Low iron/high normal haemoglobin

[cristiana]

Hello All

I think I started a thread on this subject some time ago, but now can't find it.  Or possibly it was someone else's thread that I hijacked - and that's why I can't find it!

Anyway, I have a rather complicated issue with iron and I'm wondering what to do about it.  Or even if it matters.

Pre-menopause, when I was first diagnosed with coeliac,  my ferritin levels were dreadful and I had to supplement.  It soon became apparent that I had to stop, as once my iron anemia cleared up, my hemoglobin levels reached high normal, verging on a condition known as polycythemia.   High normal in my lab is 15.5 for women, and my level has hovered between 15 and 15.5

The highest my ferritin levels have ever been is 40 (30 being normal) since I started my gluten-free journey - I reached that level about three years ago., about a year post menopause.  18 months later my ferritin had gone down to 29, which I think I can explain because I've been avoiding red meat.  This was a conscious decision as I have  discovered that I can keep my hemoglobin levels at safe levels so long as I don't consume too much iron.  My gastroenterologist also told me not to supplement it.    

I have recently had a colonoscopy and have done a FIT test to detect bleeding, both came back normal.  So I feel that the reduced iron consumption is probably the reason for this new deficiency.  But I have two questions:

A. Does it actually matters if my iron levels are poor, if my hemoglobin is normal?  (I do feel a bit tired, but surely if my hemoglobin levels are normal I shouldn't?)

B. Would my last TTG blood result of 10 (cut off point for normal levels at my lab)  be affecting my absorption of iron?

Thanks!

Cristinaa

 

[Aretaeus Cappadocia]

Not sure what you mean by "poor iron levels" if 30 is normal (upper end of normal range) and you are 29. (at least, that's how I read your post. Seems to me that your iron (ferritin) is normal, whereas before it was too high (40).

At any rate, your post made me curious, so I copy pasted "Does it actually matters if my iron levels are poor, if my hemoglobin is normal" into the google search bar. According to Dr google, it does matter and they had a lot to say about it.