Re: Therapy for iron deficiency

[Guest guest]

I think that there is a question of how much your body will absorb

(orange juice and similar help with absorption) so I don't know how

much benefit there is to taking huge doses of iron. I was prescribed

with Nifirex but it was pretty harsh on my GI system. A doctor friend

of mine recently told me to try ferrous gluconate. This has been

great. It is much gentler on my system, and the pills are lower

dosage--I take one at a time several times a day (3-5 depending on if

I'm menstruating or not). My doctor told me that the way to know that

you are taking enough iron is if your stools are totally black. Hope

this helps.

> Since ferritin=iron stores, does anyone know if having your blood

> drawn while your are bleeding should influence the lab results in

any way? Also, if any of you are more informed about iron formulations

> and my question above, I would appreciate that, too.

[Guest guest]

I am anemic and my doctor said that my hemoglobin count was 75

whereas a normal woman is between 115 and 150 -- he said I was

running on 2/3rds a tank of gas!. My myomectomy is scheduled for

mid-July and I would like to give autologous blood.

I am seeing both a Chinese Doctor and a Naturopath. She gave

me " Femagen Iron Plus " which supplies 30mg of Iron Proteinate, 3x

per day. Unfortunately, I started my period again today (it

finished two days ago -- 3 1/2 weeks of bleeding, and 1.5 weeks of

that was flooding & huge clots). No wonder I'm anemic!!

My Gyne and Family doctor thinks I should get iron shots on top of

the iron supplements whereas my Naturopath and Chinese Doctor think

otherwise.

My stools are NOT black and I am not constipated, thank goodness.

However, does this mean I'm not getting enough Iron if my stools

aren't black??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to postpone

my surgery if I don't have to.

I'm cooking my food in iron pots and taking way supplements beyond

reasonable to help aid in the iron absorbtion and blood loss, as

prescribed by Naturopath and Chinese Doctor. Is getting an iron

shot on top of that over-the-top?? Can it do any harm, the shot that

is??

Thoroughly confused but trying to make sense of it all ...

sKY:: (I just want this huge 6 month uterine sized fibroid out!!)

A doctor friend of mine recently told me to try ferrous gluconate. This has

been great. It is much gentler on my system, and the pills are lower

dosage--I take one at a time several times a day (3-5 depending on

if I'm menstruating or not). My doctor told me that the way to know

that you are taking enough iron is if your stools are totally black.

[Guest guest]

I have no idea about the iron shot. Are you getting your iron level

checked? You can also try iron-rich foods like red meat, brocolli,

leafy greans, beans, raisins, etc. My doctor put me on lupron to

control my bleeding so I can get my iron up to prepare for surgery.

Unfortunately, lupron can cause a surge in estrogen in the first two

weeks and I had the heaviest period of my life. So, there doesn't

seem to be any easy solution.

What do you do when you have the flooding/clots? I stay home when

it's really heavy because I'm afraid of leakages (which has happened)

and also because I am near-dizzy from the anemia. Does anyone have

any coping techniques? I buy the largest pads I can find but nothing

stops the large clots. I don't use tampons but maybe that would help?

> A doctor friend of mine recently told me to try ferrous

gluconate. This has been great. It is much gentler on my system, and

the pills are lower

> dosage--I take one at a time several times a day (3-5 depending on

> if I'm menstruating or not). My doctor told me that the way to

know

> that you are taking enough iron is if your stools are totally

black.

[Guest guest]

For my bleeding, I use a menstrual cup called 'The Keeper'

http://www.keeper.com/ -- it catches any clots and blood and gives

me a quick chance to reach the bathroom before all heck breaks loose.

Having the cup saves lots of money on tampons and is much more

environmentally friendly!

I've even resorted to buying 'Depends' just in case on those really

heavy days. I'm lucky in that I work from home and can monitor the

situation pretty easily but I try not to go out at those times. Too

many potentially embarassing situations. You have my understanding

and comforting wishes.

I was really weak and dizzy for about a week when I was getting up 6-

7 times a night to run to the bathroom.

I'm eating everything iron-rich that I can get my hands on and being

careful what supplements I take with my food.

Best wishes

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the tip on The Keeper. I've never heard of it and it looks

like a good option, especially for catching clots.

Best luck to you with the iron as well. It is not fun having fibroids

but it is good to be able to hear from other women with the same

problems. I am 30 and none of my friends have fibroids, so no one

understands how heavy it is and that it's not like a regular period.

It's great to be able to talk to other people who are dealing with

the same thing!

Take care.

> For my bleeding, I use a menstrual cup called 'The Keeper'

> http://www.keeper.com/ -- it catches any clots and blood and gives

> me a quick chance to reach the bathroom before all heck breaks

loose.

> Having the cup saves lots of money on tampons and is much more

> environmentally friendly!

> I've even resorted to buying 'Depends' just in case on those really

> heavy days. I'm lucky in that I work from home and can monitor the

> situation pretty easily but I try not to go out at those times.

Too

> many potentially embarassing situations. You have my understanding

> and comforting wishes.

> I was really weak and dizzy for about a week when I was getting up

6-

> 7 times a night to run to the bathroom.

> I'm eating everything iron-rich that I can get my hands on and

being

> careful what supplements I take with my food.

> Best wishes