Iron at a "critical low" and pills they put me on make me sick

Last week I had my 3 month follow up with my doc and all went well except they told me my iron was very low. They told me I had to take Vitron C 3 times a day and couldn't substitute it for anything else ( I wanted something cheaper) I started taking it monday and it's making me feel icky. I talked to the nurse and he said Iron is hard on the stomach and to expect that. I asked him If I could take just 2 a day instead of 3 and he said no, your iron is at a critical low. Try and eat more foods that have iron. This kind of made me nervous because I knew it was low, but "critically low" makes me nervous!   So my question is, what are some iron enriched foods. I feel like this is a stupid question, but I really don't know. I know red meat has a lot of iron, but other than that I'm at a loss. I think I heard spinach somewhere.... can you help? Thanks! 

Amanda, I am kind of in the same boat you are in and I found this information on the internet.  I can't remember the name of the sight - sorry.  I had already copied and pasted it into a Word document, printed it out, and now I keep it with me so I can make sure I try to eat the right foods.  Hope this helps! Susan For iron deficiency anemia in women, a diet with iron rich foods along with iron supplements is often recommended. Absorption of iron from food is influenced by multiple factors. One important factor being the form of the iron. Heme Iron, found in animal sources, is highly available for absorption. Non-heme iron on the other hand, found in vegetable sources, is less available. Iron rich foods of an iron rich diet are listed below: 

 

Iron Rich Foods containing Heme Iron

 

	Excellent Sources		Good Sources
	·  Clams   ·  Pork Liver   ·  Oysters   ·  Chicken Liver   ·  Mussels   ·  Beef Liver		·  Beef   ·  Shrimp   ·  Sardines   ·

 

Iron Rich Foods containing Non-Heme Iron

 

	Excellent Sources		Good Sources
	·  Enriched breakfast cereals   ·  Cooked beans and lentils   ·  Pumpkin seeds   ·  Blackstrap Molasses		·  Canned beans   ·  Baked potato with skin   ·  Enriched pasta   ·  Canned asparagus

The absorption of Non-heme iron can be improved when a source of heme iron is consumed in the same meal. In addition, the iron absorption-enhancing foods can also increase the absorption of non-heme iron. While some food items can enhance iron absorption, some can inhibit or interfere iron absorption. Avoid eating them with the iron-rich foods to maximize iron absorption.

 

Iron Absorption Enhancers

Iron Absorption Inhibitors

 

Meat/fish/poultry   Fruits: Orange , Orange Juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit etc   Vegetables: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green & red peppers   White wine

Red Wine, Coffee & Tea   Vegetables: Spinach, chard, beet greens, rhubarb and sweet potato   Whole grains and bran   Soy products

 

Thank you! I'm hoping that If I can increase iron in my diet I can decrease the pills :)   Good luck with your iron level, are you horribly fatigued too?

Great iron source info! Way to go ladies. Dietitian approved!! Keep in mind that iron is best absorbed when taken w/ vitamin C rich foods.  Jeanne Barnett, RD Enutritioncare.com

Amanda, my iron supplement is hard on me too so I take it at night right before bed and sleep thru most of the ickies...   Becky

Just another tidbit... Iron is part of the "enrichment" of grain products.  Cereals like Cream of Wheat and Oatmeal have added iron - so don't be too put off by the fact that whole grains & fibers are "inhibitors" of iron absorption. Taking your iron when you have something in your stomach can help.  Be careful to keep your iron and calcium supplements separate as these interfere with each other.  Likewise, don't wash your iron down with milk... If you have had a recent infection (even sinus related) your iron stored could be lower - your body "hides" the iron it has during infection.  This is because bacteria love, love, love iron and grow big & strong when it is around.   Your iron is low - but is your H/H (hemoglobin/hematocrit) okay? (Just another question to ask your doctor next time) regards,

Thank  you so much! My crit was 37... not great not terrible? Pre-op every time I went to donate blood at the red cross they would do the finger stick and find out my iron or crit (not sure which they test for) was on the border. I'm really not surprised to have a deficiency post op, but I'm having trouble figuring out how and when to fit in all the vitamins... you can't take your multi with your calcium. You can't take your calcium with the iron.... It's just a learning process I know it will get easier. Thanks again for your help

Hemoglobin is really a better measure of used iron - and for iron deficiency anemia we also look at the MCV (mean corpuscular volume) which basically describes the size of your blood cells.  If they're too big we evaluate for B12 & folate deficiencies, if they're too small we look for iron deficiency. The "heme" structure on the red blood cell is where iron is used to help bind oxygen to the molecule.  It's the same "heme" that is present in animal sources of "heme" iron - as the previous writer alluded to.  Your hemoglobin should be above 10, better to be above 11 - at 9 they evaluate you for a blood transfusion... Keep an eye on that number when you get blood tests. Labs are confusing - don't have any hesitation to ask questions of your physician! regards,

Mine just came back at 7.  I'm feeling kinda.. scared right now.  I've been having a lot of crazy symptoms and one of which is difficulty breathing.  I'm going to see my surgeon in a couple of hours and I feel like I never ask them the right questions, cos I sure never feel like I get the right answers haha. My PCP just put me on 325 iron 3x a day and I feel pretty good that my first dose didn't make me sick.  She also had me do another blood test for cbc and put stat on it but I don't know how soon she will actually get that back.  Is it terrible that even with all the worries over my health one of my primary concerns is that I hope they don't hospitalize me cos I have a spanish test on friday? haha