Anaemia?

[jinglybell]

Had blood tests yesterday to rule out inflammatory arthritis and got a call from the GP this morning saying I'm "quite" anaemic.

HB 10.9
Ferritin 4
Folate 4

Waiting for B12 result to come back.
I do have adenomyosis and heavy, clotty periods so she thinks this may be the cause.

I feel breathless on and off, have palpitations and a racing heart, nails are brittle as it hair which has been falling out, and I get waves of sheer exhaustion to the point I feel like I might fall asleep at my desk.

Any advice?

Have u been prescribed anything as I feel exactly the same as u but haven't been to doctors yet

I had to have an iron infusion for mine. I think I probably need another one. I'm taking iron tablets still with vit c for absorption but iron infusion is quicker.

What did GP propose to do? You need iron and folate supplements. An iron infusion would probably be best as it would be quicker. You're obviously feeling quite unwell and its not surprising.
Ask if your GP will refer you for an iron infusion or look into one privately, make sure gynae are on top of your heavy bleeding and you're getting all the help you can with that.
Hope you feel better soon OP.

Your results are near identical to what mine were, I felt so awful. I was given ferrous sulphate x 3 a day. Be easy on yourself at the moment.

You have my sympathies, that is extremely low ferritin, and sounds like you feel dire.

I would expect an infusion or iron tablets (ferrous sulfate or ferrous fumarate) will be prescribed and I would take them religiously, at the same time as some vitamin C to help absorption! Avoid calcium close to when you take them as it's an inhibitor. Look up iron rich foods too and try to cram your diet full of them (steak, spinach etc) If you can't tolerate the particular tablets (can cause digestive troubles) you're given then do try the other one.

Make sure you get another blood test booked in for 2-3 maths time to see if / how well it's working. And get a solution for the heavy periods as your doc needs to help you address the underlying cause not just the symptoms.

I have a Mirena for this reason and it's great (went from awful flooding, anemia and constant exhaustion to zero periods and got my life back), but there are various options depending on your circumstances and preferences.

Best of luck, it is not a quick road to get iron levels back up so pace yourself but it can be done!