Anemia is no fun (Read 612 times)

That really is frustrating...especially when increasing your iron intake has not helped up your levels. Are you taking calcium with your iron? I'm sure you're already aware that iron doesn't absorb well in the presence of calcium. I was anemic in college. Eventually stopped taking extra iron supplements (other than what is in my multivit.) when I was no longer eating dorm food. But midway through training for this marathon I was dragging. Could not figure out why. Mentioned it in the Marathon Trainers group and once we went through the obvious things (running too fast, increasing mileage too fast, not eating enough) and ruled them out it was suggested that perhaps I was anemic. I had one of those lightbulb moments with that suggestion. Turns out anemia in runners is VERY common. Apparently the act of running wastes a lot of iron via stress on our feet and our GI tract. So even though it's more common in women (so I have that added risk factor, as well as a reproductive condition that also can increase anemia), it seems that male runners deal with anemia more than the general male population. I upped my iron intake just a bit and within a couple of weeks felt noticeably better...not just while running, but in general. Started sleeping better, too. Felt less like I was running on fumes. I'm also doing as much cooking as I can with our couple of cast iron pans and making sure that I take my iron supplement when I haven't been eating anything high in calcium. I hope you find some answers soon. Anemia can do more than just make for lessened quality of life.

I'm dealing with a new confirmation of anemia too. My ferritin level is 4 and my hemoglobin is 92. I've been sucking back 200mg of elemental iron - oh fun! - for 2 weeks now. I think I'm feeling better but I am a very strong believer in the placebo effect. My worry is that I'm going to be subjected to a battery of tests that involve poking tubes and sundry instruments into places I'd rather they not, plus all the time and preparatory work that goes along with said tests. In the end they might not pinpoint the cause despite all the tests. And I am also worried about what the cause might be too. I don't eat red meat but eat tons of fruits and vegetables. My diet is probably lower than most in protein (I think people fret too much about protein) but pretty balanced overall I think. And I'm hoping that my running slowness vanishes with the added iron levels, too.