how do you feel when your hemoglobin is real low? like ~8 range or your lowest.

My Hgb was 7.5 two weeks ago. Got a blood test Friday just gone, so GP will call me back if it's got worse.

I feel pretty bloody awful a lot of the time, to be honest. Walking is okay, but anything remotely hard-going is undoable. If I run, I get out of breath and feel nauseous very quickly.

Am anxious but it's not really got any worse. More irritable, definitely. I didn't think it was possible, but I am actually more irritable than I was before... <_<

Don't know if this is relevant, but concentration is absolutely shot. Can't read books anymore. Even posting on forums is too much a lot of the time.

I also have peripheral neuropathy. Have a low level of it in my legs virtually all the time now; a kind of weird 'crawling' or tingling or mildly itchy sensation. If it gets bad it can affect other parts of the body but it is mostly in my legs and feet.

And finally, exhaustion. Listlessness, inertia, langour, lassitude, brain fog... whatever you want to call it. I hate that the most of all and if I'm unlucky I'm that way for hours and hours, especially in the evenings.

Dunno if that helps... :s

Just exhaustion. Though I stay exhausted, it's a whole 'nother level. I'm really low right now and we can't get it up quickly. Guess it takes time. We are doing weekly iron infusions.

Whenever I have been anemic, my biggest complaint has always been extreme fatigue.

Sure the internet says yes, but id rather here from you all..

I will reply.

I am very sensitive to this number.  I had it checked several weeks ago, as I suspected something, and it was 13.

My g.i's nurse said, that is normal, no trouble.  But I had been in a flare that was unresponsive to pred. or anything I was throwing at it. 

I had already started taking iron, and within one week, I was feeling MUCH better.  So 13 is not a good number for me.  It is summer, but when this number is "low", I get very sensitive to the temperature.  I cannot stay warm, I want to just sit outside in the 90 degree weather, and that is just not right.

I am sitting now inside, with the AC going nonstop, not cold, not hot, body temp is doing great.  I just mowed the grass(riding mower), and managed to sweat, curse, and hate the hot weather for the first time in a while, it was kind of nice.

I have seen this number at 1 before, several years ago, when I was with a g.i. that was not taking good care of me.  I remember seeing the results, the number 1 was circled, and had alot of arrows pointing at it.  Life was hard then, and that feeling of not being able to warm up has stuck with me, so at least I have an idea of what is going on.

I am staying on iron for a while now, at least a few more months, taking it everyday.

I guess there really is not a normal range that fits everyone.

@debilitated - No, I don't notice any tachycardia. Don't know what my blood pressure is. Last year it was on the low side of normal, but don't know what it's like now.

It's not really any of my business but I have seen you post about your tachycardia a lot. This seems to be a big worry with you, which I don't think the folks of this forum can resolve for you. Your doctor should be the one putting your mind at rest over this issue. From what you've said, you don't seem to be in any danger at all, but your doctor needs to be the one to convince you of that :-/

@Homeboy - Hgb at 1? I dunno if that is possible, or if a person would still be alive at that value. I have never heard of Hgb being that low before.

@CrazyHarry - Ferrous sulphate is horrible stuff. Even the supposedly easier to tolerate ferrous gluconate I couldn't tolerate.