I just woke up and checked my phone (because I’m addicted) and this was open though I have no recollection of clicking on it so I felt it must be serendipitous and had to answer. This might be long but I’ll try keep it bullet pointy.
I feel qualified to talk about iron stuff having suffered with it for 20 years. I recently had an operation to deal with a chronic infection and I no longer get low iron (or heavy periods - interestingly). Of course no two people are the same and I have no idea what’s causing yours or the treatment you’ve had, but maybe something here will be of benefit:
You absolutely need an iron infusion immediately if you’re iron is low. If it’s at the point you’re passing out maybe even a blood transfusion.
if you have bleeding, you need it even more.
Once it’s at the point you’re getting symptoms beyond just feeling a little tired, tablets do fuck all.
Spatone transfers better than tablets so whilst you’re waiting that’s the best thing to take. Take it with vitamin c like a glass of orang juice.
In this country there seems to be an absolute desire to ignore low iron with or without anaemia.
as a fyi, you can have low iron stores and not be anaemic. Lots of doctors don’t even seem to know this, but it will still cause symptoms so you NEED to have full iron studies checked NOT just hb levels.
My tip would be to ask your gp to include all iron tests but double check with the phlebotomist what tests have been ordered (because gps love to leave half of them off) and ask whether transferrin/ferritin is on there. When/if they say no, just say “oh the gp said it should be on so I’m surprised it’s not just in case it is non-anaemic iron deficiency.” And they’ll usually add those tests on.
another fyi, you can have iron deficiency with anaemia one time and then another time you get low iron have it without anaemia. So every time you feel these symptoms ensure both are looked for.
This is an important article which helped save me (truly) when the gps just weren’t treating me because my hb was “only slightly low”:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8002799/
You said “all that’s come back is low iron” - all of your symptoms can absolutely be caused by low iron. It can cause heart attack when too low.
also, another fyi, symptoms show in different people at different levels. So one person can have low levels and feel fine, while another can have slightly low level and be incredibly symptomatic.
I do notice you say you’ve been anaemic for years so sorry if I’m teaching you to suck eggs btw - have you had iron infusions before? If you haven’t, it’s an outpatient appointment where you’ll sit in a comfy chair, and it goes into your vein through your hand or inner elbow. It doesn’t hurt. You can just watch something or read. Lasts about 15 minutes for one bag, so the more you need the longer it will take. They usually give you tea/biscuit and soup/sandwich. And you feel better within days. It’s NOTHING like waiting 6 months on tablets for little results. But most gps will never offer it so you have to beg to be referred.
Any heavy/consistent bleeding or chronic infection can (and likely will) cause low iron. Have you had any chronic health issue or an infection that happened around before you started getting anaemic?
did the hospital not do blood tests on the spot? How long ago did you go?
I know what it feels like to feel the way you do now. It’s like you’re just leaking energy until you’ll have none left and just drop dead. And really, that is essentially what is happening. BUT you need to get back to the hospital and get bloods done urgently if you’re feeling this bad. I would go first thing in the morning.
I’d also call the gp at 8am and say you’re desperately ill and need to speak to a gp so you can fill them in on what’s happened at the hospital and have an appointment ready for you if they lose tests again or anything happens.
When your iron comes back low, you demand an iron infusion - cry, say you have a child and you’re struggling/feel like you’re dying. If they say you “probably don’t meet the criteria for an infusion”, ask them to check with the infusion team. Do not leave until you’ve spoken to someone on the team.
You have your daughter to get better for and so your choice is give up, or go. Please pick go. Get her dad to take you if you have to. No one will take your child away - you’re sick and need treatment, you’re not neglectful. But as other posters have said, you’re running the risk of passing out while she’s in your charge.
If he’s a useless twat, take her with in a taxi first thing if you need to - give her an iPad and take a charger and food. You can have bloods with her there. I know taxis are a lot but you can’t just ignore these symptoms.
Being breathless, dizzy, unable to walk more than a few paces and having palpitations is urgent unless there’s a known underlying reason. Just for some reason the NHS HATES treating people with iron issues as though they’re very ill (which they often are) and hates even more giving them infusions.
I won’t bore you with my (depressingly extensive) experience of this but I do know what you’re feeling and it can quickly get worse so get urgent medical care and use every last inch of energy to get treatment.
Good luck, you can do it! and do not let anyone tell you “you just have low iron.”