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Low iron

saffron15

saffron15

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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I dropped one metformin end of February and was told to have a blood test and follow up appointment in three months. My blood sugar has been up and down - one day between 3 and 15. I am low on strips and haven't tested for a week. I finally decided to make,e the appt for a blood test and was given one next day on Wednesday. I forgot to take my phone out today and have a message that I have low iron and there will be a prescription at the pharmacy. Could it be related to diabetes? I remember the first time I went blood doning 50 years ago they gave us iron tablets ( which we didn't take) i stopped giving in my fifties when diagnosed with high blood pressure but not aware of an iron problem.

Last few months I've shed more hair than usual and the hair of my fringe looked like tufts. I spoke to hairdresser last week who cut my fringe further back. I now see Google suggests it may be low iron. I assume I will be collecting iron tablets and will check with the pharmacist. I have been feeling a bit low maybe it's connected.

In February I asked if I had been tested for b12 as I knew metformin could affect it. I was told no but knew this blood test would include a check. The voice message mentioned low iron not low b12.
 
Funny enough im in same boat.......told i was anemic 3 weeks ago and put on meds
 
Many foods which if following a low carb regime people will be cutting out or reducing portions would be fortified with iron, folate and other vitamins, breakfast cereals , bread are a couple which come to mind.
 
I am still eating some bread. I'm not eating any cereal. I'm rarely eating red meat. I do eat broccoli kale etc and fish. I have a large bruise from the blood test. I'll grill the pharmacist tomorrow. My best friends husband has given me his smart phone perhaps I should download the NHS app.
 
saffron15 said:
I am still eating some bread. I'm not eating any cereal. I'm rarely eating red meat. I do eat broccoli kale etc and fish. I have a large bruise from the blood test. I'll grill the pharmacist tomorrow. My best friends husband has given me his smart phone perhaps I should download the NHS app.
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Eggs and red meats are also a good source of iron, the others sound less attractive like offal, oysters, mussels, clams.
Iron tablets can cause constipation if you are not careful.*
 
I go into my local city for a language course on a Monday. There is a local restaurant that serves only steak usually butler steak. The steak is £10 sides £4 each a sauce £1. I've been twice since it opened. Last time I had creamed spinach and seasonal greens as my sides. Time before I had chips as one of the sides. I think I can cope with another visit. My favourite meal used to be liver bacon and onion + mash. I asked to be tested for diabetes having discovered last year they had stopped testing ten years before. The meeting was about my cholestral creeping up so I have tried to not eat processed or red meat. It is a year next Monday since I got the result of 69.
I had a fry up for breakfast this evening I had a small meat carrot and pea pie plus beetroot.
Tomorrow I've got some crab, salad and humus. I suppose i need to check iron now. Sunday I've got sea trout broccoli cauli and asparagus.

Hopefully I won't have to add constipation to my woes
 
It’s worth getting the NHS app as then you can see the level of anaemia. I have been prone to anaemia because of heavy periods and yes losing your hair can be a sign. I feel a lot of weakness and heaviness in my thighs going up stairs or walking up hill and get very out of breath when I’m anaemic. There’s good evidence that taking iron tablets every other day helps alleviate some of the side effects but doesn’t reduce the amount of iron you absorb.
 
Perhaps ask your doctor to check your ferritin level via a blood test?
"What should ferritin be in the UK?
In general, a ferritin level of less than 15 micrograms/L is considered indicative of absent iron stores, while levels of less than 30 micrograms/L are generally indicative of low body iron stores. The lower limit of normal for most laboratories, therefore, lies in the range of 15–30 micrograms/L [Snook, 2021]."

There's something on the NHS website about iron-deficiency anaemia, which is worth a read.

A friend of mine who has heavy periods swears by, and occasionally at, Feroglobin Plus which costs £lots and tastes horrible, but she has found that this is the only iron-medicine which works for her.
 
