Low Ferritin

[rubyslipperss]

Hi I've read through a few threads on here as I have low ferritin - it's 28 , it came up in my NHS app.I think it's always been a bit on the low side but feeling really fatigued , going to bed after work, can only work part time etc ,not able to socialise unless I've had a rest , day off etc . Palpitations , hair thinning, headaches. Feel generally rubbish . So fed up, I cried when I went into surgery to ask for blood tests.

I've called my GP surgery to discuss but the receptionist said it might not be looked at for a week. I'm worried it will be dismissed . All other bloods fine including thyroid , though they didn't do full screen , and Hb, folate, B12 all ok just the pesky ferritin .

Should I start taking iron supplements anyway ? I've seen some gentle iron on Solgar website.
I've read on here that you should only take iron every other day . Can anyone advise ? Thank you .

Poor absorption from supplements really should mean time for an infusion, that's how it works in my country. Bit stupid to keep throwing tablets at someone if they're not absorbing them.

Exactly

Im trying to get a gastronenterologist on board.
Due to fertility consultants advice

My feretin - only 31

:(

Dya have your results yet

Yes I have the results; sent to a different hospital to the previous set and not all reference ranges are the same.

New results are

• Hb 124 (RR120-155)
• MCH 26.7 (RR28.0-33.0)
• ferritin 15 (RR30-200)
• Anti intrinsic factor antibody - negative
• PTH 6.7pmol (RR 1.6-7.2)
• Calcium 2.31mmol/L

Was told they were repeating the B12 levels but they haven’t come through and I can’t see it on the list the GP was asking for.
Surgery have recorded all results as “normal; no action required” even though the hospital results state “outside reference range, confirms iron deficiency” for the ferritin level. Have had a text from surgery to book a routine appointment in next 2-4 weeks. Oh, and I was told that a qfit wasn’t necessary!

Also been reading up about low ferritin levels on NICE website and saw that, having an infection can make interpretation of results difficult as it can increase the results; and, as I was unwell (have been poorly for last 10 days but GPs always just say “viral” irrespective of symptoms - sore throat, cough, green phlegm) on the day bloods were done, that results may have been affected.

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-iron-deficiency/

I have an extra fertility appt tomorrow to discuss the low feretin result

Good luck - hope all goes well and you get some answers/a plan of action going forward xx

Thanks so much

Are you going to retest your bloods next month?

I’ll send a triage form for an appointment over to the surgery tomorrow and see what they give me. I might ask that they repeat the bloods again due to being unwell when they were done last week and see what they say - they can only say no can’t they!!

Yep .
And if they did say no - you could maybe get them done privately?
But hopefully theyll be helpful

Its a shame you dont work at my drs surgery

B12 was thankfully ok
And full blood count was ok

But feretin - far from it

Gosh that ferritin is very low, drives me mad they say it's normal 😞

Someone on mumsnet somewhere posted saying a dr told her to eat 8 dried apricots a day and it worked for her

It was 6 when it was tested 5 weeks ago; but nothing was said about the ferritin levels as they were more “concerned” with my Hb being 117 (ref range 118-148) and my B12 being 178 (ref range 190-883) and wanting to have anti intrinsic factor antibody test done before starting treatment for pernicious anaemia (that was negative).

And I’ve no idea if I’m symptomatic or not because if it at the moment as there are lots of things that could be down to low ferritin but could be other conditions I have!!

I don't think I'd do much good working there - not sure my particular skillsets are much use in a doctor's surgery!
I'm just a patient with experience of getting infusions, though in my case they went straight to infusion because I explained I couldn't tolerate oral iron (though tbf my ferritin was really low at 4, and my Hb was 80, just on the border of needing a blood transfusion so they might have opted for an infusion even if I could tolerate oral iron) but I looked up the criteria out of interest and saw poor absorption was also a reason for infusion.

@worldwidetravel2017, I put in the total triage form and, on it, put what I had read about illness affecting blood results and possibly increasing levels of ferritin so they’ve now decided to book me in for repeat bloods in a month’s time!!

Im suppose to be getting iron iv
One of my consultants asked for it for me

That's good, it should help lots. I just got my bloods checked 3 months after my infusions - ferritin is at 109 which is amazing, and haemoglobin at 131.

I hope they sort it out.

I’ve now been told it’s likely I’ll have surgery for bile reflux in mid November; the team doing it are the ones who originally requested the bloods. Hopefully, if my levels are low again (last time they were checked before this episode my ferritin was 9 but no one did anything) they will do something about it.

Fingers xed for you

Iron iv tomorrow am for me

Ace :)

Good luck!! Next bloods for me on 16th October!

Thank you.

Keep us updated

Will do. If the bloods are similar to the first lot again, with low ferritin and MCV but nigh on normal Hb, I’m going to ask them to do coeliac screening bloods and FIT test.