Remember those ads for Geritol? I have an iron deficiency and low hemoglobin and hematocrit, so I’m taking an iron supplement + vitamin C a few times a day and getting shots of EPO (Erythropoietin alpha) each week. This is from the chemo at the beginning of the month. Anyway, this condition can make one very tired. It’s not something a Geritol tablet’s going to fix.
I’m taking 325 mg of ferrous sulfate along with 250 mg of vitamin C, 3 times a day. Did you know that vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron? It’s true. If you’re taking iron, you should also take some vitamin C at the same time. Here’s some interesting stuff about iron.
I’ve been told that I should expect a response in about 4 weeks. Hopefully, the hemoglobin and iron will get back to normal and I can stop feeling so exhausted.
My bone marrow aspirate showed “absent” iron stores even though my serum iron level was ok. I was both iron and B12 deficient. My doctor recommended Floradix Iron + Herbs as an alternative to iron sulfate: http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/usa/_main.asp Some people have trouble with ferous sulfate. I also took bi-weekly B12 injections. It took me 4 months to climb up from the valley of anemia. I pray your climb will be quick and rewarding. Scott
Hi Beth, When I transferred to a new oncologist he ordered an iron test. God knows why. Already for a year I felt tired and had no energy at all. To make a long story short. I had iron deficiency and got the sulfate pills. I did not know what happened . After the first pill (25 mg)I felt strange, the second gave me energy, the third created a miracle I had as much energy as was possible for an 83 year old. I did not believe that a little pill like that could have such an enormous influence on your body. I take the pill daily now.It is like a new life. What I do not understand that during that year my Hgb and Hematocrit was borderline low and my RDW high a high 17-20 that the 2 oncologists I had before this one never bothered to check despite my complaint of tiredness and now I know that a high RDW indicates Iron deficiency. I reported this to the list in case somebody could profit from my experience. You sure take a lot of iron, I just cannot believe that you have to wait 4 weeks for results since it worked for me instanly with such a small dose. So again we see that people react different to chemicals due to their phisical make-up, metabolism and what condition they are in. WIM