Leadinglights said:
Eggs and red meats are also a good source of iron, the others sound less attractive like offal, oysters, mussels, clams.
Iron tablets can cause constipation if you are not careful.*
Click to expand...

I am.sufferimg badly from constipation. I thought the pain killers were to blame but found out yesterday that there are iron tablets in my medical Dolly Mixture. The previous times were after my bypass ,(7 years ago) and below knee amputation (5 years ago). In both cases they were short term (six weeks and three months respectively). My iron levels tend to be towards the bottom end of normal. To boost them I eat liver fortnightly (cardiologist happy with that) and spinach about twice a week. I do eat red meat but tend to stick to 5% steak or beef mince. As a Jedi. I don't eat lamb. With pork I eat breakfast products occasionally but because I on porcine insulin feel like a cannibal! :rofl:
 
Oh no Mikey, an unfortunate side effect of iron tablets. Hopefully now you are getting regular physio and moving a bit more that will help. Meanwhile have they given you a gentle laxative to give you some relief now?
I am a fan of any red meat even though we are supposed to eat less these days. Liver and onion gravy is also a favourite. Are you getting better meals now?
Sending you hugs and hope you are not suffering in the heatwave.
 
The main laxative is Laxido. This comes two or three times a day, sometimes a double dose
I found out this evening when I red Laxido that one of my tablets is a laxative. I want a more sensible approach..After my amputation I found Senns worked gently and well. With this mic I often feel I want to when I actually don't! Constipation is a big problem in hospitals. Besides medication they could help with better food! I had a ham sandwich and it was white bread with reformed ham. A casserole yesterday came with white rice, etc Today was a difficult day estimating carbs as lunch was corned beef hash and supper a chicken, cheese and bacon bake. Both had potato in them with a potato side I skipped . The options were cauliflower cheese ,(which I am allergic to) and penne pasta with tomato sauce! ;(
 
silver minion said:
I am a fan of any red meat even though we are supposed to eat less these days. Liver and onion gravy is also a favourite.
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Offal, to me, is an excellent choice environmentally as the animal is already being raised and slaughtered for the muscle meat. Shame it's so hard to come by now. Heart is my favourite but Waitrose have stopped selling it and it's a long drive to Morrisons who only seem to have it half the times we've tried. Local butcher retired a couple of years ago so nowhere else I can think to try round here.

Sorry, that was of no help to Mikey. Can you try taking the iron every other day to minimise constipation or is it in a multivitamin form?
 
I've been prescribed ferrous sulfate. One a day for 3 months. Ive only been g8ven 28 at the moment. Friday i had a pain in my stomach thought I was going to be sick but wasn't. Saturday I was sick. Unusual for me. Last time was more than ten years ago. I had had an early yoghurt breakfast. I was a small heave. Surprisingly I sicked up some mushroom my breakfast previous day. Went to chemist. Spoke to pharmacist. Surprisingly there was no leaflet in the packet. I dint feel right but went to cafe opposite the chemist. Had tea rather than coffee plus a tea cake. Took my metformin. Still wanted to heave! Didn't finish teacake. Had to stop on a bench on way home. Not sure if it was heat or what. It's only a ten minute walk. Not long after got home had another small heave and threw up the metformin.

I had a quiet day drinking water and late afternoon had a couple of beetroot and took iron pill. Said better absorption with vitamin C.

Didn't eat anything more yesterday. I had bought a crab on Friday which I hope I can eat.
Not sure what to take today. I'm tempted not to take my SGLT2. I didn't bring up yesterday's pills and not take statin. I'll take BP pills and iron pill. Think I'll leave it to lunch have beetroot and iron. Then this evening if feeling OK I will have crab and metformin.

I've still got weight to lose so maybe a bonus.
 
