Those of you who have dealt with anemia... (Read 733 times)

Can you tell me your story? For over a year I have dealt with general fatigue, heavy legs and a pace that started at the slow end of normal and has degraded into the ridiculously slow end of slow. I have bloodwork scheduled for Thursday but I would love to hear about symptoms and success stories from those of you who have been there. Thanks so much! Jenny

Use the search option and look at the discussion about ferritin. But I think if you spell it "feritin" it will show up. I'm still battling with my anemia, but there is some good stuff on that forum. Good luck but be sure you get tested for lots of stuff before you know its defintely anemia. Could be a lot of things...

When my girlfriend had a bout with anemia a few years back, we found an interesting way to test for it... if she rubbed a piece of gold jewelry across her cheek it'd leave what looked like a pencil mark. The effect stopped happening after her iron levels returned to normal. Anyway, it's a quick and easy way to see if that might be the problem. I don't know why it works so I won't say to do it in place of seeing a doctor. To help fix the problem until the root problem was treated she took SlowFe which was available in the supermarket vitamin section. It helped keep her energy levels a bit higher.

I was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia about 2 years ago. My runs were very very slow, I could "hear" my heart beating in my ears, my resting heart rate was high, etc. I also developed a very odd food craving for spearmint Certs, which later I learned that odd cravings were a symptom. My iron was very low and my ferritin level was like 1. I think it is supposed to be around 20 or so if I remember correctly. I went on for months because I just though I was overtraining. Anyway, once I was diagnosed, I started my iron supplement and I was faster within a few days and back to normal within a few weeks. Blood rechecks since then have been fine. I still take one iron pill per day--doc said I may always have to do that. Never sure of the cause--I eat plenty of iron rich foods including red meat, so who knows? Definitely get your ferritin levels checked by your doc and good luck!

this might be TMI but since you asked, I thought I'd share. Last year, I started slowing down and I didn't know why. After months of frustration and a marathon that was my slowest ever, I was finally able to figure out that it was anemia. I was having heavy periods, so my DR. recommended a procedure called NOVA SURE. If you haven't heard of it, google it. I had this done in January and I can't even believe the difference it has made. Obviously, I don't know if this is what's wrong with you but I sure wish I had discovered it sooner. And DEFINITELY before I went through an entire marathon training cycle. I hope you can figure out what it is soon. Let me know if you want more details and I'd be happy to email you.