Scared: Anemia And Very Low Vit. D

[Kimbalou]

ok, so I thought my levels were ok, but I was mistaken. I'm anemic and my Vit D level is only 15! (should be 30-100) My dr. prescribed some Vit D that I will get today and I bought iron yesterday and it ripped up my stomach...yuck! Does anybody have any recommendations for a form of iron that's better on your stomach?

Also, I sent my dr. an email already...but I'm scared. With this low of VitD should I get checked out for other bone issues?? I've been taking martial arts classes 2-3 times a week for 2 yrs and now I realize why I've been in so much pain...that it's not totally due to the classes! I'm wondering if I should take a break from it until my levels get higher??

My knees are really sore today!

Feeling like an old lady!!

Kim

[Charlie's Girl]

ok, so I thought my levels were ok, but I was mistaken. I'm anemic and my Vit D level is only 15! (should be 30-100) My dr. prescribed some Vit D that I will get today and I bought iron yesterday and it ripped up my stomach...yuck! Does anybody have any recommendations for a form of iron that's better on your stomach?

Also, I sent my dr. an email already...but I'm scared. With this low of VitD should I get checked out for other bone issues?? I've been taking martial arts classes 2-3 times a week for 2 yrs and now I realize why I've been in so much pain...that it's not totally due to the classes! I'm wondering if I should take a break from it until my levels get higher??

My knees are really sore today!

Feeling like an old lady!!

Kim

While I can't offer you any advice about martial arts- I can tell you that you should be able to correct your vitamin deficiencies. I too am anemic and had even lower Vitamin D than you. I have been on iron supplements for 20 years. I take Slow Fe and it does not bother my ever so sensitive stomach. I found out about the Vitamin D levels in May and began taking 5000 IU daily. Coincidentally- my mother found out she was deficient and went on the once a week pill from the pharmacist. Both our levels are up already. I am due for another blood test and suspect they'll be even better.

And we are feeling better.

Rumour has it- as your body heals from the damage cause by Celiac disease- you'll be able to absorb vitamins and nutrients. Fancy that.

[aedixon]

Go with the Slow Fe or the generic version that's comparable to it. My Kroger grocery store carries a version of slow absorption Iron that doesn't bother my stomach at all. Historically I've had to avoid any kind of multi-vitamin with Iron in it because just the smell and taste alone made me nauseous - never mind actually swallowing it!

Don't be scared! I'm sure it will just take a little time to get your numbers back up to where they should be!

I've been severely anemic for years and just recently diagnosed with Celiac, so... here's hoping my numbers go up too!

[quincy]

ok, so I thought my levels were ok, but I was mistaken. I'm anemic and my Vit D level is only 15! (should be 30-100) My dr. prescribed some Vit D that I will get today and I bought iron yesterday and it ripped up my stomach...yuck! Does anybody have any recommendations for a form of iron that's better on your stomach?

Also, I sent my dr. an email already...but I'm scared. With this low of VitD should I get checked out for other bone issues?? I've been taking martial arts classes 2-3 times a week for 2 yrs and now I realize why I've been in so much pain...that it's not totally due to the classes! I'm wondering if I should take a break from it until my levels get higher??

My knees are really sore today!

Feeling like an old lady!!

Kim

I was dx'd in April and in June I had a bone density test. 49 yo male with osteopenia! very low D (11) and Iron is low too. u might want to ask for bone density test. the exercise is good but you need to re-mineralize because it is possible that the lack of absorption of minerals, calcium and d has caused some leaching from your bones.

don't mean to alarm you, because as you heal you will begin to absorb the nutrients. in the meantime find a good Functional Medicine practitioner or nutritionist to get some good quality supplements to get you through.

[Roda]

I'll agree on the Slow Fe. It never bothered my stomach either.

[kareng]

You will want some b12, too. This helps you use the iron. It's best to take iron by itself. Especially not with calcium foods like dairy, brewed beverages, grains. It will absorb better. When I was very anemic I took 325 mg twice a day. No food or drink other than water 1 hour before and 2 hours after. If it really bothered me, I ate some banana.

[Charlie's Girl]

You will want some b12, too. This helps you use the iron. It's best to take iron by itself. Especially not with calcium foods like dairy, brewed beverages, grains. It will absorb better. When I was very anemic I took 325 mg twice a day. No food or drink other than water 1 hour before and 2 hours after. If it really bothered me, I ate some banana.

I take mine with a time release Vitamin C because ( I thought) somebody somewhere told me it would absorb better in an acidic environment.

I also take B12 - but later in the day.

