Is it normal to feel this awful with anaemia

[HiyaCathyy]

I’m just wondering if anyone can help who has been in diagnosed with similar low numbers. Tested in summer as I felt knackered all the time, achey, limbs felt like lead. Ferritin was 5, haemoglobin 110.
Tested a week ago and they are at 8 and 125. I still feel awful, tired when I awake, achey like I am about to get the flu all the time or something and a racing heart.
I can’t concentrate on anything. Do I just keep taking the prescribed iron and this will slowly go up? Gp didn’t say much except it will take a long time.

I’m off work today as I can’t function. Anyone else had numbers at this level and how long did it take to feel okay? Thank you.

I had a low ferritin and felt sure I was dying. My limbs feeling weird was one of the worst symptoms but all the GPS I mentioned this to just looked bemused.

I feel so much better after months of iron and diet tweaks but I can feel my levels drop with a heavy period etc and it reminds me how ill I felt before.

Yes to the weird limb feeling, in the summer I just felt like I was dragging myself around and also had awful restless legs at night. So no sleep on top of this sodding stuff. Do you mind me asking what they suggested for the heavy periods @jinglefails I’m not sure whether mine would be classed as heavy, although they have gone a bit crazy this year and I usually have one day of flooding.

Low ferritin here, I have monthly iron injections but it never seems to go up. If I leave it too long to have an injection and have a couple of heavy periods then I get even more breathless, dizzy and really irritable, emotional and angry. Weirdly I also crave ice cubes desperately, a few days after the injection and the craving disappears.

@HiyaCathyy

Yes to the weird limb feeling, in the summer I just felt like I was dragging myself around and also had awful restless legs at night. So no sleep on top of this sodding stuff. Do you mind me asking what they suggested for the heavy periods *@jinglefails* I’m not sure whether mine would be classed as heavy, although they have gone a bit crazy this year and I usually have one day of flooding.

They suggested Mirena coil which I declined so went onto the mini pill. Absolutely fantastic for me.

Thanks @JingleFails I will ask the gp after the next test. I’m glad you’re feeling better on it.

@appleoftheluck yes I had irritable days, usually when I felt most fatigued. At work I would feel so tired I would go and hide and cry and go back to work. Embarrassing but I felt so rough.

There are so many types of anaemia. I cannot absorb B12 so have regular injections and also need to take folates and lots of other vitamins and minerals on prescription. I have my bloods taken every four weeks and have iron infusions when necessary. I know when I need one as I’m bone achingly tired, have restless leg syndrome and an awful metallic taste in my mouth.

Ooh just to say taking the prescribed iron and also b12 that I bought and I feel loads better already, is it normal that my hair looks better this quickly?! It’s stopped coming out in clumps and looks thicker at the scalp already. Restless legs are gone !

did your labs come back within the lab range? my ferritin was 27 in January in April raised to 47 from taking spatone then from until until July it raised to 76 I was feeling more energy caught covid now all my symptoms are back
breathless
chest pain , restless legs, pale eyelids, shaky , sprw dry cracked lips the list goes on but all my results come back in range so doctor won't treat me

Glad to hear iron helped you feel better OP. I don’t know much about ferritin. Is a level of 22 on the low side? I’ve been feeling tired and having palpitations although the palpitations seem to be better now. Doctors said it wasn’t necessary to treat.

yeah a level of 22 ferritin is on the low side I joined a group on Facebook and they're so good it's called the iron protocol... I think mine has dropped again because I've been having chest pain , palpitations , breathless, hair shredding, circles round eyes, lower eye lids and nails are abit pale too, joint and muscle pain, restless legs and lightheaded I didn't know low ferritin could cause all these symptoms it's crazy

How much iron are you taking? I was on 4 tablets a day for 4 months then 2 for 2 months and now I’m on 1 a day forever more (until ferritin gets consistently higher). Mine was 6 and I was exhausted. First gp told me it was parenthood having twins (nope low ferritin - thank you gp number 2). After 6 months I was up to 24 and felt amazing.

You can have an iron transfusion straight into your blood so in your position I’d ask for that.