Anemia, Unspecified

Hi Ray @ray666, I found myself in a similar situation a few months ago. I had some routine labs done after it was found I needed a bi-lateral inguinal hernia surgery and the tests showed iron deficiency anemia so I had to have a series of iron IV infusions prior to having the surgery. What I am pretty sure caused mine was regularly giving blood the past 2 years as frequent as I was allowed to give it and my body just not recovering like I thought it was doing. There is an older discussion on the topic for us older folks that you might want to read through to see if anything rings a bell.

-- Anemia in the elderly
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anemia-in-the-elderly/
You haven't by chance given blood recently have you?

Hi, John @johnbishop, No; in fact, that was a question my doctor asked: Had I given blood recently? She had also asked if I thought there might be blood in my stool, to which my answer was again no (at least to my untrained eyes). Just to be sure, however, I was given an OC stool specimen kit, which I've yet to use. Thanks for the link to the older discussion. I will certainly check it out. Thank you for your reply! ––Ray @ray666

Ray, I had the same problem and my primary physician sent me to a great hematologist who didn't ask many questions, but studied my blood results and suggested a series of three iron infusions. These infusions worked.
Wishing you good luck when you see your hematologist.

My husband, age 71, is dealing with balance issues and was given the diagnosis of " "Distal Sensory Axonal Polyneuropathy" due to heavy drinking. He also had low iron 15 (45-180) and red blood cell count 3.92 (4.14 - 5.80). he went to the hematologist and had several tests done, mostly to rule out cancer. He really didn't get any new info on why he was falling or anemic. I should add that he also had very high inflammatory markers at this time. He was scared and didn't want to fall. So he stopped drinking, not even a beer, eats a healthy low carb. diet and goes to the gym just about everyday. The result, inflammation & anemia are within the normal range and he hasn't fallen. Balance is much better but he still does exercises that the physical therapist gave him. I don't know if any of this helps you but it's worth a shot...good luck !

@casey1329 Wow! That's great to read how your husband has changed his health around. Sometimes making some [what seems like] small changes result in big dividends, right? I'll bet you are really proud of him for being so responsible in doing this.

How are his blood tests now? How are you doing, seeing these positive changes in him?
Ginger

Blood work is now all normal. I'm feeling a lot better because I think he is now less likely to fall. Plus his healthy eating habits are rubbing off on me, an unexpected, but needed, benefit. Thanks for asking

Years ago I had routine blood work done and discovered my hemoglobin was 6.8. I was walking around feeling fine. They did every test imaginable and found no evidence of bleeding. I took iron for several months and had my hemoglobin checked monthly until it reached a normal level. I can go for years with normal hemoglobin and then suddenly have an extremely low one again. I do another round of iron and iron returns to normal. My doctor thinks it's an absorption problem.