Re: low ferritin, adre­nal fatigue and hemochromatosis

[Guest guest]

Brett you on topic look one of the other guys posted his iron levels were low

but he had good Ferritin. I was a mod at STTM and it was the other mods that

pushed me to test my Ferritin and they came back below normal on labs. Yet my

Iron levels were low mormal. Dr. put me on Iron pills this was 2 yrs. ago. We

also found my Folic Acid blood test was below normal and I was taking a

supplement at the time. I have a copy of a file I did about this but it's old.

I have had Heart By-Pass sugary after I made this file so the part about the

DMSO I don't do any more. It looks like I am going to be on Iron pills for

life. And we do labs every 8 weeks checking the following.

Total Iron

Iron Binding Capacity

Iron % Saturation

Ferritin

B-12

Here is a copy of the file about my low Iron levels. If I were you I would see

a Blood Dr.

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First I want to thank the mods here at STTM for telling me to get my Ferritin

tested.

My labs I feel have showed a problem with my blood but Dr.'s only look for above

or below normal on labs not trends.

The first lab test on my Ferritin was done on 10/07 it was 18 low with a range

of 20 to 380 ng/mL. I later found out most younger men test between 100 to 170.

We are trying to get me up past 70 I am not there yet.

At this time my Free T3 was 364 range 230 to 420 pg/dL on 4 grains of Armour you

will see this go up as my iron levels come up.

Here is what my blood looked like at the time I tested Ferritin.

Red Blood Cell Count 5.42 range 4.20 to 5.80 Million/uL.

Hemuglobin 14.2 on the low side range 13.2 to 17.1 g/dL.

Hematocrit 44 on the low side range 38.5 to 50%.

MCV 81.1 on the low side range 80 to 100 fL.

MCH 26.2 below normal range 27 to 33 pg.

I allways get a copy of my labs and I called my Dr. and told him how low this is

and asked how do we treat this.

I went on 2 Iron pills one in between the morning meal and lunch and the other 4

hrs after dinner. You need to take Iron pill with some Vit. C. On an empty

stomach about 4 hrs before eating for it to work it's best. Yet some Iron pills

are very hard on the stomach. So my Dr. put me on the following because I

suffered from Heartburn and Reflux.

Ferrous Fumarate 324 mg - 106 mg Elemental Iron so I was doing 212 mgs of

Elemental Iron here is a link to where I got this.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100155 & navAction=jump & navCount=\

1 & id=prod1194792

And this is the Vit. C I take with each Iron pill.

http://www.myvitanet.com/supbiocbuf36.html

I have been on this now 11 months and little by little my Ferritin levels were

coming up very slow as follows.

After 8 weeks testing on 12/07 I went up from 18 to 24 and my above blood count

all went just above normal my Dr. said not to worry this was because on the Iron

pill.

He also started testing my Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as

follows.

Iron Total 83 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.

Iron Binding Capacity 391 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.

% Saturation 21 range 20 to 50% (calc).

My Free T3 364 to 365.

On 02/08 labs for Ferritin come up from 24 to 31 and blood count still above

normal.

Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.

Iron Total 89 up from 83 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.

Iron Binding Capacity 345 down from 391 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.

% Saturation 26 up from 21 range 20 to 50% (calc).

My Free T3 went up from 365 to 372.

At this time I was having Hyper Thyroid symptoms I know TSH is nothing but mine

show very low .03. I was have very high heart beat sweating and my temps avg

went up to over 99.4. So my Dr. lowered my Armour down from 4 to 3 grains I

later found this was to low. Also at this time my Heartburn and Reflux were

gone and my Breathing and Engery was so much better I was able to come of 3 meds

I was on for this. I never thought I could feel this good again.

On 04/08 labs for Ferritin come up from 31 to 43 and blood count still above

normal.

Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.

Iron Total 117 up from 89 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.

Iron Binding Capacity 334 down from 345 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.

% Saturation 35 up from 26 range 20 to 50% (calc).

My Free T3 went down from 372 to 309 but I felt fine.

On 06/08 labs for Ferritin come up from 43 to 64 and blood count Just at the top

of normal.

Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.

Iron Total 118 up from 117 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.

Iron Binding Capacity 354 up from 345 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.

% Saturation 33 dowm from 35 range 20 to 50% (calc).

My Free T3 has not been done my Dr. has a new lab tech and my labs are not

getting done right.

At this point my Dr. lower me down from 2 Iron pills to one a day I still felt

fine.

On 08/08 labs for Ferritin went down and I feel it 52 from 64 and due to new lab

tech no blood count labs.

Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.

Iron Total 105 down from 118 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.

Iron Binding Capacity 351 down from 354 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.

