Ferritin

[DebE13]

Well I'm back to my ferritin levels again. After a year on ferrous gluconate my ferritin level rose from 25 to 28. Still too low from everything I'm reading. Part of the problem is I am suppose to take it three times a day but because of my thyroid meds, I can only fit in one tablet a day. Is there any way to get my levels up any faster to find out if this is one of the missing pieces?

I still am plagued with fatigue. I am very functional and much more active than in previous years, yet I feel like I've been hit by a freight train on a daily basis. The feeling is getting old and has the biggest impact on my personal life since I'm good at pushing through work and other commitments but at the end of the day, it's my husband who is short changed because of my exhaustion.

My D has kicked it up a notch and it's a daily struggle to get out the door on time. Plus, I'm not sleeping well because there is that feeling like I may have to go. Not sure what to do with that either. I suspect my short trial with Entocort may have triggered a flare when tapering off. It may have been coincidence but I got my rash back not too long after starting it and I have had a crawling skin sensation too so I'm not too eager to go back on.

I meet with my PCP tomorrow to follow up on the anemia and check in with the LDN usage. She has always been open to suggestions. Any thoughts on my situation would be appreciated.

As a side note, I have continued to be vigilant with being GF, SF, DF, and egg free.

[brandy]

Hi Deb,

I don't know anything about this but is iron infusion an option? Perhaps talk to PCP to get her thoughts?

[DebE13]

That was my thoughts too. Not sure what that entails but worth a discussion. It's confusing to me because I went through testing and I never got a straight answer. I was anemic and then was referred to a specialist who said there was nothing wrong. Yet I am still following up on it. I had so many other issues going on at the time I just let it fall by the wayside in frustration.

I do feel better on my Tirosint/liothyronine combo but still don't believe what I am taking is optimal. I'm not sure how much of the continued active MC contributes to the fatigue but the low ferritin has to play a part.

The hard part is my blood tests are normal hemoglobin, etc.

[sunny]

Hi Deb,
I will share my experience with anemia and raising my levels. In 2013, while fighting my second Cdiff infection, my levels dropped to 6.... the lab was hesitant to let me go home till they contacted my doctor. I ended up going into the hospital for 4 units of blood and then directed to take iron pills which I couldn't tolerate. I began taking a spoonful of molasses 2-3 times a day and maintained good levels for a few years.
A few months ago, tests showed it was falling again so I decided to try taking liver pills....PERFECT DESSICATED LIVER from grass-fed cattle. Each capsule contains 750 mg desiccated beef liver powder ....I took 4 capsules daily for a total of 3000mg ....no fillers or flow agents. My last test showed I was a tad over 12...
So now I only take 2 daily. They are spendy but I cannot choke down liver let alone cut it and slice it without gagging.
So for what it's worth,it seems a solution for me. Beef is #3 of meats causing immunologic reactivity for me but I seem to tolerate it ok.
Sunny

[Gabes-Apg]

Deb
energy levels for me are reliant on

-magnesium
-B12
-CoQ10

as soon as reduce the dosage of any of these three, energy levels reduce.

[DebE13]

Thanks for sharing Sunny. I didn't realize there are liver pills. I wouldn't be able to eat it either. My diet is primarily meat and veggies so I should be getting enough iron but the absorption issue seems to be a vicious cycle.

Gabes- I am a firm believer in magnesium and it helps me tremendously. My labs consistently show my B12 level is above the normal range. I just read an interesting article about low ferritin with thyroid issues. It said many don't see improvements until they reach the 90 range. It also mentioned tongue issues which I've had for years and has basically been dismissed.

[Vanessa]

Hey Deb,

There is a really good angstrom iron sold by health shop 101. Kind of a pain in the butt to order. They are out of Utah and you can call or email for an order. With our compromised guts, angstrom size minerals are the most easily absorbed. This one didn't bother my gut and I actually had to quit taking it as my iron got too high!

[tex]

My diet is primarily meat and veggies so I should be getting enough iron but the absorption issue seems to be a vicious cycle.

