Anemia/Low Iron

Hi all,

I seem to be experiencing the symtoms of anemia. Ugh! I've had low energy, I've been light headed and just kind of feeling lousy.  I called my surgeon's assistant and I am taking a fasting blood test tomorrow. I've been like this for a little while, but the last couple of days have been horrible. Feeling dizzy and/or light headed puts me in a crappy mood!!  I've also been snacking more in an attempt to feel better and get more energy.  Luckily I noticed I was doing this and have become conscious today about it so no more of that!!!

If any of you have had this happen to them, I'd love to hear how you were treated and if your energy returned.  I can't believe how terrible I feel. 

Thanks,

MsBlues

Hi there Ms. Blues,

Yup, anemia has been a problem for me my entire life but got worse after WLS.  Doctors have never been able to figure out why I suffer from anemia, but I was always able to keep in the low normal range by eating iron rich foods and/or taking iron supplements.  Well after WLS it would appear that I am not absorbing iron whatsoever, in foods or supplements.  Add to that some female bleeding problems I was having and life was pretty miserable.

In addition to exhaustion, my symptons also included, always beeing cold and having an actual lower than normal body temperature, excessive hair loss, leg cramping, problems concentrating and the intense compulsion to chew ice.

At my lowest, my over all iron reading was down to 7.2 in March.  That number should be about 15 - 16.  That is when it was decided I needed to get intravenous iron infusions.  Most people can get one infusion and it will last them 18 - 24 months.  I needed so much iron that my hemotologist didn't want to give it to me all at once.  So I had my first infusion in May, second in June, third in July and I will have one more in November.  After the June infusion my iron was up to 12.8.  So I'm almost where they want me to be.  My hemotologist though also says, that because we don't know what has caused my anemia since childhood, most likely the infusions won't last me more than a year. That was another reason for spacing them out.  Try to buy me more time.

What I have experienced since the infusion is a slight elevation in energy.  I have developed some sleeping issues which I do not believe are related to the iron deficiency and so that I believe is causing my fatigue.  But on a positive note, my body temperature has gone from a normal for me of 96.8 to 98.2. The inner chill I have always felt is gone.  My leg cramping is, for the most part, completely gone and I'm not chewing ice anymore.  My sister says I seem alot more at ease.  I don't know that I notice that, but she says she sees a difference in my temperment and ability to sit still and have a conversation.  I don't see a noticable improvement in my hair but I did have a hysterectomy in March so I think I'm still dealing with the hair loss one experiences after surgery.

You need to have your blood work done and start on iron supplements to determine whether you are absorbing iron or not.  You also must have your doctors rule out any other reason for low iron/anemia such as internal bleeding. I think I can fairly say, that if you do have low iron, they will not automatically send you for an infusion.  You will need to try oral iron intake first and see if that works.  When you take your iron, take it with Vitamin C.  It helps in the absorption of the iron.

Hope this helps a bit.
Stephanie

Thanks for posting this Steph.  I had low iron while in the hospital and they were sticking it in iv every other day while I was there for 9 days.  I take iron everyday, and I just recently found out from my insurance company who called to follow up on my surgery, that I needed to take C with it, I didnt know that.  I have plenty here, so now I am adding that too,  I do feel much better, more energy, and I didn't know it would cause a sub normal temp, which I always run.  SO thanks for the very informative info...I hope everyone reads it.

Take care, Love u, D

Could be dehydration...make sure you're getting in your liquids.  Add a small amount of salt to your diet.  Here are things high in potassium that may help: Oranges, tomatoes, lima beans (Wendy's Chili...good for iron), bananas, yogurt, spinach (also good for the iron...remember Popeye).

My sister was so low on iron that she also had to have it through IV every week for 3 months. It got better once she stopped drinking. Now that she has started that up AGAIN she might have the anemia again.I don't know cause she won't admite to the drinking now.
As for myself I have low blood pressure and a very low pulse rate (55-60 pm). But my iron is on the high normal side. So my light headedness is from my B/P and other meds. It was worse when I was just a few months out and that was due to the low calorie intake as well as the low B/P.

Hope you feel better soon.

HUGS
JOY

I have been anemic since my early teens.  Mine is triggered by hormone imbalances which make the symptoms (tiredness and a general feeling of ick and not wanting to deal, lightheadedness, motion sickness and vertigo) worse.  Mine is not so much worse after WLS as it is it hits me quicker when I am overtired.  In fact, the motion sickness and vertigo have been about 80% better since having RnY.  Anyhow, I take Iron with Vitamin C every day to help keep me even.  Sometimes I skip a day if I get constipated.  The Vitamin C helps with absorption.  I also take the Iron/Vit C separately from my other vitamins and with a meal (usually at lunch) because it can hit my pouch kinda hard some days.  The other comment about dehydration was a good one.  Now, after WLS I can't do too much about being colder than usual (cept move and get the blood flowing), but the Iron w/C and staying hydrated has helped me tremendously!  Good luck to you!

I too have had serious problems with Anemia since RNY in January 07 .. I did have some slight Anemia prior to surgery but after it did get much more severe.  I did have all the symptoms and chose to ignore them until I had my annual bloodwork done and got a call from Dr. Boones office telling me to go to the hematologist ASAP. My Iron level was at  3.4. I had to have 4 pints of blood transfused and 10 iron infusions (2 a week for 5 weeks) this brought my level up to an 11. I will continue to see my hematologist every 3 months for an infusion. I do feel much better now that the problem has been addressed, however I did have weight gain with all of the IV's and getting healthy again.

Thanks everyone for your responses. They are all very helpful.  My blood test did reveal my iron was low, but when they left the message for me, they didn't tell me what my number is. I would have liked that bit of info.  So I am supposed to double my iron and see if my symptoms improve if they are, I need another blood test in a few months.  They will also call me when my B-level results come in. 

Now I'll have to address a problem I already have, constipation. I imagine this will only get worse. Luckily Smooth Move tea from my favorite natural food store is great for this.

Take Care!

MsBlues

Hi there,
I am popping in here to tell my anemia story. I was having blood work every year or so. One day I started feeling heart palpitations.....and had trouble breathing when walking up stairs and stuff. I went to the regular doc, *****ferred me to the cardiologist, who saw something on the echocardiogram. With  my family history of heart disease, he felt it best to do an angiogram. I scheduled it for about a week off. 3 days before the angiogram, my blood work came back. The doctor called me at work and told me I needed to get to the ER. My hemoglobin was at 5.2. I got to the ER and they admitted me to a room, I had 4 units of blood transfused and was released the next day with my hemoglobin at 8.4.
I battled with getting it about 10 for over a year. I had two iron infusiuns where I stayed at the hospital for 24 hours. Finally, I had a hysterectomy in Dec 2007 to help with blood loss. I always had heavy periods.
I still have iron issues. Now, I can go about 6 months without an infusion. I still hate this side effect of the surgery, but it is much better than weighing 345 lbs!