I've had a horrible weekend with acid reflux in spades. Started Friday - threw violently up my entire evening meal (curry and rice) and only just made it to the bathroom sink which bunged up the plughole since hadn't actually started digesting any of it whatever by the looks and me turning the cold tap on full blast apparently spread it rather than sending it down the plughole. Felt so dizzy and ill it just had to be bed. Slept Ok which was a surprise and slept late, but scared to eat or drink or even take any tablets when I got up, since I'd had a mouthful of tap water in the early hours (sleeping with mouth open so felt parched and hard to move my tongue! when I woke needing the loo) and instantly regurgitated it, any amount through my nose. That HURT. Completely bloated yesterday - wanted to stick a long pin (or something) in my belly to let the gas out. Most uncomfy and didn't dare eat anything. I did have a slice of B & B for lunch about 1.30, though it was what my mama called 'bread and scrape' cos the person had scraped their butter knife across the bread without imparting very much butter , if at all. Thought that was OK - then about 6pm ish I started to heave and there it was again, safely deposited in the toilet bowl with the acid this time. Got up this morning - carefully! 😉 and did what in hindsight I should have been doing all along. Start off my day with my Thyroxine tablets with a drink of water. After at least half an hour I have Lansaprazole again with water and nowt else whatever for at least another half hour. Can't even take another tablet until I'm sure the L has had time to impart its protection to the inside of my tum. And then I decided I'd attempt taking one paracetamol, For lunch I had one slice of white bread with a teeny bit of butter followed by a scant amount of soft cheese and a thin slice of smoked ham. An inch off the end of husband's sausage roll and about half a dozen broken plain crisps. Success! About 4pm I had a cup of tea and a third of a (large) eccles cake And the thing I really wanted to take. which I only started on Friday and pretty instantly started throwing up - one of my new Co-Codamol tablets kindly prescribed by the GP after lunch on Friday. I've taken them at odd times in the past with no bad effects - just shows how our innards change.

I was in pretty urgent need of better pain killing as basically the osteo arthritis in my hips have been giving me too much grief and it's been restricting my movement far too much for my own good. Was gobsmacked when I got a same day appt when I rang at 9am-ish on Friday. She had a good prod and poke and I did bellow at times, so we all knew yes it hurt there as well! :rofl: Hopefully I'll now go on OK again for another bit.
 
I'm going to throw the crab tomorrow. Had 2 beetroot and a spoonful of humus and loads of water. @trophywrench you have made me feel I should count my blessings. Hope things improve.
 
Yes vitamin c helps absorption. Tea, coffee, dairy and eggs all reduce absorption and the advice it to wait 2 hours after taking iron to have them. Taking iron on an empty stomach is grim though so if it works better for you to take it later in the day do. If the only way you can take it is with tea, dairy or whatever then do that anyway as it’s better to get some of the iron than none. Take it every other day. It reduces side effects but doesn’t reduce how much iron you get - when you have a lot of iron the iron receptors get ’full’ and you don’t get any benefit from any additional iron and tablets are more than we get in diet. When I’ve had iron infusions I’ve been told to stop taking iron for 5-7 days afterwards for the same reason. Why deal with the side effects if you’re not getting any benefit.

If you really can’t tolerate it then go back to the GP as there are other forms of iron supplements and some are easier to take than others.
 
debs248 said:
Offal, to me, is an excellent choice environmentally as the animal is already being raised and slaughtered for the muscle meat. Shame it's so hard to come by now. Heart is my favourite but Waitrose have stopped selling it and it's a long drive to Morrisons who only seem to have it half the times we've tried. Local butcher retired a couple of years ago so nowhere else I can think to try round here.

Sorry, that was of no help to Mikey. Can you try taking the iron every other day to minimise constipation or is it in a multivitamin form?
Click to expand...

This constipation issue got rather silly,,(funny in retrospect) yesterday. After failing to go yesterday they decided I needed an enema. I explained I had a visitor coming in and hour but no it had to be now. I then sat through an hour's pleasant visit hoping my visitor could not hear the increased rumblings below. The moment they left I dived for the call bell.

I can laugh about it now but yesterday I was quite annoyed as I had hoped my visitor would seer sitting out for the first time in five months! :(
 
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