Deb, are you aware that the only known substance to inhibit the absorption of both non-heme and heme iron is calcium? A lot of women try to maximize calcium in their diet and many even take a calcium supplement (and of course their doctors tend to push calcium supplements, mistakenly believing that will reduce the risk of osteoporosis. But I'm guessing that most doctors aren't aware that calcium inhibits the absorption of iron, and I'm also guessing that they never warn patients of that risk when recommending a calcium supplement, because they always seem stumped when an iron deficiency shows up and doesn't respond very well to iron supplements in a high-calcium diet.

But I could be wrong — for all I know they might warn every patient about the risk of calcium inhibiting the absorption of iron.

Of course there are other foods that can interfere with the absorption of one or the other form of iron, such as cocoa, tea, and coffee.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

checking my nutrition text book

Synergistic Nutrients ( needed to optimise absorption/use)
Vitamins B2, B12, C,
citrate, copper, folic acid, histidine, lysine, molybdenum, selenium.
Copper is required for iron metabolism.

cholestryramine and H2 blockers decrease Fe absorption

the following decrease absorption - calcium, magnesium oxide, mangandese, zinc

Sites of absorption, duodenum, stomach, upper jejunum
efficiency of absorption 5-15%

[DebE13]

I tolerate the iron pill well but am not taking enough because I take my thyroid meds at 7am, 1pm, and 9pm. I take my iron pill around five. My doc said I could try taking two at a time but any more than that could cause an upset and it would be a waste because my body wouldn't have time to absorb it.

Tex, I'm very concerned about calcium and stopped taking the supplement shortly after my thyroidectomy. It's frustrating that doctors push it and don't acknowledge the negatives.

[hingbretson]

Hi! I have been trying to reply to this for a week, but only just got my log-in figured out so I could log in.... So, yeah, iron is a tough one... but I have some ideas for you. I struggled with low ferritin, too... and I couldn't stomach much of a supplement, either... so you don't want to do more than 65 (either mcg or mg) at a time or it can be toxic, but even taking the most you can at a time, it will only go up by 2 each week. That said, yours is not going up as fast as it should. Tex is right on about Calcium inhibiting absorption. Ca++ has a 2+ charge as does Iron Fe++... Anything with a 2+ charge.... so don't take it with milk cheese etc (if you are on this forum, you hopefully aren't eating that), but calcium supplements slow it.... also, Orange juice will HELP its absorption. You may want to consider cooking in iron pots as that helps...and raisins are high in iron...as is most beef. Good luck!

[tex]

Hi Heather,

Welcome to our Internet family. I'm sorry that you had trouble logging in, but it's good to see that you finally sorted it out.

Tex

[DebE13]

Thanks for the suggestions Heather. My pills are 324mg each and I was told to go ahead and take two at a time if it didn't bother me. I have been and it doesn't bother me at all but I wonder how much is actually being absorbed.

[bttory]

Hi Deb,
I will share my experience with anemia and raising my levels. In 2013, while fighting my second Cdiff infection, my levels dropped to 6.... the lab was hesitant to let me go home till they contacted my doctor. I ended up going into the hospital for 4 units of blood and then directed to take iron pills which I couldn't tolerate. I began taking a spoonful of molasses 2-3 times a day and maintained good levels for a few years.
A few months ago, tests showed it was falling again so I decided to try taking liver pills....PERFECT DESSICATED LIVER from grass-fed cattle. Each capsule contains 750 mg desiccated beef liver powder ....I took 4 capsules daily for a total of 3000mg ....no fillers or flow agents. My last test showed I was a tad over 12...
So now I only take 2 daily. They are spendy but I cannot choke down liver let alone cut it and slice it without gagging.
So for what it's worth,it seems a solution for me. Beef is #3 of meats causing immunologic reactivity for me but I seem to tolerate it ok.
Sunny

I'm late to the game on this, but to the extent it helps decide whether liver pills will work for you, I wanted to let you know that I also take liver pills (also the Perfect Desiccated Liver) with no problems, and I am still in the healing stage. I don't have iron issues, but I find that I have more energy when I take the pills. I will note that I remove the powder from the capsule and eat it between banana slices. I'm a bit paranoid about putting capsules in my body while in recovery. Hope you feel better soon.