Breathless

[TessaF008]

I was wondering if anyone has experienced the same things. For the past few days (started run up to my period), I've been feeling breathless at rest. I am now on my period which is heavy, and usually is, and I feel tired and breathless. I'm anemic, hb 10, ferritin 17 but I dont tolerate iron tablets well, so dont always take them.
What's worrying me is the breathless is worse when I'm lying down trying to sleep. I feel like I can't catch my breath and it takes ages to fall alseep.
I've had issues with breathless like this on and off for years. Anemia always diagnosed, but could this be a heart issue? My pulse ranges from 72bpm to 90bpm (after a big meal). I have normal/low bp. No other symptoms.

I guess my question is can anemia make make breathlessness feel worse when lying down? Google tells me it's heart failure and while I have an appointment to see the GP about this next week, it would be really good to hear from others. I have severe HA.

No medical issues except heavy periods. Slim, 41 years old.

Well ai tells me it’s your low iron u need to talk to your docs
Yes, shortness of breath can be a symptom of iron deficiency anemia, a condition that occurs when the body doesn't have enough iron to produce healthy red blood cells:

Explanation
Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's tissues. When there aren't enough healthy red blood cells, the body doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood, which can lead to shortness of breath.

Other symptoms
Other symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include:

Tiredness and lack of energy

Chest pain

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Cold hands and feet

Pale skin

Heart palpitations

Treatments
Shortness of breath caused by anemia can be treated with:

Oxygen supplementation

Rescue inhalers

Breathing treatments

Long-term management of anemia, which may include:

Selecting nutrient-rich foods

Supplementing

Blood transfusions

Bone marrow transplants

Antibiotics

Medications to suppress the immune system

@Workingclasslass thanks I know, I've read up on this but it would be good to hear from others and their experience, particularly around the breathless being worse at night when lying down and trying to fall alseep

Bump. Anyone?

Go and get checked out at the doc. I had this and it was Myocarditis. Much worse when lying down.

It could also be air hunger, which is when you have a symptom and then you are hyper aware of your breathing (which normally you don't think about) and so you feel like you should be breathing more deeply than you are and therefore end up gasping for air. It's psychosomatic and is quite common. However as your is worse when lying down I would go and get an ecg

Mine was caused by folate deficiency. Soon fixed with a GP prescription HOWEVER if your ferritin is 17 then the obvious answer is you need that dealing with first. You need to aim for at least 70 which is needed for healthy hair growth so if you don't tolerate the tablets then go back to your GP to see if they can offer anything else. Don't ignore your low ferritin.

@OldieButBaddie I looked this up and don't think it's this. I was lying down a lot today and it doesnt bother me more than when I was sitting up. Also last night, while it bothered me when trying to get to sleep, in the middle of the night after going to the bathroom, I felt fine lying down.

@AutumnFroglets does the ferrous fumerate not help with getting thr ferritin levels up? I'm going to start taking these again as my anemia is not improving.

Are you eating an iron rich diet? Can you add Spatone supplement as well?

@Analysisandparalysis I don't eat red meat and Spatone didn't work for me when I was pregnant. I had a good night sleep last night, the breathlessness didn't bother me when lying down/falling alseep this time but I still feel a bit breathlessness this morning.

ferritin 17 but I dont tolerate iron tablets well, so dont always take them.

does the ferrous fumerate not help with getting thr ferritin levels up?

You said you dont always take them because you struggle with the side effects but there are different forms as well as different dosages of iron so it might be worth a GP discussion to find one that's better suited to you rather than you not taking any at all. You really do need to get your level up by quite a lot as low levels do cause breathlessness, palpitations and fatigue.

Stop ignoring your anemia OP. If you can't take the tablets, ask your GP for another option or power through. You need to do it.

There is a company called Shield Therapeutics,that do a iron tablet think its called Accufer, that should now be available on NHS. it had a coating that makes it easier on the stomach than ordinary iron tablets, maybe have a word with your GP? They may not have heard of it but it is becoming more popular,or. they might just not prescribe it because its more expensive!