tired of being tired

I exercise, I eat right and I am tired.  I know part of it is the low ferritin.  I eat iron rich food (hemme and non hemme) every meal, take my iron suppliments with C in the middle of the night when they should be absorbed.  My script was NOT hemme iron but I am planning on ordering some.  How much iron can I take at once and hope to get any of it absorbed? Can I add over the counter to the prescription iron?  Is there anything else I can do?  I'm getting plenty of sleep.  I was about at the point of thinking I was depressed but I really think it isn't depression, it is fatigue.

I know it takes a while for your levels to come up but I am tired of being tired.

I'm still in the Pre-OP stage, so I can't give any input that would be helpful for you, but I know just how you feel. I wanted to sleep so badly this afternoon, but I forced myself to take a quick walk and felt so much better almost immediately.  I also still struggle with apnea, so I don't feel tired for the same reasons, but I sure do sympathize. I hope you get some answers soon.

Thanks  for your support  i have always been the energizer bunny but not lately. I keep going but it sure is hard. 

What was your ferritin level?

Some things, like B12, can go up very quickly. Iron takes large doses, for a long time. But if your ferritin was really low, IV iron infusions might be the only thing to get your level up.

16.  range 15-200 at my lab.  So it was in range but pretty low.  Would like to avoid infusions after everything I have read about them but will certainly talk to the Dr in April if I am still feeling like this.

I was taking 300mg a day to bring my saggy levels up. It took all of a year. The best results were from taking a combo or carbonyl in the afternoon and heme iron at night. That timing could be reversed. Also, to increase iron's opportunity to be absorbed, take it with vitamin C, give it a window of an hour of either side with no caffeine, eggs, wheat, dairy or other vitamins. Also, you might ask them to test you for copper levels next time.

--gina

Thanks Gina.  both of mine, over the counter and script have C but I am going to pick up some C to go with it.  I did both in the middle of the night last night and woke up tasting iron.  Yuck but this no energy stuff is worse.  I was going to wait until my April appointment to see if I could get my PCP to order the heme iron but I think I will just order it and pay for it so I can get it started. I don't eat wheat, very limited caffeine but my whey drinks are all day.  I guess I will have to stop the afternoon one to fit another time in for iron.   That is basically why I went to the middle of the night.  I didn't have a 4 hr block to fit it in without something.  But 2 hr I may be able to do, lol. 

Thanks again.  We are so lucky you are on the board with us.

Vitamin C should be 200 mg for every 30 mg of elemental iron. If you drink tea, know that it also blocks iron absorption -- about 80%

Some RNYers just don't absorb any kind of oral iron very well, and need infusions no matter how much they've been taking. With a ferritin of 15, I'd get myself to a hematologist right away. It may be "in range," but you will get tired super easy until it's at least 50. That could take months with oral iron.

And what if something happens? My iron numbers were stellar last December 1, when I got a bleeding ulcer. Literally overnight, my ferritin went from 314 to 13, my hemoglobin from 16.5 to 7, and my hematocrit from 54.4 to 21.4. If my numbers were very low normal instead of very high normal to begin with, it could have killed me.

Don't settle for low normal. See a hematologist, preferably one that has dealt with RNYers. Ask about the iron infusions.

Thanks.  My appointment isn't until late April so maybe I need to schedule a visit for a referral.  I wish my WLS Dr would have been more helpful.  They would have known which hematologist to see although they would not be local to me since I had surgery 1.5 hr away. 

I will pick up C today to add to what I am taking now.

So I got some C today.  Would it help to take one with each meal to enhance the change of absorbing the iron from my food?  I think C is water soluble and I would just pee away what I can't use.  I also usually take calcium with my meals.  Will that prevent some of the absorption?  So maybe I need to find another time to take my calcium.  Darn, this is getting complicated.