severe anaemia-what can i take? really desperate

[ariane5]

I have had anaemia since 16 weeks (28 weeks now) last blood test result was 9.2.I am constantly exhausted, have palpitations, can barely get up and down the stairs, constant hunger and generally feel (and look) dreadful.

I was initially having 2 spatone sachets a day then gp changed this to 2 ferrous sulphate tablets a day, my iron levels went up a bit to 10 then 10.2 then began falling again.The main problem is that i cannot tolerate the iron, not only does it cause severe constipation but i vomit soon after taking them every time, the mw suggested a few days without them to see if it def was the iron and i was fine but as soon as i started taking them again the vomiting came back.

I changed to to feroglobin liquid iron supplement but this had the same effect-i just cant keep the iron down long enough for it to do any good.Iam eating an extra healthy iron rich diet-tons of green leafy veg/watercress/fortified cereal and red meat but nothing is working.

Im really desperate-i feel awful and iam worried what effect this is having on my baby.does anybody have any advice as to what i can do or take that might help?

Are you taking vitamin C? That helps your body absorb iron from food / supplements.

And you may already know this, but drinking tea / coffee at the same time as eating food with iron in can make it harder for your body to absorb iron.

This might be a silly suggestion, but can you take tablets in halves or quarters at a time so they don't make you as sick (hopefully) ?

I am not taking a vit c supplement but always take the spatone/ferrous sulphate with orange juice.Gave up tea and coffee at beginning of pregnancy (i used to drink gallons) as it made my ms even worse.

It wasnt too bad the first few weeks taking the iron but the last month or so i just cant keep it down it feels almost as if its really irritating my stomach-i have had bad heartburn too so wondering if that is part of it.If i dont take my iron i feel rough but can function, every day i take it though i just cant stop being sick.Mw just keeps saying to persevere or try the liquid one which seems to be just as bad.

Firstly, you have my sincere sympathy because I was anaemic too and was ridiculously tired.... however you sound like you have it much much worse than I did (and I was lucky that ferrous sulphate did the trick)!

Secondly, don't worry on the baby's account. I am pretty sure that babies will 'leach' all the nutrients they need from their mum when in utero, so your baby will be totally fine whereas you will feel awful (sorry).

Thirdly, have you seen a doctor about this? Surely you can't be the first severely anaemic pregnant lady - there must be something else the medical profession can offer you. IMO a doctor would be more likely than a midwife to have the power to prescribe a heavy-duty remedy, as it sounds like you need one.

Lastly - this might sound a bit odd, but don't take any iron supplement at the same time as drinking milk or having a cup of tea. There are different (natural, harmless) components in both milk and tea which can bind to iron and make it less available for your body to absorb. Taking your supplement with lunch or dinner might be a better idea as most nutrients are better absorbed on a full stomach (I did a research project on iron once so I'm pretty sure about this bit)!

Good luck, hope you feel better soon xx

oops, x-posted there...

the tablets are teeny little shiny things i could try and cut them but they have some kind of coating on that i think might be hard to cut.

have also suffered for many years with anemia. Have you tried Floradix? It is an all natural liquid with good iron levels and no side effects. You can buy it in some health food shops ( I bought some this morning - my 13 year old ds
finds it helps too ). It ain't cheap but it's worth a try (£16 large bottle)

hugs x

thankyou i will try the floradix, anything is worth a try iam really starting feel dreadful-i had no idea anaemia could make me feel this unwell even my breathing seems to be affected iam so so breathless after just going upstairs and picking dcs up from school had become a huge task that i just couldnt manage.

thanks for all the advice x

There shouldn't be a reason why you can't have the spatone too? I have been switched from ferrous sulphate to ferrous fumarate as the FS was given me stomach cramps and was awful, the fumarate has been much much better. I hope you find something anaemia is awful!

I used floradix on the advice of a private midwife who recommends it to all her pregnant ladies. It is non constipating so I would try that. You can get it in tablet or liquid form. I was worried it would taste rank but it's palatable and you can mix it with juice if you really don't like it.

Do a bit of research into dietary things that stop iron absorption. I think that caffeine stops it for instance. Ask your GP if you can go back to the spatone, but also have a very regulated diet, eating the right things and avoiding the wrong ones and taking any extra supplements if necessary? Your GP shouldn't just be accepting that you are vomiting up your medication, this needs sorting, so see a different GP if necessary.

Yes - I would say definitely ask to be changed to a different type of iron pill. I was on one (I think ferrous sulphate) and went back to the doctor as it made me feel sick and he put me on a different one. You can top it up with spatone/Floradix I would imagine (ask doctor) as the iron levels in these products are much much lower than in the tablets the doctor will prescribe. Hope you feel better soon.

I did not tolerate ferrous sulphate and after a miscarriage last year ended up requiring an iron infusion. In this pregnancy I have been using ferrous fumarate and it's not nearly as bad. I still get constipated but nothing like with the sulphate form. It comes in liquid and tablets from the Dr. My Consultant also suggested Floradix.

thankyou everyone-I have got some floradix so am going to try that and have appt mon to see gp, I think the worst bit is just the worry that somehow the baby will be affected by my anaemia I feel so awful it's hard to imagine that it wont affect him.I can barely even breathe today-getting up the stairs is a major struggle.

Had some more spatone too so hopefully that will get absorbed even if its just a little bit.

If you are really struggling to breathe you need to get medical advice sooner rather than later. An HB of 9.2 isn't THAT severe, so there may be other problems? If you can genuinely not get up the stairs without a major struggle you need to get urgent advice.

Hope you are ok.

PS Sorry, that sounds as though I'm belittling your anaemia - I'm not, I know it's grim. I'm just worried that it may be something worse which you are just dismissing as anaemia! Take care.

toomuchcheese-don't worry I know you didn't mean it like that ! I have kept telling the gp/mw how out of breath i get going up stairs etc and how bad my palpitations are but they keep telling me it is the anaemia so I guess I was just trusting what they had said.

I have an appt mon so will ask again, Iam a bit worried today has been terrible so far if i sit down i fall asleep and every time i have been upstairs i have to sit down to catch my breath and wait for my heart to stop racing.I look grim too-pale as a ghost with awful dark rings round my eyes.

I have started the floradix and yesterday had 3 sachets of spatone as the 2 do not seem to make any difference at all.I am just thoroughly fed up of feeling so rubbish, Iam really struggling

Cheese some people feel the anaemia worse, my iron level was about 11 but I just don't cope with it, my pulse was racing and I felt like poo and still do now it is 11.5. My GP just said some people tolerate it better than others. I would be in trouble at 9.2! When I was 10.8 I kept getting dizzy and faint. It really can effect people very differently. You have my full sympathy OP!

Also, the baby takes the best of everything so don't worry about them :)
Try and rest as much as you can and keep complaining and getting your levels checked as you might need more help with it.

my Hb was 7.2 after a severe post partum haemorrhage and i felt reeeally rubbish, could not tolerate any form of iron tablet or liquid (i tried them all) I switched my diet up a bit, ate lots of red meat, 3 bowls of fortified bran ceral a day with a glass of orange juice and no tea or coffee around meal times. my Hb was up to 11.3 by my 6 week check :) If i remember right I also continued to take my pregnancy multivitamins as i had quite a few left i think.

Hope you feel better soon hun, anaemia sucks x