iron?

[arguchik]

(edited to remove identifying information because i was referring to someone else's locked LJ entries...)

a friend's iron transfusion posts have me wondering about my own iron levels. because her posts have made me curious, i've been reading about iron deficiency and thinking about the symptoms.

now, self-diagnosis is never a good idea. however, there are a few things about my health over the last couple of years that would make more sense if i assumed that i'm low in iron. i have been getting increasingly lethargic, tire a lot more easily than i used to, and my lower inner eyelids don't look all that red to me. i looked at the USRDA for iron for premenopausal women (if you're curious, click here and scroll down to the chart), and there is no way i'm getting anywhere near the recommended 18mg per day if it's true that 3oz. of beef has only about 3mg of iron in it. how does anyone get that much iron per day??? here's the clincher, though: right about 2 years ago i went off the pill, for various reasons. my periods are a lot heavier when i'm not on the pill. they still aren't particularly heavy when compared to one of my older sister's, or to what some of my friends report (though i've never seen firsthand how much these women actually bleed--perhaps this is just a difference of perception), but i'd say i bleed at least twice as much as i did while on the pill.

[pauses briefly to wonder if that's TMI for a public post... bah. screwit.]

so anyway, i'm thinking of taking supplemental iron, and because it seems to really help with iron absorption, i plan to take it with vitamin C. (perhaps i'll just wash the iron down with my fizzy vites.)

i know, i know...i should really go to the doctor and get a CBC, iron levels checked, etc. i don't feel like it. i have a bad attitude about getting poked, prodded, measured, calculated out, and summed up. and no, that doesn't mean i'm afraid of needles. i'm just tired of the endless surveillance metrics.

Comments

[rojonoir.livejournal.com]

If you don't already cook with cast iron, that might help:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/IronCastIron.htm

[xtingu]

(Thanks for respecting my privacy by the way! It's all good.)

Iron is one of those tricky things that your body doesn't absorb well, so you should make sure that your iron supplement is a highly-absorbable formulation (iron gluconate or iron as amino acid chelate).

If you want, I have a a zillion bottles of highly-absorbable chewable iron (they're tasty, too!) and I can have drjohn bring a bottle up to you since I'm seeing him next week. I'm not supposed to take the supplements anymore now that I'm getting the hot iron injections now, so you might as well try 'em out.

Be sure you don't take iron at the same time as a calcium supplement (specifically calcium carbonate-- so this includes Tums and the like; calcium citrate is OK though) since it impairs absorption.

Oh: One other thing:
My hematologist said that if your periods are heavier, then yes, absolutely, you lose iron faster. He equated it to filling up a cup with water, but there's a hole at the bottom. Everybody has a hole at the bottom of the cup, but if you're a heavy bleeder, then the hole is a lot bigger, so it takes more iron to keep you full. (I forget if I mentioned that in my earlier posts or not...)

Innnnnnteresting stuff.