2 months Iron Re-test Labs are BACK!!!

It's been an entirely long and exhausting two months from learning I was anemic to trying to get my iron levels up...My red blood levels are up in the normal range and my blood platelets down to normal...I still have issues to work out but I am well on my way to healing!  I am just so relieved! I have not talked to the doctor yet either...I just popped in and printed the results! She'll call me soon! I owe it to all the research I did on types of iron and Iron Deficiency Anemia.... and being a bit of a rebel and taking responsibility for my health since my general practioner doesn't understand about malabsorption and I didn't either...When she prescribed me Ferrous Sulfate, I just knew that if I took it for two months, I'd be joining the many other anemics who tried to use it to raise their levels and failed and would have to have Iron infusions or blood transfusions.  Ferrous Sulfate made me ill. Gave me pain and constipation too...and it's toxic! On Feb 26th I had six low counts in my CBC's...All are in normal range!!!!! My blood platelets were high and are in normal range. My RDW was high...and is even higher now...It is the only thing off at the moment. I don't know what that means yet...and I still have deformed blood cells and shapes and sizes...but everything else is good! 26 Feb  Ferritin was 5.1 ------- today it is 16 26 Feb  Iron was 22 -------------today it is 55 26 Feb  Iron saturation 4.5-----today it is 16.5 26 Feb  UIBC and TIBC's were high-----today they are in normal ranges! I have no doubt that I can get the my Iron stores back into a good range now that my blood ranges are almost all back in order!  All my research kept pointing me to two intriguing irons...One being Carbonyl Iron (Tender Iron) Which I get at a very decent price from Vitalady and Iron as an amino acid chelate. (Natures Plus)  I have been using both...Both are chewable which I truly believes helps with absorption (Tastes good too!)...Both are non toxic in high dosages...I still liked what I read about the Carbonyl better than the other, but decided that I would take both...I chewed 325 mg of carbonyl with a chewable Vit C as asorbic acid in the morning and 108 mg of Iron Amino acid chelate(complete with Vit C) at night...with Ester C Chewable.  I learned that taking high doses of Iron can deplete Zinc and Copper...So I supplemented these two vitamins in addition to the Iron since I am low-normal on most of my vitamin stores.  I read how certain amino acids help heal blood cell production and made certain to get in a complete protein supplement with all the aminos. I worked on a magnesium deficency in addition to the Iron Deficiency....And began taking two Centrum chewables daily without fail, as I should have been all along, rather than when I remembered or when I felt like it.  I have another 4 months to check on my vitamin levels again, but I have a feeling I'm doing really good!  I can almost say with confidence that I've just about got this thing under control!  Thank you Michelle (Vitalady) for a wonderful Iron Product (and other awesome and easy to order vitamins and supps! )  She's a wealth of information and Tender Iron has proven itself to be a magic little pill....13 magic little pills to be exact!  I hope Doc clears me from any radical treatments...I really think I have this beat!  Thanks for letting me share! Anita

Thats great!!! My tender iron should be here tomorrow so I can get that started for my issues as well. It wont help with the bloods I have to take on the 21st I dont think, but Ill at least be headed on the right track. Congrats. You will get those levels all straightened out.

Well, good luck with the bloods on the 21st ...It's good you get on Tender Iron...Very good!   With my Ferritin level at 5.1 I was taking 13 for 325mg. (I choose this amount because that was the dosage my doc prescribed in Ferrous Sulfate) Since 18 years of studies on Carbonyl Iron in articles I read at http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/  show carbonyl Iron to be non-toxic in VERY high doses (1000, 10,000 mg!!!!!) and more absorbable than Ferrous Sulfate (Iron salts), I decided to match the dosage my doc gave me. I wasn't about to go that high in doses!  But it gave me peace of mind that I really couldn't poison myself like I could with Iron Salts!  Just for your Info!  Good luck to you!

