anemia

[DarlingNikki]

How do you know if you have it?

How do you treat it?

I know, I know, the best thing is to go to a doctor.

But what will s/he most likely tell me to do if I have it?

 

[CelticFrog]

Well, I don't really know a lot about it other than iron pills.

But you can go HERE to read more on what it is and treatment.

Good luck.
Ang

 

[dollface007]

I believe lethargy is the most common symptom...especially when you have your period. Other than that, i think you need to get a blood test to see if you have it. You take iron pills to treat it. I would see your doctor if i were you, b/c he/she may tell you that you need more than the recommended dose of iron pills.

 

[jpred75]

Feeling of extreme tiredness and lethargy are the most common symptoms of anemia. You can usually find either a good iron suppliment at most health stores or you can opt for a mutli-viatimin there. Ask someone who works there for a suggestion, there are many available and most are pretty reasonably priced that I've found. Some multis will also have extra iron in them to allow those who need it to not have to take multiple pills every day.

After a few days if you borderline anemic you should feel a little better. But as its been stated a blood test by a doctor is the best course of action and the doc may need to issue to a prescription strength suppliment if the case is serious enough.

 

[quickfoot]

Most good multi vitamins have iron built into them, especially women's multi-vitamens, and you can find iron supplements.

WebMD has an article here

Unless under the supervision of a doctor don't take large amounts of iron because of Iron Toxicity

 

[dc&gw]

DarlingNikki
I'm severely anemic. I noticed it mostly when I went to college and had to stay awake for the whole day (no naps!!) As the others said, it is mainly noticed when you're tired for no apparent reason (i.e. you're sleeping over 8 hours and still tired). I seem to get worse closer to my period, really fatigued.

What the doctor will do is check your hemoglobin. It should be between 12-15 I think *it's been a while since I got checked
Then they will prescribe the dose needed for the iron and how many times a day. I believe that it's my wonder drug. Without it, I have to sleep halfway through the day.

Get checked ASAP, it's just a blood test (they draw blood for a full check to make sure nothing else is the problem) and from then on it's just a prick of the finger.

I know it relieved my parents worry when they found out it was just anemia and not some other diesease causing my lack of energy.

 

[fille]

In addition to a good iron supplement, certain foods provide a lot of iron. Spinach is a terrific source.

 

[cinnamonstick]

Treatment depends on the type of anemia. Which type are we talking about?

 

[N8Dreams]

Not all anemia is caused by iron deficiency.
In women severe menstruation can be a reason too.

 

[DarlingNikki]

Thanks all. I can't afford to see a doctor right now so I started trying to eat better, healthier, vitaminier foods and I felt a LOT better yesteray. I didn't even fall asleep at work. So it is either some sort of vitamin deficiency or all in my head... I hope this helps, my hair is falling out and everything.

Does anyone know if I can go to a free clinic for this kind blood test? Eating healthy never hurts, but I would like to get a real medical opinion. Anyway, thanks again for the responses.

 

[Tx girl]

I know when i found out i was anemic, i was constantly tired, and bruised really easily. You can have a simple blood test done and that can tell you. Or you can just take an iron pill everyday. When the doc told me i had it, he told me to take a low dose iron pill everyday or a vitamin with iron in it. You wont feel wonderful over night it takes about a week.

Good luck, and i hope i helped

 

[warrior queen]

i suffer terribly from menstruation-induced anaemia..... or rather, i used to!

i have an awful problem with taking iron supplements because they cause other, worse side-effects.

my doc decided to put me on a low-dose pill that i take continuously for 4 months with no sugar pills, and then take the sugar pills in the 4th month - meaning i now only have a period every 4th month.

my anaemia is now completely under control, and i have the added bonus of not having periods - and the accompanying pms! - for most of the year.

might be something to ask your doc when you go see him/her.

wq

 

[N8Dreams]

Does anyone know if I can go to a free clinic for this kind blood test? Eating healthy never hurts, but I would like to get a real medical opinion. Anyway, thanks again for the responses.

Where do you live?

 

[brioche]

Thanks all. I can't afford to see a doctor right now so I started trying to eat better, healthier, vitaminier foods and I felt a LOT better yesteray. I didn't even fall asleep at work. So it is either some sort of vitamin deficiency or all in my head... I hope this helps, my hair is falling out and everything.

Does anyone know if I can go to a free clinic for this kind blood test? Eating healthy never hurts, but I would like to get a real medical opinion. Anyway, thanks again for the responses.