% Saturation 39 dowm from 33 range 20 to 50% (calc).

My Free T3 is not done when it rains it pores not that I really need it the lab

tech is not asking for it I think my Dr. Fired the person.

He is do a new test Folate RBC and I am below normal this is not good with

Anemia 212 range >280 ng/mL RBC.

I told him I take a double dose of Folic Acid how can this be. He said I might

need a different kind here is what I am taking.

http://www.myvitanet.com/foac80andb25.html

This is what I need to take.

http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Research-Folacal-60/dp/B000FGWCIW

I am not feel very good I have the Heartburn and Reflux back and feel now like I

am hypo on my Thyroid so my Dr. upped my dose 30mgs of Armour now on 3.5 grains.

And I have a bad upper respiratory infection now going on 3 weeks just finishing

my second set of Antibiotics.

A good friend of mine Hardasnails1973 told me about adding B-12, Folic Acid and

a Multi-Vit to some DMSO and putting an eye dropper full on my forearms. I ran

this past my Dr. telling him in the link the Phd said it helps to bring up Iron

levels he said try it. Here is a link to the site one needs to read the links

below Heath Notes on Anemia, DMSO and Crohn's Disease. Here is a cut and past

on mixing it. When I tried this wow it felt like I took a big B-12 shot. Now I

don't know if this is going to bring up my Iron levels until my next set of labs

the end of this month but I am still on one Iron pill doing this DMSO 2x's a

week after a morning shower. My breathing is much better and I feel much better

and I am still sick with the infection.

http://www.krysalis.net/b12.htm

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I use a two ounce bottle with an eyedropper, add 10mg of vitamin B12 sublingual

(ten 1000 mcg tablets), 9.6 mg of folic acid (twelve 800 mcg tablets) and a

single multivitimin-multimineral tablet and fill it with 99.9% DMSO (leaving a

bubble at the top so it can be mixed when shaken). All ingredients were obtained

from my local health food store. The tablets are mostly binder and take a few

days to fall apart. They don't fully dissolve, but that doesn't seem to matter

in terms of potency. I now use this regularly on approximately a once every

month or two basis. It serves as a reasonable mood elevator for me, and I

believe it contributes significantly to my general health. My interpretation is

I seem to become deficient in vitamin B12 even though I take oral supplements

regularly.

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====================

I also found a better brand of Iron to take that is easy on your stomach and

stronger. I am going to try this here is cut and paste about it from this link.

http://www.amazon.com/Feosol-Carbonyl-Supplement-Therapy-Caplets/dp/B000FKJX62

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====================

Product Description

Feosol Carbonyl Iron Supplement is a pure form of Iron, and the No. 1 doctor

recommended iron supplement. Designed to be gentle to your stomach. the

supplement is made up of 45 milligrams of elemental iron per caplet (250 percent

of Daily Value). Most ordinary iron products contain iron salts that can upset

your stomach, but Feosol caplets are different. They contain pure iron micro

particles called carbonyl iron. This advanced formula is specially designed to

be well absorbed by your body and gentle on your stomach. The caplets also comes

in an easy to carry bottle. (Note: The 45 milligrams of Elemental Iron per

Feosol Caplet is the same amount of Elemental Iron as in 225 milligrams of

Ferrous Sulfate USP.)

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====================

I am also going to try this for my Heartburn and Reflux, Natural Factors - DGL

Chewable Tablets -Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root Extract - T - 90

http://tinyurl.com/5buol6

I am getting relief using this taking 3 tablets in the middle of each meal.

http://www.myvitanet.com/dresuen180ta.html

I do feel I have been Anemic for over 25 yrs from the fist time I got sick and

seen a Dr. he told me after labs I was Anemic after a time on iron pills and not

getting better I was sent to see a Blood Dr. this guy I was told is the best yet

he did not speak good English I had a hard time understanding him. Also he

ordered new labs but did not tell me to stop the Iron pills I was on a week

before doing the labs. So when the labs came back he said I was fine that my

Dr.'s labs were not anygood. I figured this out when my Dr. told me to stop

iron pills 5 to 7 days before doing labs.

The following is a Cut and Paste of what Janie might have put in her new book

" Stop The Thyroid Maddness " .

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====================

Though it's most common with women, men are not immune from having low ferritin.

Phil, a thyroid, adrenal and pituitary patient who specializes in men's issues,

states:

I had a lot of problems and couldn't pinpoint what was holding me back. My

testosterone levels on meds were good; my HC meds were working; my thyroid

levels were better; bI didn't get sick anymore in the winter.

Still I went to bed fatigued and got up fatigued. I had a high pulse rate over

110 bpm at rest. I was out of breath just from getting a glass of water.

