Declining FERITTIN levels ?

[iron lifter]

I last donated blood in Nov of 2021. I stopped after that since it always tanked my ferritin levels and instead learned how to better manage phlebotomy on cycle.

However i still see a downward trend of my levels? I remember Stan Efferding saying sometimes some athletes will haver lower ferritin from exercise induced anemia. i have no low ferritin symptoms, however i am concerned they will go lower and lower. diet is the same lots of read meat and vitamin C etc. no stomach issues either. no bleeding etc. not sure where its being lost.

would it be wise to take a low dose feradex or palaffer a few times a week to build some stores back up.

 

[TeaMan]

Check your iron level, if its lowe bump it up from supplements or more diet sources. If iron is in good range, theres a problem with absorption, that can be due the problem of inteste track issue for example. Lactobacillus plantarum 299v can improve iron absorpion answeel as witamin C and lactoferin.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

I last donated blood in Nov of 2021. I stopped after that since it always tanked my ferritin levels and instead learned how to better manage phlebotomy on cycle.

However i still see a downward trend of my levels? I remember Stan Efferding saying sometimes some athletes will haver lower ferritin from exercise induced anemia. i have no low ferritin symptoms, however i am concerned they will go lower and lower. diet is the same lots of read meat and vitamin C etc. no stomach issues either. no bleeding etc. not sure where its being lost.

would it be wise to take a low dose feradex or palaffer a few times a week to build some stores back up.

View attachment 159349

You may not be experiencing symptoms because you're still in a fairly good range as it appears here. We're sort of in the same boat. Although I've had 4 Tx phlebs in the past 4 months. 4 units. And scheduled for another on the 23rd coming up.

 

[alfresco]

A low dose feradex? Just crazy.

Last week my wife and a ferritin infusion.

Hers was 4 at its worst.

She has been poked and prodded from top to the bottom. No docs
can figure out what is happening, where the blood is going. She gets
a blood test every month and when it gets low enough (a tough hole
to climb out of) she goes in for an infusion. Maybe once or so a year.

She has tried all the supplements recommended here. Zero effect.
Lactoferrin a no go, lactose intolerant. It happins.

My ferritin has been low / normal because, in my opinion, I had been
giving blood regularly for the last 15 years. Me thinks it maybe have
finally it caught up with me. Like her, I have tried all the supplements.
No help. The only thing that helped my ferritin was to only donate blood
once or twice a year. This helped my hematocrit also, counter intuitive
to me.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

A low dose feradex? Just crazy.

Last week my wife and a ferritin infusion.

Hers was 4 at its worst.

She has been poked and prodded from top to the bottom. No docs
can figure out what is happening, where the blood is going. She gets
a blood test every month and when it gets low enough (a tough hole
to climb out of) she goes in for an infusion. Maybe once or so a year.

She has tried all the supplements recommended here. Zero effect.
Lactoferrin a no go, lactose intolerant. It happins.

My ferritin has been low / normal because, in my opinion, I had been
giving blood regularly for the last 15 years. Me thinks it maybe have
finally it caught up with me. Like her, I have tried all the supplements.
No help. The only thing that helped my ferritin was to only donate blood
once or twice a year. This helped my hematocrit also, counter intuitive
to me.

It's frustrating right? The only thing that increased mine was liver and fish. A lot of liver and fish. Fortunately, I like it so it works. I too have a mild intolerance to dairy. But I also do 1 x 50,000iu D3 once per week by prescription and 2,500mcg B12 sublingual also by Rx. My iron has stabilized but is borderline.

 

[alfresco]

It's frustrating right? The only thing that increased mine was liver and fish. A lot of liver and fish. Fortunately, I like it so it works. I too have a mild intolerance to dairy. But I also do 1 x 50,000iu D3 once per week by prescription and 2,500mcg B12 sublingual also by Rx. My iron has stabilized but is borderline.

Frustrating for her, yes. Nobody has an answer to . . . where the iron is going?

To be completely transparent, my wife was a vegetarian for over 30 years,
last 5 a vegan. Don't hold that against her, always had low ferritin, and not
all vegans have low ferritin but it might be more common.

Still, supplements don't do jack for her ) But crazy strong and a crazy
endurance athlete, all with low ferritin. How nuts is that? And after she gets
an infusion, its look out

Me.

I'll go with the fish and greens. Chicken sometimes, beef rarely. But I think
not giving blood every two months is a game changer. Time will tell.

 

[rookx750]

I haven’t been on the board in years but LATZ know everything about this subject. I remember him saying that blood defects are more common than people think. It’s usually hereditary, I’ll see if I can find the thread we’re he expain what he has to do.

 

[iron lifter]

sorry what's the difference between iron and ferritin? is iron what's circulating and ferritin basically the back up? i don't know why they don't check my iron ill ask the doctor next time to check it out.

im also wondering if OSA is causing more iron to be released to deliver oxygen etc. ?? i was told i have a mild case of that too.

actually here is the last time my iron was checked, but ferritin wasn't lol.

 

[iron lifter]

A low dose feradex? Just crazy.

Last week my wife and a ferritin infusion.

Hers was 4 at its worst.

She has been poked and prodded from top to the bottom. No docs
can figure out what is happening, where the blood is going. She gets
a blood test every month and when it gets low enough (a tough hole
to climb out of) she goes in for an infusion. Maybe once or so a year.

She has tried all the supplements recommended here. Zero effect.
Lactoferrin a no go, lactose intolerant. It happins.

My ferritin has been low / normal because, in my opinion, I had been
giving blood regularly for the last 15 years. Me thinks it maybe have
finally it caught up with me. Like her, I have tried all the supplements.
No help. The only thing that helped my ferritin was to only donate blood
once or twice a year. This helped my hematocrit also, counter intuitive
to me.

has she tried this one - suppose to be gently on stomach and highly absorbable.

https://www.feramax.com/

 

[alfresco]

has she tried this one - suppose to be gently on stomach and highly absorbable.

https://www.feramax.com/

You said ‘feradex’ in your original post. Not good. But then again, neither one of us can spell

I will check the link out. Thanks.

 

[iron lifter]

You said ‘feradex’ in your original post. Not good. But then again, neither one of us can spell

I will check the link out. Thanks.

lol yah type out .

 

[MR. BMJ]

sorry what's the difference between iron and ferritin? is iron what's circulating and ferritin basically the back up? i don't know why they don't check my iron ill ask the doctor next time to check it out.

im also wondering if OSA is causing more iron to be released to deliver oxygen etc. ?? i was told i have a mild case of that too.

actually here is the last time my iron was checked, but ferritin wasn't lol.

View attachment 159368

Ferritin is the storage form of Iron. Not exactly the same, but think of it as like glucose --> glycogen.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Ferritin is the storage form of Iron. Not exactly the same, but think of it as like glucose --> glycogen.

Yes, pretty much. Ferritin is a protein found in the liver and blood which iron binds to. Most all iron in the body 60-80% is in hemoglobin (RBCs) and myoglobin (muscle cells). The remaining 20-30% of iron is bound to the proteins ferritin and transferrin in the liver, plasma, and certain other cells.

Ferrous = Iron, abbreviated as Fe (ferrous) as in FeO (iron oxide) or "rust"
Transferrin = an iron-binding protein which facilitates iron transport
Ferritin = another protein iron binds to for storage
TIBC = total iron-binding capacity

There are a whole bunch of iron, iron saturation, erythropoietin, folate, B12, and a ton of other iron related markers and vitamin deficiencies that affect iron in bloodwork and I don't understand them all or all the processes bc it's very complex. But these are some of the primary markers tested for.