Okay, I'm a lurker, but this I may be able to help with so...
Having your hair fall out is an indication of a deficiency of some kind. I haven't heard of it happening with iron-deficiency anaemia, the most common kind, which is the one I have. If you do need iron, you need to take it for 6 weeks. This is the period of time your body takes to create new red blood cells. Anything less that that won't help much (and that is directly from my doctor, so don't worry about the source) if you have anything more than a very mild case. Iron can be found in two forms, in red meat, eggs, dark green veggies, and soy products. Try to take it with vitamin C and without calcium to help absorption. Red meat's the best source. Iron toxicity is rare in menstruating females.
If your chief complaints are fatigue/anaemia-like symptoms and your hair falling out, I would actually suspect it to be a thyroid problem. Go to WebMD and look up hypo and hyperthyroidism, because I don't remember which it is. My mother had the same symptoms. It can also be diagnosed by a simple blood test, but I can't tell you about whether that's covered for you because I'm Canadian.
If you can go to a clinic and talk to the doc about your fatigue, I would. I went through a decade of unexplained fatigue and it turned out to be a bunch of things all working together. It took a very patient GP, 3 specialists, and my own advocation to unravel it all. But it did get solved in the end.
A simple test: can you walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath? If you can, you don't have *severe* anaemia - because your red blood cells are what brings oxygen to your body. You get out of breath really easily because they can't do their job.
Sorry if this is too long - but I hope it helps.
Oh, and any doc worth his salt here would order a blood test checking: serum ferritin, red blood cell count, B12 levels, TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), and possibly blood sugar. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[N8Dreams]

Brioche is right

 

[ReadyOne]

Two other symptoms of iron anemia are

1) Involuntary twitching in extremities, especially legs, and

2) An urge to chew ice, and possibly other things like paper.

These are not commonly listed because it hard to directly link a mechanism for them to anemia. However, they are informally well know to doctors, like a "trick of the trade".

You'll also find them discussed by lay people on the web.

 

[Tx girl]

Hmmmmm now ya'll have me wondering if i still have my iron under control. I constantly crave ice!

 

[mizbhvn]

Two other symptoms of iron anemia are

1) Involuntary twitching in extremities, especially legs, and

2) An urge to chew ice, and possibly other things like paper.

These are not commonly listed because it hard to directly link a mechanism for them to anemia. However, they are informally well know to doctors, like a "trick of the trade".

You'll also find them discussed by lay people on the web.

The information above is very true. I had awful twitches in my legs, couldn't sleep because I couldn't keep my legs still. I also was up to eating about a bag of crushed ice a Day. I craved it, had to have it.
I was terribly anemic due to female problems that caused almost constant bleeding. Finally had to have a hysterectomy about a year ago. Anyway I was first diagnosed with "Restless Leg Syndrome" and prescribed a muscle relaxer to take a bed time. (it was a GP and he did not order a blood test). Then I went to see my OBGYN about the bleeding and was scheduled for surgery (still no blood test) at the pre-op screening a blood test was done and my Hemoglobin (spelling?) was 4.7, I think its supposed to be around 12-15. I had a blood transfusion and it took 3 units of blood and 4 days in the hospital before I was cleared for surgery.

 

[brioche]

The information above is very true. I had awful twitches in my legs, couldn't sleep because I couldn't keep my legs still. I also was up to eating about a bag of crushed ice a Day. I craved it, had to have it.
I was terribly anemic due to female problems that caused almost constant bleeding. Finally had to have a hysterectomy about a year ago. Anyway I was first diagnosed with "Restless Leg Syndrome" and prescribed a muscle relaxer to take a bed time. (it was a GP and he did not order a blood test). Then I went to see my OBGYN about the bleeding and was scheduled for surgery (still no blood test) at the pre-op screening a blood test was done and my Hemoglobin (spelling?) was 4.7, I think its supposed to be around 12-15. I had a blood transfusion and it took 3 units of blood and 4 days in the hospital before I was cleared for surgery.

Now that's interesting.
I am chronically anemic, and was at one point taking pills that are supposed to be taken once a day FIVE times a day. My body just doesn't seem to absorb it well, and I have heavy periods despite the pill. Anyway, when I mentioned my fatigue in an earlier post, one of the contributing factors turned out to be PLMS, periodic limb movements in sleep, which is a gentler version of RLS. My legs twitch about every 30 seconds, then go crazy and I wake up. I'm on a benzodiazepine (that's spelled wrong I think) to keep this from waking me up. It gets worse with my ferritin under 50.
Normal haemoglobin levels are 13 and up. Including a hundred.

 

[Cakegirl]

Hey DarlingNikki,

If you can't afford to go to the doctor, and you want to improve your iron absorbtion, try the following:

1. Eat foods that are high in iron, e.g. spinach, red meat, eggs, dried apricots, etc. A search on the net should give you a list of the iron content of different foods.

2. When you eat those foods, eat foods with vitamin C at the same time - tomato, oranges, orange juice, cranberry juice, etc. Vitamin C helps your body to absorb iron.

3. Try to combine an animal source (like an egg) with a vegetable source (like spinach) at the same time. This maximises the iron absorbed from the vegetable source.

4. At the same time, do not have any caffeine (you can have it at other times, just not when you're eating your food) because caffeine inhibits iron absorbtion. So, if you normally drink tea, coffee, coke, etc, try to cut back, and when you do have it, make sure it's an hour or so before or after your meals.

5. And finally, take an iron supplement. Most straight iron tablets will wreak havoc on your bowels - cramps are common, as are diarrhea and constipation. Try "pre-digested" tablets (sounds gross, but it just means that the breaking down of the iron has been started, and your body doesn't have to do all the work.

Cakegirl