Is it normal to be this tired!?

[Sunshine3726]

I have been suffering with severe fatigue, anxiety, weird heart flutters, constant mood swings for quite some time now.

Last week I finally made myself go to the doctors to get bloods taken and they have posted the results on my NHS app and said to have a phone call apt with doctor this week however I just feel I get fobbed off and need to know if I am being unreasonable!

The results that are showing low:

Serum Ferratin: 10ug
Transferrin Saturation Index: 8%
Serum Folate: 7.5

If anybody has any advice it would be so welcome! X

Nice guidelines say to treat ferritin under 30.
No wonder you are having palpitations, anxiety and are exhausted!
I hope you feel better soon

Thank you! I kept thinking it was all in my head and I am just tired from general life/work but it is a different type of exhaustion! I am hoping they take me seriously when I go back tomorrow as I’m really struggling now x

My ferritin went down to 6 and I couldn't function! Anything below 20 and I'm symptomatic. You should be offered a tablet iron supplement, or advised to buy one over the counter (which will be cheaper if you pay for prescriptions) which typically take a few months to work, but will make you feel better eventually! You can take them with orange juice for better absorption.

@onlyhereforthefood thanks. Is taking iron the only thing that helps?

Please don't let your GP fob you off. No wonder you feel awful with those results. Is your Haemoglobin ok?
You may find this paper useful
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8002799/

@helleborus Thanks so much. I am no medical professional so not really sure but from these I think a little low? Would this also be making me feel bad?

I am wondering if your thyroid levels have been checked because if that is out of sync it can cause physical problems like you are describing.

@AttilaTheMeerkat I believe this is the thyroid part of it?

I'm not a medical professional either, but have had issues with iron deficiency for decades and sadly have had to read up on it to try and help myself. There's another thread running yesterday discussing the NHS and blood results that you might find interesting.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5152232-to-wonder-why-the-nhs-has-such-a-high-threshold-for-blood-work

Your haemoglobin looks ok, although at the lower end of 'normal', so it looks like you have iron deficiency without anaemia. Your GP should look into why you are so deficient though. It can be due to heavy periods but also many other possibilities.

I'm not sure about the other 2 results. I hope you see a good GP tomorrow.

I've been suffering with extreme fatigue and unfortunately all my bloods came back normal 😪

I've just put it down to bad sleep and not enough exercise.

On the iron front I always had quite low iron in my 20s/30s and was anaemic a couple of times. The thing that fixed it for me the last couple of years has been to increase my protein Intake. If you are not vegetarian then things like chicken, beef, plus non meat sources like beans and lentils etc. Last couple of tests GP said they were really good. Aiming for about 80g a day I.e. around 20g per meal minimum. Although they say 55mg a day is sufficient I think it takes a while to build up stores.

The other thing is electrolyte balance so making sure you have plenty of fruit and veg. I've tried drinking more water but the quality of water is so bad it makes me more thirsty - but herbal tea, fruit, veg, water with Cucumber and lemon etc., filtered water.

Thanks everyone, I am really struggling. Even the smallest tasks like going to take a shower feel like a mammoth job. It's good to know I am not imagining all of this!

I've had this too off and on for the last 5 years when dd5 was born. They will offer you a tablet three times a day for six months - they work for some but most people don't get on with them. for me they upset my stomach and I was always on the toilet, so instead I was offered the loading injections, 6 (I think it was) over 2 weeks and I felt like a new woman! Might be worth asking for these. My levels were through the floor and after 2 times of the tablets another nurse looked and said that I needed to be boosted right up and the tablets wouldn't do it

@merryandbrightdelight I am pleased to hear the injections helped you! I will mention these and see how I get on tomorrow.

I hope you don't mind me asking but what were your levels if you remember? So I know what a nurse would take me seriously at! X

@Sunshine3726 Ferraris was borderline and Folate was 5.2 - I would push for the injections over the tablets, I finished my course in May and have felt great since! I also bought iron tablets from Boots and try to take one a day when I remember. Good luck!

I had low folate at one point and I have to say that I felt like death! Worse than with low iron. It was after a period of over relying on protein bars for calories. I was given folic acid - that did gradually help over a couple of weeks. Folate is really important to get in the diet - a couple of handful of spinach leaves with a meal a couple of times a day is a really easy way of getting it in - baby spinach goes with everything.