Hi all!

I am so tired of this!! My hemoglobin and hematocrit are within normal range but my ferritin(iron stores)are always low (6), normal with my lab is 10-291. I've tried 3 different supplements for months now and no matter what I do I can't bring my ferritin levels up! I really want to b/c I know my energy level will increase and I want this so bad.

Is this a jpouch absorbing issue or what?? Anyone here with a pouch have their ferritin levels checked? Most docs will not order this unless you ask for it or you are anemic.

Thanks,Apple

Yesterday I've checked my blood and my ferritin is low (8.2).
My Vitamin B12 is also low (152) , I've started taking B12 tablets.
My Iron is also low (55).

Everything else was fine.

Hi Kobi!

Thanks for replying! Why do you think your ferritin is low?? Do you eat red meat? I don't! I think I may try that. I don't have light periods. I am just trying to get to the cause instead of just treating it, although I am definitely taking iron.

Thanks,
Apple

We (or any human) does not absorb non-heme iron as well as heme iron. Heme iron comes from meat, so that is your best source. Red meat is the highest, but all meat has it. Iron supplements are non-heme sources, so that is why you need to take such high quantities of them. Also, if you take them with milk or other calcium sources (or supplements) that further retards the absorption. Taking iron supplements with an acid, such as vitamin C or orange juice, aids in absorption. So maybe that will help you.

Jan

Thanks, Jan!!

How many servings of red meat or any meat should I eat considering I have 5-6 day periods every 31 days?

Thanks!

In November my Ferritin level was near zero. I have been on ferrous glucanate (easy on the stomach) since then. two weeks ago it was still low. Fatigue is definitely an issue. I have always eaten lots of red meat. I think I have had small amounts of bleeding with my pouchitis and ulcers. I am going to see if B12 injections might help. i sleep 10 hours at night and can easily take a 3 hr nap during the day. Very discouraging - this has been really bad since September. I am on entocort and rotate xifaxin with doxycycline and take tincture of opium. Good luck. I will be anxious to see if what you are doing helps.

I really do not know the exact amount of meat you should be eating, but I would start by doubling or tripling your meat intake and see how that goes. Here is more info if you are interested:

http://dietary-supplements.inf.../factsheets/iron.asp

Jan

Thanks Jan great article!!

I has a delicious steak last night for dinner

I have also always had low ferritin (at least since I started having it checked regularly since being diagnosed at age 12 in 1998). It seems to be an absorption problem for me personally, since it doesn't matter what supplements I take and how much, it doesn't budge from the 3-5 range.

About 7 years ago, I was treated with weekly intramuscular iron injections (painful!) for 13 weeks which worked well and brought my ferritin up to the low 30's, but it dropped again after a year or 2.

We recently tried IM injections again, but I ended up with an allergic reaction with inflammed lymph nodes and a rash near the injection site (reactions to IM and IV iron are common, so it's not used unless absolutely necessary). I eventually ended up getting 8 IV iron infusions (one a week) which took all day and were a hassle to get, but they raised my ferritin very quickly (actually to "iron overload" levels... I was given too many infusions).

Anyway there are options IF your ferritin is affecting your hemoglobin, but they aren't the safest so they generally won't use them unless your hemoglobin is dropping as a result.

Must have missed this original post (February), however this has been, and I imagine continues to be, an issue for me. Low ferritin. Near normal or low normal iron levels. Near normal or low normal hemoglobin. However, I never understood why the ferritin was always an issue. I was taking iron to rectify this as the doctor thought this to be an iron deficiency anemia. However, ferritin always came back abnormal (low). Why? Does this matter if iron and hemoglobin (as well as RBC, hematocrit, etc.) are normal?

If you are not anemic (normal hemoglobin, RBC), it probably does not matter in the short term. Over the long term, it could mean that you are heading toward anemia. However, if over a long period of time this is a stable situation, I don't see any reason to do any more than observe the trend and see if it eventually develops into an anemic state. Try to keep sufficient heme iron foods (meats) in your diet.

Some people just never fit into the "normal" box and have their own normal. It is when your numbers are gradually dropping over a period of time that you need to take action.

Jan

Back in 2003 my primary physician discovered I had low hemoglobin count and low ferritin. I went to a hemotologist and started Iron infusions. My gastroentrologist made me go through loads of test to find the source of bleeding for four years until finally I was sent to another gastroentrologist, who did the pill EGD which showed I had ulcers in my small intestines. I took Carafate three times a day for a month or two and my numbers stayed up. I quit doing the IV's October '07. On Feb. 24th I had a routine blood test and my hemoglobin count came in at 6.8, a year earlier it was 16. My ferritin count came back at a dismal 3.2. I knew I was bleeding again, so I got a 1 gram drip of iron and am having an EGD and a flexible sigmoidoscopy. The doctor explained that he thinks he can look at the lower uleum where my past ulcers were. The doc also wanted to put me on Humira injections immediately.
What I'm thinking is you might be bleeding, so if you haven't had a pill EGD please do.