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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

This subject has been mentioned on another thread but I thought I would open up the discussion.

I collected a printout of my recent blood test results yesterday and it states that I am anaemic due to low ferritin levels and I should see my GP as soon as possible! Fortunately I have an appointment later this week but I wondered if any of you ladies have had something similar and what were your experiences?

I look forward to reading all your comments ladies.

Wishing everyone well.

K.

[Dotty]

Are you feeling tired? That's usually a sign of anaemia.

[Just]

Hello Kathleen, I have had a low ferritin for many years and it can give symptoms of anaemia (including tiredness as Dotty says) even when haemoglobin level is normal. I take a liquid iron supplement and decrease the amount when my ferritin picks up a bit (Gp agrees with this plan).
Some doctors will say a low ferritin should not cause symptoms but others agree that it will.
I hope you get some treatment. Good luck with the appointment.

[CLKD]

I suggest that you see the appropriate Consultant so that your various 'conditions' can be discussed, assessed and treated as a whole.  Iron can be delivered in different ways.  Lots of green veggies apparently which can include tinned foods.  Also is there an opportunity to see a dietician?

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

Thank you all for your comments.

Dotty -  Yep, I feel very tired, more like weak actually and have no energy or motivation. I can quite believe I am anaemic.

Just -  Do you know why your ferritin levels are sometimes low?  I also have normal haemoglobin levels but having symptoms with low ferritin.  I want to learn as much as I can before I see my GP so that I can ask the right questions, a ten minute appointment doesn't leave much time for general chat does it!

Thanks again ladies for taking the time to respond and wishing you all well.

K.

[suziq99]

My ferritin levels where rock bottom due to heavy period flooding over a long time this may have been caused by a small internal polyp, which was removed . It's taken over a year of daily suppliments to get back to anywhere near normal. I still take them for one week a month even though I haven't had a period since last May.
It's a long slog to build it up again & exhaustion was my main symptom. Hang in there & get all the rest you can. I found it so frustrating I wanted to get on & do things but ended up just sat down looking at stuff.
See if you can get an internal scan.

Suzi

[Just]

Hello Kathleen, much like Suziq99 my ferritin was low due to heavy periods. I agree the Gp appointment goes so quickly...it can be easy to forget to ask what you wanted to as well. Go armed with a written list of questions! Hope all goes well.

[Hurdity]

From what I understand - iron depletion is when the body's iron stores are reduced (which will show low ferritin levels in a blood test) but will only cause anaemia if iron is actually deficient and this would be reflected in your haemoglobin reading. By definition you can't have iron deficiency anaemia with normal haemoglobin levels.  However iron depletion can cause other symptoms besides eventually causing the condition anaemia when iron levels actually becomne deficient.

Here is some information about non-anaemic iron deficiency:
https://patient.info/doctor/non-anaemic-iron-deficiency

Kathleen - it will be interesting to see if iron depletion is the cause of some of your general symptoms that have been bothering you as there seem to be quite a few including fatigue (which is also a symptom of anaemia but does not indicate it if Hb is normal!).

Hurdity x

[getting_old]

As I mentioned in the other thread I was diagnosed as being anaemic. The doctor wasn't specific about the type although implied I was borderline. The reason I was tested was because of a really bad period which lasted a month and involved a lot of blood clots. Because of other health issues the doctor didn't want to prescribe pills so told me to eat lots of iron rich foods, which I am trying to do, and which I prefer as I'm not a fan of pills.
Regarding the signs of anaemia, paleness is one but I've always been really pale so it's hard to tell. I do get out of breath when trying to do any cardio, but I've got a bit out of shape recently so trying to improve my general fitness should help with this too. I do feel tired too but not sure if that's general apathy, meno, or iron so I try to get myself moving.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies and thanks to you all for your helpful comments.

When I was menstruating I was sometimes a little anaemic due to heavy periods which continued right up to the day they disappeared never to return.  The fact that I haven't had a period for seven years but may be losing blood somewhere is a bit scary!

