Iron levels - what to do?

[FairyCakeBump]

I'm 28+5 at the moment and was told I was anaemic before Christmas and put on iron tablets. My iron count was 10.9 then.

Last night I ended up in A&E on the advice of NHS Direct, thanks to a nosebleed that wouldn't stop. I had it cauterised and the doctor took blood to check my iron levels. My count was 8.9 and she told me I needed to come in straight away if my nose started bleeding again as I 'can't afford to lose any more blood'. She also said that if my count falls any lower, I would have to be admitted.

I'm just wondering what happens next? Should I be insisting on follow-up bloods to check my iron has risen? The doctor said it was probably so low because of the amount of blood I lost, but couldn't guarantee that. My midwife knows what happened as DP had to call her this morning to re-arrange an appointment and he explained what happened - she agreed with what the doctor said.

I'm quite breathless even when I'm lying down and having palpitations, which I know are normal with anaemia, but it's still worrying.

Would appreciate any advice and hearing other experiences.

What tablets were you given do you know? Some are more absorbable than others. Also, try taking them with vitamin C - with a glass of orange for example but not tea.

I prefer to take Floradix or Spatone as they don't make me constipated but they are both expensive and not available on prescription. I have read of lots of MNetters who also use Spatone.

In addition ask your doctor /midwife in dietary advice, particularly eating green leafy veg.

I wouldn't call an iron count of 10.9 anaemic either fwiw.

Just request a full blood count whenever you are concerned.

agree re taking iron with vitamin C - medically proven to help - and avoiding tea and other caffeinated drinks (easier said i know when you'r knacked). eat fortified breakfast cereal, wholemeal bread, lentils and red meat. every day. the cereal is the quickest way to get iron, strangely, according to research. when i went on holiday and missed my cereal and brown bread, i got horribly anaemic within days.

I was anaemic after birth of last dc and was told that it takes the body 6 weeks to get the red blood cell count up again. I hoped to bounce back really quickly, and didn't, but I do remember feeling my energy return with some force... 6 weeks later!

I took ferrous sulphate and tolerated it well, always with a source of vit c, and was very careful not to get constipated!

A great combination for vitamin c and iron is to soak dried apricots in orange juice and then eat the combination as a winter fruit salad or on top of your porridge in the mornings.

the dried apricots would also help with the constipation! i do recall that now...

I found Spatone brilliant in my last pregnancy - very easy to take and seems to work very well.

iron sulphate is the least absorbable form of iron supplementation and the only one usually available on prescription (cheapest). If you can afford to, use a different formulation; as suggested, spatone or floradix would be better, or you can get iron as iron citrate from health food shops (much easier to absorb). Definitely take with a source of vitamin C for improved absorption.

don't forget your dark green veg

spatone is fabulous

fortified breakfast cereal! i'm telling you. has one of the highest iron contents per gram of any food.

Avoid spinach though - am sure I read somewhere that there's something in spinach which binds to the iron and prevents absorption...will find a link to back it up...

Haem iron (from meat and fish) is more easily absorbed than non-haem iron (from veg and fortified foods) so you'd do well to try and have a good red meat meal during the week to boost levels, followed by your apricots in orange juice!

OK so I've looked spinach and iron levels up and eating spinach in itself won't stop iron being absorbed but the iron in spinach isn't easily absorbed because it's the oxalyic acid in it which inhibits absorption. Best to eat it with foods which enhance the absorption of iron eg:

• Meat, fish, or poultry
• Fruits: Orange, Orange Juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit and other Vitamin-C rich fruits
• Vegetables: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green & red peppers
• White wine

HTH

There are phytates in green veg that can bind to the minerals such as iron and inhibit absorption.
Cooking the veg helps to break down the phytates; eating the veg raw would not break down the phytates, so the iron would be pretty unavailable to you.
Green veg not the best way to get iron because of this but certainly should be included.

they should be checking your iron and your ferritin levels too
if necessary they can give you an iron drip

have you had problems with bleeding before?

You can get ferrous fumerate on prescription. Check your iron tablets, if they are ferrous sulphate, request ferrous fumerate (sorry if spelt wrong).