Low Ferritin Iron Saturation

Been struggling with the same thing. My Ferratin is 6 and per my dr should be 60. They are going to increase my iron regimen and retest my blood in a few months. Hopefully I wont have to go IV iron but per them its a possibility. Interested in what happens with you. Please let us know.

Thanks for responding. I will keep every one posted. Belinda

Belinda, my mouth hit the floor, oh goodness 1 is not good lady.....you definitely need the iron infusions and quickly.  I hope one of the resident experts can help you.   Best wishes,

Thanks for the good wishes. I appreciate them. Belinda

What is your hemoglobin like? (HGB)  All my red blood cells are low and deformed  and my platelets are high...but I was given two months to try to raise my ferritin levels from 5.1 and my actual iron of 22. I retest in 9 days!  It's been a LONG two months.  I have no idea if I raised anything. My HGB was 11.1 which is low and what determined that I have blood anemia along with low ferritin and iron and low iron saturation of 4.5.  Severe anemia is a HBG of about 8 and that would leave you unable to even lift your head.  With mine at 11.1...I feel fine. (Which is scary because I don't feel anything)   I wish you much luck and good health...Keep us informed of your hemo appt!  I for one would greatly appreciate you sharing any info about what happens and what they say.  Thanks

Hi there! Thanks for your response. I don't have info re: HGB. I don't have a print out from that in the info I got in the mail. When I had my TT my hemacrit and HGB were low. I supplemented with vitamin C and upon repeat testing my levels were low normal. I have my reports at work. I will try to find them to compare my HGB from 9/07. I don't know  my prior ferritin levels; only that I got the lecture about taking my iron. Prior to my hematoligist appt I will be going to the surgeons office to get copies of my prior bloodwork. I'm curious as to my prior levels. Pre-WLS surgery I was always diligent about getting the actual report for my hemaglobin A1C. I have been complacent with verbal reports with general info. I will make sure I get the low down on the actual numbers. Off topic: I used to live in Stafford county. I moved to NC about 10 years ago. I went to visit the area last summer. It was just amazing how everything had gwon and looked completly different. Belinda

I was diagnosed with Blood Anemia (Don't know if I mentioned that earlier) My B-12 is awesome at 1127!    I wish I could tell you that the iron I am taking it working for my anemia, but I just don't know yet.  I feel somewhat better...but it's so hard to tell what worse would feel like!  LOL (I fight sleep all the time, but I always have)  I will say though that since I started taking Vitalady's Tender Iron (which is one of the purest elemental iron and is non toxic in large doses), I have not been freezing cold and shivering. My hands and feet seem much warmer and I lost the urge to chew on ice all day long....So that was very positive for me...But I still can't really say that means anything at all.   All my red blood counts were low and when I saw list of  6 different "lows" under my red blood counts (RBC CNT)  I was stunned and knew something was really wrong. My doc's head nurse took one look and said "You are ordered to bed rest with No strenuous work at all and that includes anything stressful like being hostess to a dinner party".  I was told that I would need a blood transfusion more than likely but Doc wanted to see if we could raise the levels in two months first...as she believes that transfusions and infusions are very radical....However she is only a general practictioner and doesn't understand /believe (?) my issues with malabsorption.  But I still trust her and she trusts me that if something is wrong I'm going to go to the emergency room...We have that understanding with each other!  I don't like doctors...but I'm not stupid either! I am trying not to get my hopes up that I have raised my iron and ferritin levels and hopefully my RBC CNT's too...But I did aproach my anemia like a warrior and if I could not raise my levels...I don't know that it really can be done without infusions or transfusions. It doesn't seem that very many have been able to come out of anemia with supplements alone...And most doctors know this...which is why they just skip the "by the book version" of two months high dosage iron supps and go straight for infusions.  My doc and I think alike as far as radical treatment goes...I was glad she wanted to try supps first...Hopefully I have not gotten much worse...and only gotten better.  I hope!!!! About Stafford....I moved here some 15 years ago when this was as boonies as boonies get....Even 10 years ago it was only just beginning to change...NOTHING is the same...You probably had a hard time recognizing the place! There are new roads, developments, malls, schools...It's hard to believe this is the same town from 10 years ago....It's really gotten civilized here....except the bombing ranges at Quantico still rattle the doors and windows of my house and jets fly over breaking the sound barrier with big booms!  Scares the holy heck out of my dog and me ( I think I taught my dog how to let out a little frightened scream)...and the traffic became horrendous too! (As if we didn't already have to deal with DC traffic)  LOL  You know, hunters still pull up in front of the grocery stores with dead deer across the hood of their trucks...Some things never change.  You can tell the new Staffordians when their eyes pop outta their heads and they run back to their cars to get away from the sight....hahaha I'm used to it. I just look at my husband and point and say "Oh dear" (deer)....LOL  Again...I wish you much luck!   Hugs Anita

I was able to track down my HMG  and hemacrit. Also some of my important levels from 6 months ago. hemaglobin now 10.4; 6 months ago 11.7 hematocrit now 31.1; 6 months ago 35.2 ferritin now 1; 6 months ago 22 B12 382; don't have that info from 6 months ago I hope you find your numbers to be much better at your next blood draw. I was in Stafford from 93-98. I worked at Mary Washingtom Hospital. My parents are south of Richmond so I don't make it up that way very often. I went in the summer of 2006. It's hard to imagine how they fit all the new stuff in. There as been such an explosion of growth every where. I sure wish I had the sense to buy a house when I was there, but I was having too much fun in the apartment complex. Oh well. I live in a 3 stoplight town now. I drive 30 miles to work and it's only 15 minutes longer than my 5 mile commute there. I enjoyed the time I lived there. Belinda

And I just want to say that infusions are ok for emergency, but I wouldn't count on them for the rest of your life,. At $2k per, I know my insurance would not pay for them. It took us a coupla years early on to find the right iron for us and the right dose. We had good insurance then, so got labs more often, so easier to tweak the iron to fit with quarterly.

But as of 2 wks ago, my iron was 92-ish (it's been 90-92-93 for a year), ferritin is now 329. I've had whacky CBC for 4 yrs, but I think I finally fixed it with a coupla $4 pills, copper and folic. Last two looked normal if not fabulous.

But I'm 14 yrs out and still! Every day is a learning experience. We get by on 300mg elemental (Tender) iron, whereas some ppl are taking 1000mg elemental iron (different than the iron salts in the ferrous family), and still low numbers. They just have not found the right iron and dose. YET.

So, you have to keep searching til you find the one that works. The Tender iron tends to raise ferritin, but it's still in slow motion, not over night.

I just started copper recently, but I have been using skin lotion with active copper too!  LOL (I dunno if it actually absorbs)  I've just been using copper on my skin for toning and tightening for years... I open all my capsules and of all of them copper is the foulest tasting of all! That and the B complex tastes ranks up there for with copper...YUCK! Gotta do whatcha gotta do!   It sure is a learning experience though!