Sometime, I felt as if I would pass out. I had mucus stuck in my throat just at

the bottom of my neck, and had to hack over and over to get it up so I could

breathe.

To be honest with you I felt like I had congestive heart failure. Here I am on

Florinef for low aldosterone levels, yet I was holding water so bad that I

needed to take water pills every other day. It made no sense.

Finally, the women on a group I belong to pushed me into testing Ferritin. My

levels come back below normal. I was at 18 and the low end of the range is 29.

After taking 212 mgs. of elemental iron from Ferrous Fumarate 324 mg., my

Ferritin come up to only 24 after taking this for 7 weeks.

Yet my breathing is so much better. I fly up and down stairs without getting

our of breath. I stopped taking meds to help me breathe, as well as a med for

reflux. I have dropped 22 lbs since using iron while being on the Weight

Watchers program, while before, I gained on Weight Watchers. I am now getting

exercise and not housebound. My feelings of depression have lessened, and hell,

my sex life is better. I asked my Dr. why my iron levels are so low, and he

feels it's the hypopituitary problem with so many low hormones.

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I Pray I did not bore you all to death with this long post and hope this helps

others. As I do more labs I will add to this.

Co-Moderator

Phil

> From: Brett Savage <brshop@...>

> Subject: low ferritin, adre­nal fatigue and hemochromatosis

>

> Date: Friday, April 23, 2010, 11:40 PM

> Hello again,

>     I am starting to understand what low ferritin

> has to do with adre­nal fatigue.   I have

> looked at http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ferritin/ 

> which is very good but it still leaves me wondering what I

> should do in my case.

>     My ferritin was only 4 on a scale of 10-232

> but I am reluctant to take iron supplements with out

> knowledgeable medical supervision because my dad died from

> hemochromatosis and they were giving him iron supplements

> almost right up until he died until some VA doctor discover

> it and took him off them but to late for him the damage was

> already done.

>     Anyone have any idea's or suggestions?

> I know this is slightly off topic but still a related

> area.   Brett

>

>

[Guest guest]

I would say if your ferritin is 4 in a range of 10-232, then you didn't get the

hemochromatosis gene. I believe everyone who has this inherited disorder has a

very high ferritin level. The only exceptions would be regular frequent blood

donors, internal bleeding of some kind, or diets that either contain very little

iron (vegetarians) or contain lots of foods that tend to block absorption of

iron (i.e. - spinach). But I'm not a doctor.

Medical supervision is a good idea, but you might try taking the MDR dose of

18mg per day with 500mg of vitamin C, on an empty stomach, and do that for a

couple months and test ferritin again. I just think it's highly unlikely you

have hemochromatosis with a ferritin level that low.

I selected the ferrous bisglycinate form of iron based on my research online,

and it appears to be absorbed well without any stomach problems. I've been

taking 9mg per day for several months, and my ferritin has risen from 18 to 50

(range 30-400).

I think you need to test ferritin a couple or more times a year if you are on

any iron supplement beyond what you get in a multivitamin.

Too much iron is a very bad thing, as you know from your dad's experience.

On the general subject of ferritin levels and thyroid, I would have to say that

so far I've noticed no difference in anything after being on iron supplements.

Of course 50 is still a fairly low ferritin level.

>

> Hello again,

> I am starting to understand what low ferritin has to do with adre­nal

fatigue. I have looked at http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ferritin/

which is very good but it still leaves me wondering what I should do in my case.

> My ferritin was only 4 on a scale of 10-232 but I am reluctant to take

iron supplements with out knowledgeable medical supervision because my dad died

from hemochromatosis and they were giving him iron supplements almost right up

until he died until some VA doctor discover it and took him off them but to late

for him the damage was already done.

> Anyone have any idea's or suggestions?

> I know this is slightly off topic but still a related area. Brett

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have heamo it was detected by a genetic blood test if you are worried you have

the heamo gene then go get the same test done, although the dr probably won't

know what you speaking tell him you have a family history your dad died from it

and it would be negligent if he did test for it.

>

> Hello again,

> I am starting to understand what low ferritin has to do with adre­nal

fatigue. I have looked at http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ferritin/

which is very good but it still leaves me wondering what I should do in my case.

> My ferritin was only 4 on a scale of 10-232 but I am reluctant to take

iron supplements with out knowledgeable medical supervision because my dad died

from hemochromatosis and they were giving him iron supplements almost right up

until he died until some VA doctor discover it and took him off them but to late

for him the damage was already done.

> Anyone have any idea's or suggestions?

> I know this is slightly off topic but still a related area. Brett

>

>