[Roda]

I take mine with a time release Vitamin C because ( I thought) somebody somewhere told me it would absorb better in an acidic environment.

I also take B12 - but later in the day.

I also thought vitamin c helped with iron absorption.

[WheatChef]

Most often times the natural source is best absorbed and utilized. Aim for things like bone marrow, liver, clams and oysters. As hinted at above, yes vit C helps with iron absorption from lesser sources, but if you're going with meat based sources of iron the vit C is close to pointless (aside from the individual benefits of good vitamin C intake).

[kareng]

The b12 helps your red blood cells work better is what I should have said. The iron helps you make red blood cells. What the doc told me years ago about anemia is that the few red blood cells you have, you want to work as efficiently as possible and the b12 helps that while you are waiting for new cells.

[Kimbalou]

thanks everyone. My brain is on overload with everything, but I'm sure I will be ok. I feel a little better already. Just not sure if I need to totally eliminate dairy, too. I have cut way back on it, though. I swear, everything gives me gas...I know...TMI...lol, but it is getting better. I am thankful to know that I have this "disease". It's a mixed blessing, really.

[shelly184]

ok, so I thought my levels were ok, but I was mistaken. I'm anemic and my Vit D level is only 15! (should be 30-100) My dr. prescribed some Vit D that I will get today and I bought iron yesterday and it ripped up my stomach...yuck! Does anybody have any recommendations for a form of iron that's better on your stomach?

Also, I sent my dr. an email already...but I'm scared. With this low of VitD should I get checked out for other bone issues?? I've been taking martial arts classes 2-3 times a week for 2 yrs and now I realize why I've been in so much pain...that it's not totally due to the classes! I'm wondering if I should take a break from it until my levels get higher??

My knees are really sore today!

Feeling like an old lady!!

Kim

Hi Kim,

Started iron just the other day call VITRON - C and it hasn't bothered my stomach at all and it has vitamin c in it. Im also B12 deficient, Folic acid deficient hopefully now I can absorb the vitamins. My vitamin D was ok but I was taking 2000mg a day. I do have osteoporosis and have read that staying gluten free will help with this.

[jenngolightly]

Hi Kim,

Started iron just the other day call VITRON - C and it hasn't bothered my stomach at all and it has vitamin c in it. Im also B12 deficient, Folic acid deficient hopefully now I can absorb the vitamins. My vitamin D was ok but I was taking 2000mg a day. I do have osteoporosis and have read that staying gluten free will help with this.

Yes. I had osteoporosis and since I went gluten-free, my bones have gotten better!

[Korwyn]

ok, so I thought my levels were ok, but I was mistaken. I'm anemic and my Vit D level is only 15! (should be 30-100) My dr. prescribed some Vit D that I will get today and I bought iron yesterday and it ripped up my stomach...yuck! Does anybody have any recommendations for a form of iron that's better on your stomach?

Also, I sent my dr. an email already...but I'm scared. With this low of VitD should I get checked out for other bone issues?? I've been taking martial arts classes 2-3 times a week for 2 yrs and now I realize why I've been in so much pain...that it's not totally due to the classes! I'm wondering if I should take a break from it until my levels get higher??

My knees are really sore today!

Feeling like an old lady!!

Kim

Hi Kim,

One thing I didn't see anyone mention is that if iron and your vitamin D are due to malabsorption, which they likely are due to your positive diagnosis, you need to get them checked frequently! The reason for this - especially with these two nutrients - is that as your system heals (which will only occur on a strict gluten-free diet), you will should begin absorbing them much better. Since the intestinal vilii healing occurs at different rates for different people, it could be very easy to in a few months be taking nearly toxic doses of D and iron.

Since you have such low D, yes your doctor should order bone density scans as well. Is your vitamin D supplement you are taking D3? The best I have found is from VitaminShoppe, and it is free of gluten, soy, casein, egg, etc. Off the shelf D is sometimes D2 which isn't really what you need to be taking in a case of nutrient deficiency from malabsorption.

From a dietary standpoint for iron, look at organic dates, organic sorghum syrup, raw spinach or spinach juice, organic, free range chicken livers (don't eat ANY other kind of chicken liver, IMHO), and beef liver (bread it twice in brown rice and sorghum flour, dust it in white pepper and sea salt, then pan fry it in olive or coconut oil). Sorghum syrup is a pretty good sweetener (and I like the taste).

I'd also recommend (as others have) a good C supplement (Ester-C). Only take the 500 mg ones because that's about all your system can absorb at once. The rest gets eliminated. Take three or four 'C' spaced out through the day with a 500 mg magnesium citrate in the morning.