Low ferritin, normal hemoglobin but terrible symptoms.

[Wilburbug]

Hello,

I have been on iron for 4 weeks for ferritin levels of 4. However my hemoglobin was in the low side but within normal. Unfortunately I also have bad health anxiety. My main, and most upsetting symptom has been extreme breathlessness. My usual dog walks have me now gasping and the smallest amount of exertion makes me breathless and my heart pounds. My Dr said that my low ferritin alone shouldn't cause such breathlessness. Now I can stop thinking my breathlessness has another, more serious cause and could even be a cardiac issue.

My question is, has anyone else experienced breathlessness with low ferritin and normal hemoglobin?

Yes, I was very breathless with low ferritin. I'm quite fit but was on a dog walk and had to sit down on the grass I was so breathless.

I’ve got low-ish ferritin (27) but I’m not anaemic. I’m experiencing similar issues when walking the dogs! I’m not totally sure because my breathlessness could be due to my asthma. I’m also feeling pretty anxious at times, although I don’t have health anxiety. It sounds perfectly plausible that low iron reserves could be causing these symptoms. Hope you feel better soon.

I found 2 sachets of spatone every day taken with vitamin C did gradually improve my symptoms. You must not drink tea or coffee 2 hours either side of taking the spatone or eating food. Tea and coffee stop you absorbing the iron. Look up iron rich foods and get as many as possible into your diet. My ferritin was 3 and I felt like death. (Iron tablets gave me awful nausea, cramps and constipation).

My ferritin was 10 and extremely breathless, male doctor told me it was probably period and left it at that. It continued and if you don’t treat the issue where the blood loss is coming from or where the absorption is being blocked it will continue. ask for a plan for finding and treating the cause if they aren’t already incase it’s not heavy periods.

Two year old thread although advice on here still useful