Anyone have a ferritin level test?

No, I've never had the Ferritin test. I'm guessing you likely had some funky results (MCV, hemoglobin, and/or hematocrit) within your most recent Complete Bloodcell Counts (CBC) blood test, and the Ferritin test is likely to investigate further. I wouldn't say you definetly have anemia yet, it's just another diagnostic test. We do have anemia at higher levels than the general population due to our UC and therefore it's worth investigating.

If you have your most recent CBC test available then look at the MCV value and see if it's below or near the low threshold of your test. Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) is a measure of the average size of your red blood cells and a clue about plausible anemia. In iron-deficiency anemia, for example, red blood cells usually are smaller than normal.

Your CBC also has hemoglobin and hematocrit levels that are clues regarding anemia. Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body. Hematocrit is a measure of how much space red blood cells take up in your blood. A low level of hemoglobin or hematocrit is a sign of possible anemia.

Have you been experiencing fatigue lately? It's common with anemia. If you have anemia then you can try iron pills or even iron IV infusions if your numbers are real low. A number of posters here have anemia.

I had this test many years ago because the doc suspected anemia and he was right. He put me on SlowFE and my levels righted in about a month.

I got mine checked every 6 months. I always had constant slow bleeding and was draining my iron stores. I had countless rounds of IV iron to try and control it. Oral iron never worked

Worriedgirl3 said...
Hmmm thanks for the info, all! Hoping that the test turns nothing up. I have never been anemic so I don't really know what it would feel like. Just have weight loss, fatigue, and some bruising. All of these could just be because I chase my wild 8 month old all day though!

Generally any of the following can occur:

dizziness, fatigue, lightheadedness, malaise, or weakness

Heart: fast heart rate or sensation of an abnormal heartbeat

Also common: brittle nails, headache, pallor, or shortness of breath

You didn't have any low iron issues while pregnant? Because could have low iron still,could be cause of tiredness etc.
Suggest asking for full iron panel though, cause ferritin can be high or read in normal levels due to inflammation.

Ferritin is the test for stored iron in body. It can indicate Angelia but there have been some recent-ish studies correlating low ferritin levels to possibly impending flare.
Although inflammation can falsely elevate ferritin if I am not mistaken.

It is a good move on your docs part if he is getting another bio marker on board to assess disease activity