Question:
I crave and chew ice constantly.

I am almost 2 years post-op and this started approx. 6 months ago. I find myself craving it even more when I have over eaten. It seems to soothe my stomach. Anyone else have this craving?    — Needham08753 (posted on January 30, 2006)

January 30, 2006
Please be careful eating ice in large amounts causes anemia.
   — Deborah Joyner

January 30, 2006
I too have heard that if you crave and eat a lot of ice you may be anemic.
   — dixieclark

January 30, 2006
chewing ice does not cause aniema. it is a sign of low iron. you need to have it checked. i had this problem and had to have an iron infusion. tammi
   — tjjjx6

January 30, 2006
Hi, It is a form of vitamin deficiency be very careful-if you keep chewing the the ice your teeth will crack. Also the term for this is called "PICA" sometimes you also crave powdery substances like Tums or Smarties..
   — Racegirl1

January 30, 2006
Janice, Have you had your blood work done recently? If not, you need to get your iron levels checked because ice chewing is a symptom of iron deficient anemia. I used to sit down with full glasses of ice and chew it straight from the freezer. It took iron infusions to get my iron levels within range. As soon as my iron went up, the ice chewing stopped. Also have your ferritin level checked. This will show how much of a storage of iron your body has left. Iron and ice chewing there is definately a connection.
   — Pamela B.

January 30, 2006
Janice, Have your iron checked. My partner went through the same thing. She eat more ice than food. She had her iron checked twice, however, it didn't show up as an iron deficiency right away. The second check showed it was the iron and the doctor put her on iron pills (prescribed), it also raised her energy level and cut down on the amount of pain she was having during her menstrual cycle.
   — the7thdean

January 30, 2006
one word, IRON!!
   — shellypoe

January 31, 2006
My problem is iron deficiency. I had to have a blood transfusion (not an iron infusion) on 1/13/06 because I did not have enough blood. My iron levels are really low and am having a scope today to see if I have ulcers.
   — Melanie S.

February 9, 2006
A couple of years ago, I too was eating tons of ice to the point I knew who sold the best ice, LOL, long story short, I was anemic and I need a hysterectomy....but all the nurses were telling me that was a sign of anemia ...
   — judchastain

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