vegetarian - anemic?

[star6]

Hi, I've probably not spelled that correctly, which is embarrassing! I posted something about this the other day - but I just went to the chemist (b/c dr office closed this afternoon) because my fingernails have been turning bluish grey today and feeling really dizzy at 20 weeks. The chemist said (without a blood test of course - just pulled at my eyelids a bit...) "you're anemic. you need a dr prescription for iron tablets". So I said, "well what should I do until tomorrow"
he said "eat a big steak"
Me: "I'm vegetarian"
him(chemist)...looks up/thinks...: "how about a hamburger?" totally serious!!! that gave me a good laugh!

lol

you'd be better eating lots of lovely spinach and watercress......more iron and folates in there than in a big steak anyway

you can buy Spatone in Boots which is much gentler on the system than iron tablets if you want something now rather than waiting for the results of a blood test.

Thanks! I'll pick those up in the morning. Is that specifically for pregnancy?

I also have really low bp... can't seem to ever get near a normal reading. so the dizziness is familiar but this is over the top... I felt like I might pass out a few times today (and I teach 6 year olds!!! Scary!!!!)

I think you can take Spatone at any time, but it also might be worth getting a pregnancy multivit as incresing your folic acid and B12 intake can help your body make more haemoglobin.

Lots of leafy greens as well, and drink of OJ with a meal helps iron absorption, and you should avoind tea and coffee for an hour either side of a meal

My iron levels are in my boots as well at the minute (I'm 17 weeks).

dried apricots, molasses and chickpeas are also good sources of iron

Spatone - two sachets a day in orange juice. I had a really really low iron level and got it back to normal in under a month with Spatone. Tastes horrid though.

Also you can't have milk or tea within 20 minutes of having it and have to have it on an empty stomach to maximise the absorption but yes go try it. Boots normally has it on three for two in the vitamins section, big orange boxes.

Star2 - you sound like me. Low bp, vegetarian. I'm not anaemic, though - everyone assumed I would be, but my MW said at the first blood test that I had the best iron levels of any of her women [smug smiley]!!

Everyone raves about Spatone around here and the midwives all recommend it to everyone, pg or not! It is made locally... however, it's ideal for pregnancy because it doesn't make you constipated (iron supplements can, I think), and it's fairly natural, I think. And it's safe to take even if you're not anaemic.

Now I sound like a salesperson!

star2 - am also veggie with low bp and was anaemic when pregnant. Got iron tablets on prescription and they were just brilliant, though I fell into the trap of thinking "oooh I'm better now", stopped taking them and soon felt the effects. Just one thing, the first standard issue tablets had a rather explosive effect (in a poo-ey kind of way if you catch my drift... I'd have this five minute warning sensation in which I'd need to get to the loo before all hell let loose which (a) was embarassing when using the only non-public loo at my workplace if someone else was waiting outside and (b) if I needed to excuse myself from a meeting. Went back to the GP about it and was instead prescribed Ferrograd which (as the name suggests) is a slow release tablet and had no problems thereafter. Hope you manage to get it sorted soon because it's like getting your life back

I used spatone in preferance to floradix which is great but IMO tastes even worse!

You may like this one..... Green and Blacks dark chocolate in bar or in hot chocolate form was recommended to me by my lovely midwife as a good source of iron

i use spatone -vile but less vile than a lot

feel fabulous on it actually

Dried fruits & pulses are a good source of readily absorbed iron. Eat spinach is you like it but it won't do much more your iron levels as it can't be easily absorbed.

Best to get to the Drs though as it could be something else. I took fainting spells when pg as did my mum. It was a bp thing I think. But my iron levels were fine (despite being veggie... apparently veggies manage their iron levels better according to my mw).

HALLO.
Sharon Fruit is full of iron as well and yummy too.
x

Oh yes and plain chocolate.....

Hurrah!