thecount · 09/08/2017 09:58

The reason they test in 3 months is that the life cycle of a blood cell is 3 months, therefore it takes 3 months for all your blood cells to be "new" since the last test, and therefore this is a good time to re-test. You might feel much better after a shorter amount of time though.

Original poster

BikeRunSki · 22/08/2017 20:13

I was thinking about this thread recently.
3 weeks of ferrous sulphate and, apart from a few manageable side effects (black poo and mild stomach cramps), I feel like a different woman! I did the bike ride on Sunday - smashed the 60 mile route and got up hills better than I have ridden for years. I wonder if I have been anaemic for a while then? - Although it never showed up when I was pregnant (twice) and I am a regular blood donor, so I'm sure it would have shown up before now.

Aah, that's interesting out4thecount. Thank you.

OP posts:

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