How do i get my iron levels up!!!

I just got out of the hospital from my Hemo being 4.3 so Iron is my big focus right now. I also can't tolerate Iron pills I hate them. Besides the stomach upset and slowing things down I think they have made more than one flare worse in the past and caused a flare but my doctor says that was coincidence. But I disagree.

Anyways I have been working on my iron mostly through diet and a liquid iron supplement. Health food stores carry liquid supplements that are non-constipating and are supposed to have fewer side effects than pills. There are some that get really good reviews from folks that say they have no problems with the liquid when they couldn't tolerate any pills.

I mostly have been eating iron in whatever I can and taking vitamin C. Vitamin C helps absorb iron especially from plant sources so I have been taking a extended release Vitamin C in the AM and afternoon to help absorb the iron I eat all day. Besides the obvious red meat, spinach, ect. I found some foods that have a surprising amount and even though they are non meat sources with the vitamin C I think they are helping. My hemo is staying above 10 even with having some bleeding and I haven't been supplementing even with the liquid for almost 3 weeks, just eating!

Cream of Wheat - 45% of RDI
Grape Nuts - 90% Make sure to drink the leftover milk, I read a lot of vitamins leach into the milk.
Total Cereal - 100%
Archway Mollases cookies - 8% (hey if I am going to have a treat, have one with a little iron)
Eggs - not much but I have read still a good source to get a little
Spinach and Sunbutter smoothies - Spinach blends really easy so you don't even taste it. I take milk, a banana, 1/2 cup boiled spinach, 2 TB Sunbutter, and ice
Pasta - most as 10% RDI
Lentils - I make lentil soup with pasta

Here is a website with some foods I didn't know about and a meal plan. It is how I found out about Cream of wheat and molasses cookies!

Good luck, you must feel exhausted. I think I got used to being so anemic, but once my levels got back up I couldn't believe how great I felt and how crummy I had been feeling!

Did you try the SlowFE ? No problem when I take those.

I dont know if we get slowFE in new zealand??

Sorry what are iron stores?? Lol. And thats the thing.. i have ASKED for a transfusion from my doctor and specialist but they both said no??

They said my hemoglobin is 113 (should be 115 - 130) but my iron is 5.9 (should be 20-200) And they said they would test me in a month or something to see if anything has changed =[ they are really slack. They also said my white blood cells are up abit but i dont know if that has anything to do with it

I have had some luck with lots of spinich but mostly Blackstrap molasses several tablespoon thru out day.

My doctor said to get organic lean ground beef or else I would have problems. My iron was up so I did a little experiment by stopping the red meat (in hopes of healing my gut more) even though I was taking the iron pills and low and behold my levels dropped, so I've gone back to having a burger once a week. It's a tossup, but rather not be anemic and don't much like livers. I'm probably not as severe as some of you. Spinach never seems to make me feel the best or else I would have more of that.

CureUCtogether,

I also had trouble when I first took iron supplements. I bought a generic at the grocery store and ended up crapting iron filings. Not pleasant and did nothing to help the UC or its symptoms either! *wry laugh* My sister also cannot tolerate iron. At the beginning of her pregnancies her levels would be normal. Her doctors put her on iron by default. By the time she delivered her first child she was highly anemic. With her second, she threw the iron away after her levels began to drop while taking them, and she was normal at and after delivery. But she is REALLY weird when it comes her body and medications and foods.

I would start much smaller though your body will probably some day accept normal adult doses. You might want to start with Children's Flintstones with Iron, just one a day. After a while you may try 2 a day. Perhaps after that you may be able to tolerate Feosol or another slow release (gentle) iron supplement.

These days I can take Feosol easily whenever I need it. But my doctors are always amazed and how quickly my levels bounce back. And I've been down to 30% normal STORED levels in my body. But somehow, my body keeps the active level right most of the time. These days I manage to maintain it better. *grin* I'm sure my OB thinks so too since I nursed each of my kids for about a year!

Good luck!
OUgizmoASK
Mom to 5yo DD, 3yo DS1, 1yo DS2

In addition to suppliments, etc.,
Another great way to get more iron is to cook in an iron skillet or dutch oven.
Stews are best, the food is delicious and you really get a lot of iron form the pot.