Anemia WTF!? Random ramblings.

[foundmylazybum]

Uh..so about six months ago I got my blood drawn and my doctor was all "lalala, you have low red blood cells, be careful anemia, eat spinach and red meat lala" (PSA this is how my brain took this news as I blew it off as nothing.)



Well fast forward to now...and I got a blood draw again b/c she made me...and um..ALL the counts are lower. And by lower I mean basically shockingly low.

I looked up exactly what anemia counts were and I have it.


So then I start thinking back on things and doing the googles and people: there are things that have been going on for a little while with me: consistently shitty runs (check), tired a lot (check), slower times (check), inability to build mileage (check) higher heart rate and slower pace and mileage (oh check), inability to recover (check)


So then I look it up and guess how long it takes to get better from anemia....


4-6 facking MONTHS.


Is this true? Does anyone know for sure? I know this sounds dumb but I was all "lalala, I'll take these iron pills and next week I'll be better!" 6 months!?


Also, here is my next question---and I know this is an ironic one coming from me but here goes:

I've attributed all these little things mentioned above to a few other things: poor mindset (I'm a weinie) and poor mileage and training base (I'm a pud )...I never once thought "oh hey maybe you are anemic and your body is actually struggling...that sounds like excuses..."


If you have been afflickted with the anemia before...how much were you ACTUALLY affected by anemia? And how much do you think is attributed to poor training?

Let's just say that one of my numbers was--the normal range was 20-120 and I was 3...so we are talking LOW here.

[Deleted]

I don't know what my numbers were at but I was very low also. Took me a few months to feel normal too, looking back. Also don't EVER stop taking them because it's amazing how fast you'll suffer from deficiency again.

[gumi]

When my anemia kicks in, I cannot get out of bed, nonetheless run.

It is important to note that foods high in fiber are not a good source of iron for people like you and me. It is hard to absorb iron when it is matched with fiber. I eat a boatload of spinach and it does nothing for me.

I will tell you what does work, and you will probably say, "eww!! no way" -- but, if you want fast results, this is your answer: calf liver. When my iron levels drop, i eat some liver and it is like crack. I cook it like a steak, with lots of onions, or get chopped liver from the jewish deli.

[AAM2012]

I would also look for other causes of your anemia to make sure it's not something else. I say this because I had really low iron for a period of time even though I ate tons of spinach and took iron supplements which didn't help. After additional testing revealed that I had celiac disease which limited my ability to absorb nutrients which therefore caused the iron issues.

[hilwithonelary]

I don't normally post over here, but I wanted to share a couple things. First, just an interesting factoid. Spinach does have iron, but probably not as much as you think. Back in the 1800s, a scientist misplaced a decimal point when recording the iron content of spinach which resulted in people thinking it had 10 times the iron content it actually does. The error wasn't discovered until the 1930s, but spinach as a good source of iron was already widely believed. I just looked at the bag of spinach in my fridge, and it says that 4 cups provides 15% of your daily iron. That's about two salads worth for me.

Also, your doctor or pharmacist probably told you this, but be sure to separate iron supplements from foods or supplements high in calcium by several hours because calcium interferes with iron absorption. Taking iron at the same time as foods high in vitamin C will help absorption.

[foundmylazybum]

Jun 12, 2013 18:52:11 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

I would also look for other causes of your anemia to make sure it's not something else. I say this because I had really low iron for a period of time even though I ate tons of spinach and took iron supplements which didn't help. After additional testing revealed that I had celiac disease which limited my ability to absorb nutrients which therefore caused the iron issues.

Thanks for the info, right now I haven't even tried changing my diet or iron supplements...if the problem continues I'll definitely look into other causes

[Deleted]

what number is a 3? that is very important. if you are only slightly anemic you may not have any symptoms at all.

I have been dx with anemia for 1.5 years, but I know I've had it longer (I had all of the symptoms but did not see a doctor).

iron pills did nothing for me, but my anemia is caused by Crohn's disease - I form ulcers all along the inside of my intestines and they bleed out at a faster rate than my body can replenish, even with oral iron therapy. I get megadoses of IV iron infusions when my levels get too low, but it's very expensive ($600 OOP per infusion). I get my levels checked every 14 days.

My heart rate gets high, so I wear a HRM and take walking breaks when it gets around 180. I find it's best if I just push through and try to reach my distance goals without worrying about pace, because I need those breaks. The iron infusions help a lot though - there was a time when I would get winded talking on the phone while walking and I couldn't do stairs without losing my breath for a while (I am 135lbs for reference). But today I did 11 miles on my bike in crazy Chicago wind.

[Deleted]

You are making me nervous because I was told I was borderline at my checkup in August and I have been experiencing a lot of what you described in the last month as far as shitty runs and low energy and higher heartrate. :/

[bullsgirl]

I was anemic on and off for a few years, and my iron level dropped to 3 after my first half marathon. I fainted several times. I started taking iron supplements and felt somewhat better within about 2 weeks, and completely normal within about 2 months. I definitely had to gradually ease back in to heavy workouts. I still take the supplements a couple of times a week. Anemia can be dangerous but it's very easy to correct. Just be patient!

[bullsgirl]

Oh, and it absolutely affected my training. My training runs we're about 9.5 minute mile pace until the last couple of weeks, and then my pace dropped by a minute to a minute and a half because I literally had to walk. I assumed it was burn out or a poor attitude, but my pace went back to normal within a couple of months and I could just feel a huge difference in my body.