Anemia

That was probably me! I have been dealing with this for about 2 months and have posted a few times about it. I am finally almost normal, blood tests on Monday had my hemo at 11 which is the highest it has been in a long time. While I was in the hospital I was super anemic so I had a blood transfusion and iron for an immediate boost. That got me to 9. I pretty much got to 11 from diet and my flare improving because I don't tolerate iron pills very well.

I may restart taking Flintstone chewables for the iron. I used to give blood several years ago and when I was on the edge of anemia the nurse there told me Flintstones chewables are easier to tolerate than an iron supplement and seem to absorb well. They used to really help me and I forgot about that until the other day going through some old notes.

I don't want to bore anyone with additional details, if you want some tips on diet ect I can post what I have been doing that I found helpful.

You can get iron through diet by eating red meat and leafy greens, but also by cooking in cast iron pots, especially cooking acidic foods like tomatoes.

I've struggled with low blood iron for a long time, too, and finally I feel like I've gotten over it. One thing that I think helped me (although I haven't had a CBC in a few months so I don't know) is going gluten free. I think I was having trouble with gluten and it was affecting my ability to absorb nutrients.

The link below gave me some good tips and I got some good ideas from the meal plan they included. It pointed out a few things I didn't know had iron, such as hummus. I have been eating more fortified foods like Cheerios and Cream of Wheat. When I eat a non meat source of iron like from spinach or cereal I try to eat something high in Vitamin C with it to help increase absorption. I am also a coffee and tea drinker and avoid drinking that within an hour of eating an iron rich meal because it affects the amount absorbed. I also started taking a tablespoon of unsulfered blackstrap molasses everyday. I personally don't like it but it is tolerable and better than taking iron pills, some people really like it. Both my parents like it on biscuits.

I don't know how much you cook, but I have been adding fresh garlic to pasta, soups, and chilis. Garlic is supposed to help the bodies metabolism of iron.

http://www.uhs.uga.edu/nutrition/iron.html

Iron transfusions (two of them) worked wonders for me last year in getting my haemoglobin level back up. At its lowest it was 7, but after the transfusions it got to 12 and stayed there, too. Well until I begun the Remicade that is :-/ According to the info sheet that's filled in whenever I have an infusion, my haemoglobin had fallen to 9.4 last time I looked at it. >_<

It's apparently very difficult to replenish your iron stores through diet alone once they become sufficiently depleted. I really would enquire into getting an iron transfusion. Also, as far as I know, transfusions don't cause constipation unlike pills - but not 100% on that admittedly.

The only drawback is the possibility of an allergic reaction...

I'll probably put you off them now, but the first time - a few years ago now - I received an iron transfusion I went into anaphylactic shock. Oops. Think that gave the staff a bit of a surprise. No lasting harm done, however. I apparently didn't lose a pulse so it was just a case of passing out and being revived with steroids.

For the successful attempt I was given a different type of iron, one less likely to cause an allergic reaction. The dose was also split into two, instead of the usual one, and the infusion rate slowed down. It worked. I got a small number of hives and the chills briefly, but after that my body accepted it, luckily. I think if I had the full dose at the normal rate, I would have had another bad allergic reaction.

Anyhow, anaphylactic reactions are rare, so it's really not likely to happen to you. Don't let it put you off! Just ask the staff to slow the infusion right down if you do detect any signs of an allergic reaction, however.