Anemia/Iron Deficiency - How Long 'til Back to Normal?

[shootingstar]

What has your doctor recommended?

None of us on the forums know if you have other health related issues outside of anaemia.

I have had the occasional diagnosis from physicians at different times in my life, that I had a somewhat low red blood cell count. But my level, wasn't low enough on anything for physician (nor myself) to recommend beyond an iron pill nor to ramp up alot on iron-rich foods.

I know I've had lightheadness.....but that was only in different times in life, where I had low blood pressure..low enough that a doctor informed me not to get up from a lying down/prone position too quickly or I will get dizzy /faint...which did nearly happen to me.

[Jacki O]

What has your doctor recommended?

None of us on the forums know if you have other health related issues outside of anaemia.

My doc has only recommended the iron supplement (OTC, 2x per day rather than 1 as the box instructions suggest) and a loosely defined "walking program." I wish my doc had at least given me the counsel not to get up too quickly, as yours did. I couldn't even get my doc to go through the results with me without a second, formal, follow up appointment - seems HIPPA regs prohibit the free-flow exchange of health information with our physicians that many of us enjoyed in years past. But I digress.....

No health problems other than anemia. Outside of that, I'm healthy as can be. Of course, if my iron level isn't improved in 2 months when the blood count is taken again, we'll be looking for another root of the problem such as internal bleeding that IFjane alluded to earlier.

[meridian]

I seem to have had a much quicker come back than most, but I was only on the low side of normal on my iron count, but I had a deficit in ferritin, which is pre-anemia... and I felt absolutely horrible until I got blood work done and started a high iron vitamin regimen.

I started feeling 'better' within a week (meaning I at least had the energy to do a daily load of laundry again!), but it took months for all my symptoms to go away, and I still feel like I'm not where I should be yet.

It takes a very long time to build up iron, and with a deficiency your body will pretty much consume most of what you intake until things start balancing out...only then will your body start storing reserves.

I strongly suggest identifying the definite root cause of your deficiency (diet, digestion problems, internal bleeding), because even with supplements you may still just be masking another issue even when you feel well again!

[IFjane]

Ok jacki - here are the buried links :

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...t=hysterectomy

and

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...hlight=Cap2cap

[Aquila]

I don't think requiring a formal appointment is a HIPAA thing; I think it's a money thing. Physicians don't get paid for phone calls (usually, unless they have some special deal with you). But if they get you in for a 15 minute visit, they get paid. If your blood pressure and pulse get taken, and a couple questions and such, they get paid MORE! (It counts as a more complex visit if they check different systems or something.) And as most of us would probably say, why work for free (phone call) when you can get paid for your work?