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always anemic, always annoyed!

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/2/2011 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
hi people! So I've been feeling like junk lately- so tired, headachey, just zero stamina & energy... I've been in bed nightly by like 7:30! And still exhausted in the AM! so no surprise, yet again my labs came back with gigantic red blood cells & anemia. I'm off tomorrow for a re-check of my B12 & folate levels, but it could also be attributed to either the Humira or the Imuran. Both of which I do really well on, UC wise! I am hoping it's not the meds- but not sure if B12 injections are something I'm too thrilled with either. Anyone have experience with this sort of blood results?
Posted 3/2/2011 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
I stopped B12 injections. I was so anemic I could not walk up a hill without stopping. I began taking an iron tab with C first thing upon rising and a B-complex every day. My recent labs showed no anemia whatsoever and I took them to the doctor to get his take on the 3 pages of lab scores and he agreed and was not concerned about Mean Cell Volume being out of range. My B12 came up high from just the pills. I skied Breckenridge high and hard all day in the moguls last week and no sign of anemia at all.
Posted 3/2/2011 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
that's good to know- I used to take a B supplement w/folic acid, but I thought the B vitamins could only be absorbed thru injection??? I haven't actually looked into it that much, but I seem to recall reading the info somewhere. Apparently my red blood cells are huge! Which was pretty close to my last labs I had done. As long as I don't have to stop any meds, I"m ok with supplementation. I don't eat much animal products, that probably doesn't help. No red meat, really- a bite or 2 maybe once every 6 months or so????? I do eat a lot of spinach though.
Posted 3/2/2011 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Eva Lou,

Check out this link for information about getting iron through foods:
http://healthyeatingclub.com/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data5e.html
Posted 3/3/2011 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, you can get B-vitamins from foods, but the body does not "store" Bs. You have to replenish them daily via diet or supplements. It sounds like you would benefit from a reliable daily multi-vitamin containing iron. Hot food tip: 1 serving of Pillsbury original farina contains 50% of the daily iron requirement. How are you doing with the abscess? / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 3/3/2011 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I started back up on my B supplement today, & also went for more labs, which I'll get the results on tomorrow. I'm not changing any meds until I give the daily supplements a decent shot,, say a month or so. I guess I need to buy more iron- my giant bottle expired in 2009! The abscess is helailng, I can't really tell if it's left a fistula or not- I haven't really looked, maybe this wknd I'll do just that. Jeez, what wknd plans, huh??? unbelievable. Still on Cipro & Flagyl, for another 4 days or so.

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