Iron deficiency anemia or something more serious?
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Anonymous
| I was recently diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. I feel AWFUL all of the time. I have absolutely NO energy. I got tons of blood work done, and that’s all they came up with. However, I’m convinced they are missing something. I just can’t believe anything other than cancer or a life-threatening illness could make me feel so terrible. Is it typical for iron deficient anemia to cause severe symptoms? If I had cancer would it have shown up on my blood work? |
Anonymous
| An iron deficiency can definitely make you feel awful! I was shocked at how much better I felt and how quickly supplements worked. It was no joke. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| I thought there was something seriously wrong with me when my level was around 5-7. (After a blood transfusion, and ongoing iron infusions, I feel normal again. I can always tell when an infusion is needed as I start dragging and getting out of breath easily - this is when I'm about a 12-13. |
Anonymous
| Thyroid is ok? |
Anonymous
Definitely make sure in this one. |
Anonymous
|
Start taking supplements daily. And see ghost you feel. You should feel better in a week of taking iron. (Maybe not 100% better, but substantially better. ). If you still feel the same after daily supplements get further testing.
For further testing, have you had a sleep study? |
Anonymous
If you've had diagnostics done, anemia taken care off, sought second opinion but still feeling sick than try mental health therapy and lifestyle changes. |
Anonymous
| I could have written your post OP. All my other blood work was fine (thyroid, vitamin D and B12). For me, the iron deficiency also caused other painful problems such as mouth sores and my hands would hurt in the cold. In the last week, I had a blood transfusion and an iron infusion. I feel a million times better and my symptoms are nearly gone. I can’t believe I allowed it to persist for so long. I have a colonoscopy scheduled. Did your doctor recommend that? In any event, I hope your doctor recommended a hematologist to help get your iron levels up. |
Anonymous
| Yes I had it while pregnant iits awful leg cramps, couldn’t sleep, completely exhausted. Did the infusion it was a huge help. I think after getting treatment the key will be to find out what the cause is if it’s not obvious (like pregnancy.) |
Anonymous
OP here. My doctor didn’t mention anything about my thyroid to me. But it looks like my numbers may be on the lower side of normal? Perhaps something to watch? My T4: 0.9 ng/dL Normal range: 0.9-1.7 ng/dL My TSH: 0.61 uIU/mL Normal range: 0.27 - 4.20 uIU/mL |
Anonymous
| A severe deficiency feels awful, yes, so get that taken care of and see how you are. |
Anonymous
|
OP, what was the treatment recommended for your anemia? Have you started it yet?
What further testing is planned to search for the cause of the anemia? |
Anonymous
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Make dure you are up to date on your colonoscopies.
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Anonymous
| *sure |