What can I do for iron deficiency anemia?

Hello @testlady,
As it has been a while since you last posted I was wondering how you are doing. Have you found an answer to the problem of not processing iron? How are you feeling these days?

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Thallesemia Minor Trait
I’ve mentioned before in a post about low iron ( FE) levels. I feel worth repeating I’ve always been tired and pale looking. I would take Iron pills and my levels stayed the same. After another blood test (cbc) my levels stayed same. I worked in Laboratory I noticed an article on Thallesemia Trait. It’s an hereditary anemia for Asian and Italian descent. I am Italian so found it interesting to read, glad I did! With this type of anemia, Iron supplements aren’t absorbed by my body
so taking Iron pills didn’t help, my levels remained low and built up Iron in my system (not good). I read because of my nationality (Italian) the only way build up my levels was with blood transfusion. So glad I read about my condition it saved me from too much Iron built up inside of me not being used. Hope if anytime this may help and inform others with similar condition.

I’m 52, I have normal bloodwork for the most part. I have hypoparathyroidism since 2018. My parathyroid stopped working after my thyroid was removed. In 2021 my ferritin level started dropping and it went as low as six. They put me on high dose of iron, and after about a year it went back up to 170. They stopped the iron and in four months it’s back down to 70. I’m feeling so weak. I can’t hardly move or think. They’re telling me I’m fine because 70 is a good number. But I feel like I’m watching a train wreck. I have a couple of good hours in the morning in minutes home the rest of the day. I would appreciate some insight. Thank you.

Please see my comments on my post on iron deficiency You May be able to relate to parts of it. 👍
“Thallesemia Trait” rosey54

I can imagine how tired you are. My ferritin was at 12 when tested a few months ago and still I am exhausted. I know it is going down slowly but the hematologist said that insurance won’t let me get an infusion until it is less than 8 and my hemoglobin is less than 12. Well that’s 13 now and coming Down more quickly than the ferritin is so that will be down by my August appointment. I used to get an infusion when my ferritin went below 30 because by then I was getting exhausted.

So my psych nurse put me on a stimulant so I could get going. It worked for several months but not any more.

Today I took the dogs out and I fell, of course it started raining and I had to crawl to the steps because my body is so weak that I can’t pull myself up. My fibromyalgia is insanely painful. Maybe another trip to the pain clinic or my neurologist.

Everything is so much worse when I am anemic.

I am not here to all complain. I just wonder if you are watching the things that help the iron be absorbed once they infuse it. Is your vitamin C level high. I give myself b12 shots to make sure the b12 is there and available for the iron. All the B’s and phosphorus and potassium are important. Make sure you eat a healthy diet with low sugar. Avoid drinking. Not always fun but it helps.

I have fibromyalgia also. I’m disabled. I have been since 2010. Diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2006. Finally got it out in 2013. The surgery left me with eye damage, migraines, and fibromyalgia. It always sounds like I’m complaining. Then in 2018, I got thyroid cancer and during surgery my parathyroid glands were stunned and stopped working so now I have to take calcium all the time and we keep my calcium level low so I don’t get kidney stones and my calcium levels fluctuate up-and-down. The iron thing started in 2021. Insurance won’t cover anything until apparently I’m so low I can’t move. I thought I was depressed until I found out my levels were going down. All my other blood work is fine I’m eating healthy taking all my other vitamins. I did have weight loss surgery six years ago, so I’m very diligent about all my supplements. I’m sorry you fell. I know what that’s like. Happens to me a lot. I’m supposed to get blood work drawn next week. My endocrinologist supposed to look at it and I think my hematologist also. We’ll see what happens. Thanks so much for writing me back.

I had weight loss surgery 15 years ago and went from 335 to 227 today. I would like to get down to 200 or less but I can’t do it without exercise. I used to have one of the best hematologists but he was too good and moved on to John Hopkins. Now I have one who tells me basically that she can do nothing and I just have to treat the symptoms.

Basically he said that since the bypass I cannot intake much if any iron through my small intestine (bypass) I can only get it really through the infusion. So regularly when my ferritin went below 35 he would order an infusion.

Now I sit at 13 Hemoglobin and 12 ferritin and my body has basically shut down to preserve it.

I can’t go to insurance until I am denied and she won’t put me in to be denied.

Well I wanted to tell you that the best thing that you can do is see if there are different formulations of the infusions that might work better for you. Inject your b12 and keep it higher than normal, even 1000 is good. It will help a little bit with your energy.

When you have wls it really messes with your uptake of many vitamins and minerals. Take them in liquid form as much as you are able.

Hope this helps.

It does help. I will try liquid form supplements. My B12 is already high but I am going to try to get some more of it. I didn’t have trouble with iron absorption until four years in to the weight loss surgery, which is very strange. Or maybe it took that long to show up I don’t know. I would like some answers as to why it just suddenly drops off. How long have you been dealing with your issues? Btw amazing job keeping the weight off all these years. It is such a struggle. I put half mine back on when they put me on depression medication. I’m struggling to get it back off now. You know how hard it is when you can’t exercise. Thank you so much.

At my lab normal is 50 - 180 mcg/dL , I was getting my daily 45mg FE from my cheap 1 a day bariatric, I became a little anemic so I started taking a 45mg slow release iron with a B,C, complex every other day in the am on an empty stomach and started to bounce back from 12.0 to 13.6 hemoglobin within a month. Got the VSG 12/2019. 70 is a bit low. Best wishes, My Dr's were quick to blame the gastric sleeve . I don't.