# iron deficiency anemia



## judymoody (Feb 3, 2002)

Is anyone else dealing with this? My physician says I am so anemic because of heavy periods (perimenopause h*ll). He prescribed iron and wants to check my levels in a couple of weeks. I'm supposed to eat red meat - but by gall bladder is not functioning (HIDA 12%) and I really have a hard time with even low fat meats. In the meantime, the surgeon won't remove my gall bladder because of the anemia, and scared me into believing I need colonoscope because anemia can be attributed to bowel cancer. I really think he was just trying to drum up business. I need help! Does anyone have suggestions about iron types? My GP says 325 mg. three times a day. My health food store says don't do it - just go for 100 mg. - 200 mg. I don't know what to do? One more thought, do you lose iron as your uterus prepares for the sloughing off during the period, or only during your flow. I would appreciate any information for all of you. Sorry this is so long.


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## silver (Dec 21, 1999)

I'm perimenopause too and have had that problem about 3 or 4 times in the past couple years.I would follow my doctor's instruction on the iron supplement if I was you, only he knows better than health food store workers. Make sure you take a vitamin C with your supplement as it helps to absorb it better. I took 300 mg twice a day, I was told to take it 3 times but twice seem to work just fine. I'm IBS-C and didnt want to aggravate it by taking too much iron and believe me it will give you C and make your stools very dark.Also, whole grains are a good source of iron, dried fruits like raisins too. All green veges are good too and lean cuts of meat, even chicken would be better than nothing if you have trouble with beef.I think the doc was trying to say that you could also be bleeding from your bowels and he should check that with an occult stool test. Its a disgusting test to do because you have to take stool samples for 3 days in a row and cant eat certain things while you do it, your doc should have given you that before they go tru the expense of a colonoscopy.If you need advice on what foods to eat, call a dietician they are always willing to help.Good luck and I hope this helped you a little.


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## bug! (Jul 10, 2000)

Hi there.I had the same problem although not do to perimenopause. Mine was due to severe endo. Interestingly, I had the same gallbladder issue as well, called biliary dyskinesia and I had my gallbladder out during my hysterectomy. I had so many digestive issues from that and I feel SO much better after having it out so I don't really understand why your doc wants to leave a non functioning gallbladder in. I was nauseous all the time and it made my IBS horrible. I was scared but I'll tell you what, It was sooooo worth it. If your gallbladder isn't emptying (12%) bile then you aren't digesting fat properly and even a low fat diet isn't necessarily going to give you relief. Obviously I'm not a doctor but it's my opinion.Iron can really irritate your stomach so I really think spending more money on a good product is well worth it. I purchased SLOW FE which is time released and easier on the stomach. As far as the colonoscopy: My doc ordered one for me because of my severe anemia. He thought perhaps I was bleeding somewhere in my digestive tract. I did the test and it was normal. Although that is a drastic test, It is sometimes recommended if you are severely anemic. Just something to think about. I do agree that you could do the other test (stool test) first to see what's going on. I also had severe pelvic and abdominal pain due to my severe endo so I wanted the colonoscopy.With my uterus gone, I am no longer anemic. So for me I think it was my heavy bleeding due to my endo and my menstrual cycle.good luck and mail me anytime if you want to talk. Tjm4x5###aol.comtake caretiffany


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