Hurdity -  Thank you for your response and the link. I agree that some of the symptoms that I have been attributing to hormones may be related to iron depletion. I also have Ulcerative Colitis which is an inflammatory bowel disease and although I have been in remission for years I wonder if I'm working up to a flare? I've been doing some research today and have just learned about Anaemia of Chronic Disease/ Inflammation and wonder why none of the medics I've seen have ever tested me for this or indeed ever mentioned it as a possibility, apparently it's pretty common in many long term conditions like Crohn's and RA etc.

Thanks again everyone for your posts, much appreciated as ever.

Take care.

K.

[Taz2]

Hi. This may be helpful for those of us trying to improve iron levels by diet http://www.uhs.nhs.uk/Media/Controlleddocuments/Patientinformation/Digestionandurinaryhealth/Adviceforimprovingyourironintake-patientinformation.pdf

Taz x

[Susannah]

Hi Kathleen

My main symptoms of anaemia are crushing tiredness and exhaustion when climbing stairs;  I can walk my dog ok but wouldn't attempt any more vigorous exercise just now.  It can also increase anxiety levels but I take ADs already for anxiety and depression and fibromyalgia so that symptom is under control this time round.  My ferritin level is 7 and full blood count is 9.
Mine is caused by prolonged blood loss and possibly being vegetarian (my diet could be a lot better.)  I take three iron tabs a day and expect to be doing this for at least two months - the pills affected my stomach initially but it has settled down now (after a couple of weeks.). This is the second episode of anaemia I've had in 18 months despite having had heavy periods from the age of 17 to 49.  I can't wait until all this bleeding is finished!
I hope your low ferritin can be easily resolved. For what it's worth I have a colleague who is permanently on iron tabs due to her being coeliac.  x

[KatyB]

Hi, mostly for Kathleen, I've been borderline anaemic off and on for years. I also suffered from collagenous colitis, and there's a strong family history of various auto-immune conditions including gluten intolerance and coeliac disease. My mother had an unusual form of gluten intolerance (not coeliac) and was also intolerant of normal iron supplementation. I found something called Spatone which is water with a naturally high level of ferrous sulphate - that's the more digestible / less likely to cause constipation form of iron (not ferric). Generally health food shops will advise to get the liquid form of iron supplementation as they are easier to digest - Floradix is also good for example. Vitamin C at the same time enhances iron absorption (so e.g. with orange juice). Incidentally there is both anaemic and non-anaemic iron depletion, called deficiency if it drops too low. Heavy menstrual bleeding, gut problems (inc ulcers) are some of the most common causes of iron depletion. Some facts and figures here [url]https://patient.info/doctor/iron-deficiency-anaemia-pro/url]
If you are low in iron you feel horrible, and it is worth finding appropriate supplementation to get back up to required levels fairly quickly.

[TheWorstWitch]

Just seen this thread - but in answer to your title question - YES! I posted in my thread on new members earlier with my situation & experience - sounds like you've been picked up a lot earlier than I was thank goodness - the blood test that flagged up that I had a problem had my ferritin at 3 and Haemoglobin at 45...which caused a wee bit of a panic - I only realised to what extent and why after the event thankfully or I'd probably have died of fright on the spot! 

You'll likely be prescribed iron tablets in the first instance - be warned they turn your poo black and CAN cause constipation - I've not had the second problem but was glad to be warned about the first.  Try to get into the habit of not taking them with tea or dairy, and ideally if you can take at least the morning one with a small glass of juice high in vit C as mentioned above that helps with absorbtion. (And also with the constipation, I believe!)  Hopefully they will also be able to come up with a solid reason your levels are low.

Bear in mind that there is a good chance that it will seem like a long while before they want to test your blood again - ferritin takes a long time to increase even when on supplements and it may well be months rather than weeks before the GP feels it's worth testing again.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Many thanks for all yours comments.

My GP has prescribed iron tablets but he understands my caution in taking them as I have a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis. Infact oral iron supplementation should be avoided for UC and Crohn's patients who should be offered intravenous infusion instead.   I've  been referred to a gastroenterologist and in the meantime I will do all I can to increase my iron levels without causing a relapse of UC!

Thanks again for all your help ladies, much appreciated as ever.

Take care.

K.