Hi Anita! That's great news! I'm so happy that you have gotten this under control. I started taking tender iron recently too although my labs all checked out well up to this point~I just felt like I needed to start supplementing it now rather than later once it gets low. We have to be our own biggest advocate so congratulations to you for taking control of your health!!!!

Thank you Tracy!  I don't feel guilty either...It's a hard choice to go against taught behavior to obey "the law" of authority figures, such as doctors...but when you are different as we are with our rearranged plumbing...you have to trust your instincts and KNOW your body...and do A LOT of research from many sources and talk to others (I should have done that when I decided i didn't need to take my vitamins in the first place! Live and learn!)...And it wasn't hard to see that my lawn had a better chance absorbing the iron my doc gave me than I did!  LOL I can't be sorry for this time, because I did the right thing this time...even though I feel like a defiant child...Some risks you must take. Tender Iron won't hurt you like others can...It is unique in that your body seems to discard what it doesn't need of the carbonyl iron...where other irons poison your blood with toxic build-up of too much iron and causes severe side effects...even death!  Carbonyl Iron doesn't work that way...

Way to GO!! That is such awesome news!   Hugs!

Hugs!  I know ....I know!  :)

Hi Anita!!! I'm so glad to hear you are doing so well!!!!  GOOD for you for taking control of things as many docs still do not understand malabsorption....... RDW is red blood cell distribution width....which basically just means that your blood cells have a large range in cell size, which you pretty much already knew......so, this test can help determine WHY someone is anemic.....the higher the RDW, the more indication you may have iron deficiency...which you do know as well.....make sense???  LOL Anyhow, I am glad you are doing so well. I am still struggling over here to get back on track... i have been doing so crappy lately. Today is a new day though.  In fact, my son is 10 years old today...so, I thought that would be a good day to "start over" so to speak.  I was never overweight until having my babies (which i would rather be heavy and have them than be skinny without them) but, pregnancy did not agree with me!  LOL So, 10 years ago today, our first baby was born.  So, now, I will concentrate on the next 10 years being much healthier, and hopefully that will entail my being thinner. Ok, see you later!!!  Did you get my email address I sent you??? Lorri

Lorri... Yes!  i got your email!  I've been crazy insane here...Been trying to catch up on emails and posts! And family stuff and logging food ...EEK!  Summer gets nutso for me!   That RDW getting higher kinda puzzled me. Since everything else that was high went down and everything that was down went up...That was the only thing that went from bad to worse.  That's why I'm still not too sure what the doc will say...They did a manual count of the types of blood cells and they were still pretty messed up!  I guess that's the reason for the RDW...but I didn't read up on that when I posted...I was just so excited to have good news!  I couldn't wait to get all my ducks in a row and wait til the doc spoke!  LOL As for babies...I know! That's when my body and eating went south too....My first baby is 21!  My gosh!  That's the age I was when I got prego with him...That little stinker helped me gain 85 lbs with him...and he stayed an extra month! 10 months of pregnacy...That was the first time I was anemic too and had a blood transfusion after I had him...Almost lost the little boogger too.  He never stopped being a difficult kid!  LOL Love of my life though... 10 years huh? You can do it....At this point I feel like I can do ANYTHING I put my mind too...getting my mind there is another story...I'm glad you're back too!  Hugs

Glad things have improved for you, Anita!  That's great! I've done well with the Tender Iron myself.  My iron labs have stayed in good ranges all my post-op life and I'm sure it is due to an excellent form of iron! I had an emergency bleed last year due to a surgery and my levels fell.  I was just at the edge of needing a transfusion.  I was told to up my iron by 50% and lo and behold my iron recouped and went back to my normal ranges within 4-5 weeks. And now, I'm preparing for back surgery and donated a pint of blood last week and another this week for myself.  I've doubled my Tender Iron for the past month leading up to this and my labs have been fine for the donations.  Now I have 2 weeks (shy 1 day) before surgery and I know that my labs were rebound well under tis regiment. Good luck getting those levels higher! Best wishes, Kathy