Anemia is ruining my life

[taylor2233]

I feel TERRIBLE. In fact I don’t think I have ever felt this bad, ever. My ferritin is 5 and I am anemic. I am exhausted, irritable, weak, dizzy and I don’t know where to turn. I’m 26 weeks pregnant. My GP surgery is an absolute nightmare, I’m in the process of changing, but also my midwife won’t help as she said my GP ordered the tests so they’re responsible for treating. I went to out of hours GP the other night who prescribed iron tablets at least, but I hear it can take a while for iron to build back up on the supplements. I have contacted private hospitals for infusions such as the Spire near me but they don’t offer it, and I can’t afford the £700+ it costs for places like The Iron Clinic.

I am not ashamed to say I am really struggling. So my question is, has anyone been in this position and how did you get through it?

The recommendation I received from the obs consultant when I had similar ferritin levels worked very well: Go to Boots or a pharmacy, and ask for 200mg ferrous sulphate. It's available over the counter and costs less than £2. I was instructed to take 2 tablets per day, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. From 4 weeks of taking them it has improved my ferritin levels (bloods taken every 2 weeks). I would not recommend going for the infusion until you have tried this. Sorry that your midwife and GP have been so unhelpful.

Hey there,
if you can face it try eating beef liver cooked in butter, on an empty stomach. Easily bioavailable. Also up your red meat intake as much as you can.

Best of luck.

I had an iron infusion when about 30 weeks and it was honestly life changing. Push for one with whoever will listen

I'm 34+3 and was diagnosed with anemia last week after repeated dizzy spells and extreme fatigue plus the dentist noticed my mouth and tongue were full of ulcers and sores which is another sign of it. The PAU did some tests and sent me away with iron tablets which I've been taking for about a week now

It's not been a miracle cure but i do think they're starting to help a little

Wouldn't recommend the beef liver when pregnant, its high in vitamin A.

If your ferritin is that low, the NHS should
do an infusion before you give birth. They did for me.

Ferrous sulphate is available otc and quite cheap.

You can also buy and cook food on a cast iron pan (not coated). A small amount of iron will leach into your food.

Foods containing iron:
Red meats - beef, lamb, pork
Eggs
Tofu
Tinned sardines
Beans, lentils
Nuts, seeds
Green leafy vegetables - spinach, kale, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pak choi
Raisin, prunes, apricots (these are also good for the constipation that iron tablets can cause)

Vitamin C aids absorption of iron, so have some citrus (real fruit or juice, not citrus flavoured/ squash, etc) or tomatoes with iron-rich foods.

strictly speaking the person who ordered the test should do the prescribing but actually this is probably one time that the midwifery/obstetric team should pick things up given that it's likely to be mainly pregnancy related and if things are getting lost in the move between GPs (and normally they'd have been the ones doing the tests). Depending on the results they might think about an iron infusion now if your Hb is very low, but more usually they'd give a trial of oral replacement (but not what PP above suggested - 2x200mg FeSO4 taken at once will give most people side effects and put them off taking it). Perhaps worth talking to your day assessment unit at least to see how bad the anaemia is (is it more than just the expected anaemia for your gestation), and make a plan for monitoring your response to the tablets in a few weeks.