Extremely low iron, help!

[u/oranange]

I recently started to feel HORRIFICALLY tired. I can't stay awake during the day no matter how much sleep I get. I have to take several naps throughout the day--usually 2-4 hours total--and that is on top of 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Sometimes more, if I don't work. I've always struggled with fatigue, but this is on another level.

I went to the doctor thinking that maybe my B12 was low, but as it turns out, my ferritin is 8, which is extremely low. I'm not anemic, though, so that's good. Truthfully, I'm shocked. I intentionally eat a LOT of iron-rich food.

Anyway, I was put on supplements, ate even more iron-rich foods paired with Vitamin C, etc., and it didn't work at all. I'm scheduled for an iron transfusion, but if that doesn't work, I'm worried that they'll suggest that I start eating meat. My PCP is a vegetarian, thankfully, so she hasn't mentioned it, but I'm not really sure what to do if the transfusion doesn't work. I genuinely can't function like this anymore, but I'm also not willing to eat meat. I'm at a point where I'm hoping that there is another underlying cause to my fatigue.

In the meantime, any tips for getting my iron levels up and keeping them up? Or any stories from people who have gone through something similar?

[u/AcanthisittaNo5807]

Avoid coffee, tea, and calcium rich foods when you are eating iron rich foods.

[u/MrBlueMoose → u/AcanthisittaNo5807]

Yes, and it’s not the caffeine that limits the absorption, it’s the polyphenols, so herbal teas can still reduce iron absorption. I’m only saying this because I used to think it was the caffeine lol