Warts, mouth sores and low iron.

[Imfat]

Our dgd aged 17 keeps getting sores around her mouth.
GP says it's low iron so she is on iron tablets.
Last 6 months.
She is also getting lots of warts on her hands.
GP again says it's low iron. But has also given cream for the warts.
She was at college on Friday and passed out.
GP says it's low iron and has increased the iron tablets.
Today she is shaking and feeling ill.
Had an appointment for the blood results and has been told she will
grow out of these problems. Just keep taking the tablets.
Her hair is thinning, her nails are thinner, she isn't looking healthy.
Dgd mum went with her today and even she felt fobbed off.
She is quite a good eater and it's a varied diet.
Ived advised to eat liver and or drink Guinness.
Anyone else got advice or should she try another GP.

It sounds like she needs to boost her immune system in general.

30 different fruit & veg a week to optimise immunity. Plenty of fluids and sleep. Reduce alcohol. Take a daily multivit.

How are her stress levels?

If no better after a couple of weeks, go back to the GP.

I had this OP - persistent mouth ulcers, chilblains, felt bloody awful all the time. It turned out to be coelaic disease. GPs are terrible for spotting the signs but it's fairly easy to test for!

(When I stopped eating gluten, my symptoms started to disappear within a few days, and never returned).

It could be the absorption that’s the problem. Get full bloods done to check for this - Low iron absorption: May be suggested by low serum iron and ferritin levels combined with high TIBC and low transferrin saturation

What rubbish that she will grow out of it. I would try to see another GP.

and sorry to say, I’d take a man, her father as well as the mother. I’ve found that DH and DB never get fobbed off. Me and DM get fobbed off all the time.

My dc had these symptoms and got diagnosed with refractory coeliac disease after me refusing to leave the GPS until they requested blood tests (having been fobbed off for years).

Are the iron tablets working?

Some people don’t absorb them.

Even if are working, they work better taken with vitamin c (glass of orange juice) and not with dairy.

A sense check of overall nutrition might be a good idea too.

The combination of low iron and mouth sores also made me think of... coeliac.

It's an easy blood test to rule it out. Was her iron level tested at all? Could also be 'just' low iron. If her periods are heavy, she should address this.

Ps drinking Guinness to restore low iron is advice that went out in the 70s. It's not a good source of iron at all, never was.

100% needs a coeliac screening blood test.