Low Iron

Do you take B12? My wife was being evaluated for a surgery when they called to say she had macrophagic anemia. She had to take both iron supplementation and vitamin B12. Please, though, only change or initiate a protocol or prescription, or supplementation, after consulting a physician, especially if you are already under care for another reason.

BTW, my wife had to have a heft infusion of iron right away; it was that serious. Plus, the surgery planned was serious and urgent.

I am taking a b12 supplement, and am starting an iron supplement every other day. It looks like Xarelto is notorious for low iron. I’m thinking maybe I will also have to try a different anticoagulant.
Hoping the infusion helped with your wife’s iron, and her surgery was successful.

Good! I have used Eliquis (apixaban) from Day One, no issues. I have yet to damage myself severely and have a serious bleed, but skin scrapes scab over inside of a couple of minutes. Really, these drugs only retard the clotting process, they don't prevent it. Thank goodness!!

Hi Dini!
I'm sorry you are having problems. But you are right to take B12 and Iron. I'm 78 and I take those also every day. It's also important to eat foods with B12 and Iron in them. Peas have B12 and good quality red meat with no additives, is high in iron and protein. I know red meat is supposed to be so terrible for you, but I've eaten it all my life and I'm very healthy! In the first part of the Bible, red meat is most of what people ate. They did eat fruits and vegetables but these were all seasonal only and available only in summer and fall. Cows were more available and so was wild game. Plus in those days you had to kill dinner first. Everyone then lived to be over 100 if they weren't killed by the bad guys so they must have been quite healthy eating red meat! Do a Google search for foods that have iron in them and B12 in them. That will give you a variety.
I'll say a prayer that everything works out for you!
PML

While I'm no M.D., I'll suggest you follow the counsel of my good friend who is a Nurse Practitioner: She would suggest you get your hematocrit checked; well that is what she has told me in the past.

I agree. Some supplements for things are not going to hurt you for the most part but because some of these things are over-the-counter, doesn’t mean that they can’t hurt you. I would recommend that the doctor knows that you’re taking an iron product or B12 product. My sister and my mother are low on B12 so I had my doctor do a B12 level on me recently And I am OK and don’t need to take it. In some cases too much of some thing can be just as bad as not enough. I am in the medical field And I check everything. It’s easy enough to get blood work. It does not require more than that. Good luck to all of you!🙏

Please check your hematocrit and hemoglobin as well. Low iron levels do make one feel quite tired. Each red blood cell carries 4 oxygen molecules. If there are not enough red blood cells, then there is decreased oxygen, which leads to the tiredness. If there is a respiratory probme, it can also make it worse. There could possibly be some minor bleeding internally (hidden that you would not notice). Please follow up with your health care provider. Please watch your diet, as some foods can increase the risk for bleeding - dark green leafy veggies - such as kale, spinach, collard greens, etc. Changing your medication should be done with your health care professional, even taking OTC vitamins should be checked by your health care provider. Good luck.

I did have the blood work done, both hemoglobin and hematocrit were good. Dr did order endoscopy.

A ferritin level of 7 is pretty low and shows that your body's iron stores are depleted, even though you don't have anemia.i know firsthand that low ferritin can make you feel tired, weak, and sometimes have trouble concentrating, which matches the fatigue you've been feeling.