Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'll have to get more details later, but I have a 65-yr old, healthy, male relative, who's very active & has no known illnesses. He just told me he's been struggling with blood tests revealing iron levels either being too low or too high... iron levels seem to be in a constant stage of flip flopping. The dr has no idea why it's happening, but also has not recommended any sort of treatment (that I'm aware of). I'm guessing that means it's not dangerously high or low? He just returns periodically for another blood test.
I was a lifelong anemic, but when I began cooking with a cast iron pan, it went away, finally... supplements never helped my anemia & only gave me terrible symptoms. I told him to do the same when it's low... worth a try. I have no idea what his diet is like (meaning which foods he eats), but he's fit (looks closer to 40 than 65), runs, plays all kinds of competitive sports & never complains about any symptoms. He's not a big drinker, doesn't smoke & isn't a big sugar eater. In fact, I don't know what symptoms prompted him to see a dr, but I can find out.
I just thought I'd ask here as I'd never heard of anyone who had anemia, then when tested again, had levels too high, unless taking a supplement that's too high in iron. To my knowledge, he's taking no supplements & isn't taking any meds for anything else.
Has anyone heard of this? I tried googling, but didn't find anything helpful. I'd really appreciate it if I could find a website that might help.
Hi, Suzy... thank you for replying. I'll ask him, but I don't think so cuz he's only mentioned his primary care dr. He found out about his blood, when they did preliminary tests before rotator cuff surgery last year. And, because he's so athletic & occasionally sustains injuries, he had surgery 2-yrs before that on a broken elbow sustained when mountain climbing & it was mentioned his blood iron was either too high or low. So, it's been a pattern, at least for a few yrs. I don't know how often he's had it checked, but it does flip flop... iron too high, iron too low.
What startles me a bit is, he's a big tough guy, who never complains about anything physical. After his elbow surgery, he shunned pain pills cuz he felt they interfered with mental acuity (he took 1 & didn't like the way he felt, so stopped) & was playing basketball within a few wks. For him to complain (he wasn't specific with symptoms), it must mean he's really not feeling well. I'll be speaking to him on Sun & will ask about details, if I can get them. It tends to be a family trait that we don't complain... I'll have to drag info out of him.
Is he anemic or is the abnormality only the blood iron level?[/quote]
He said anemic, but I don't know what the 2nd part of your comment means... I thought low iron was always called anemia. I am assuming, but if the dr isn't sending him for further testing or giving him iron pills, wouldn't it mean it's not a severe blood issue? He only mentioned that the dr didn't know why it was high, then low.
Is it possible it's all diet related... he eats too much iron, then changes his diet & doesn't get enough? I don't know how much he cooks (he's been divorced for 8-yrs of so, so doesn't eat like when his wife was cooking everyday) or what types of foods he eats (again, I'll ask), but when I've been with him, he eats healthily, but is more a grab-n-go kind of guy... salad's prepackaged from the store, he'll eat gourmet sandwiches from a deli, but that's still processed meat... he does eat yogurt daily & has a sugary muffin or piece of cake every morning with sugary tea/coffee. That's about all I know.
I'll find out as much as I can on Sun. Thanks, Suzy.
Someone I know had high iron levels from eating too much Total cereal (has added iron in it). It doesn't sound like he's eating a lot of iron-rich foods but it would make sense for him to keep a food diary for a while as what he eats seems like it would be the most obvious reason why his levels would fluctuate.
Iron level is less important than the ferritin levels. Ferritin is the body's storehouse for iron that the body can access. When my iron and ferritin levels are too low I get iron infusions. (Diet or iron pills had no effect on my levels). If the ferritin goes to normal then it doesn't matter if the iron is below normal. Having very above normal iron is dangerous. At very high levels chelation therapy is used to draw iron out of the body.
No but his doctor should know this. I found out when my iron was below normal and my ferritin was normal. I called my doctor's office to ask if I needed another iron infusion. His nurse said, no, and explained if the ferritin was OK they didn't give an infusion, even if the iron was below normal because the ferritin was a storehouse of iron and the body could draw on it when it was needed.
I learned about the high iron and chelation when a poster on a website posted about it. He was getting regular blood transfusions which raised his iron to about 4x the high normal levels. He was on a long course of chelation because of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl
Thank you, Bob & Em. Do either of you have a website where I can find this info to pass onto him?
Having very above normal iron is dangerous. At very high levels chelation therapy is used to draw iron out of the body.
Sure, Bob. As I mentioned before, I had lifelong, severe anemia (I'd been hospitalized several times for wks as a kid due to it & saw more drs than I'd ever like to see again from an infant to my late 20s) until I began cooking with cast iron pans in 2010... coincidence or no, no pill (ferrous sulfate/gluconate/citrate), even prescribed, ever helped. I only had horrendous side effects. I also recall as a kid, that neighbors suggested my mum feed me beef liver... I hate the smell, taste & texture of gritty liver & my mum force fed it to me 'til I began involuntarily "losing my lunch". Nothing helped. Either the cast iron pans work... or, I just outgrew it in my 40s. I'm guessing it was the iron pans.
I'm assuming he doesn't have a severe case, or his dr would have addressed it in the passed few yrs, but who knows. I'll find out more on Sun, cuz I'll drag out details. It's so rare that he'd complain (I mean, the guy broke an arm in the middle of a mountain climbing trip & continued to the end... he's a current-day gladiator), he must be feeling rather poorly.
I'll post back on Sun with as many details as I can glean.
About halfway down that page, it addresses how some conflicting lab results might occur.
My youngest son’s dad is also a big, strong, healthy guy who has been very active his whole life & is now 62 years old. He has started having some joint issues that look more like “overuse” than arthritis & he refuses to go get a simple blood test to confirm or at least rule out; Hemochromatosis.
Since your relative is at least under a doctors care right now, maybe he will be more receptive. You may want to get tested too, as it is hereditary & females will not be symptomatic many times until menopause, because prior to then, menstruation keeps the blood counts low.
Some people use "low iron" to mean anemia. Anemia is actually a decreased number of red blood cells and may happen for a number of reasons. Inadequate levels of iron is one cause, and for women who have menstrual periods blood loss with menses is a very common one, due to loss of iron with the blood flow, particularly if it is heavy. Looking at the blood cells under a microscope can give clues to the cause of the anemia. Iron deficiency tends to result in small, pale red blood cells.
Men with iron deficiency anemia need to be evaluated for chronic blood loss, and the GI tract is usually the first place that is looked at. Bleeding there may not be obvious.
If your relative has abnormal levels of iron but is not anemic he should see a hematologist to see what is going on and have the ferritin test mentioned above.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
