Low Iron, Almost Normal Hemoglobin, Low B12

[deesmith]

I've been gluten-free for at least 4-5 years now. Everything was going good for a while.

I've been having issues recently.

1. Have had low iron blood tests for a while now (about a year), but the hemoglobin stays around 10 to 10.7

2. Had kidney function test last summer come back 53 or 57, can't remember right now.

I changed doctors, AGAIN, and asked the new doctor to repeate the kidney function test. However, I was so worried, that I cut back on protein. The test came back 63, but my B12 came back low. I think it may have been the fact that I cut back ont protein temporarily (I'm normally a big meat eater). But I don't know if it can change that fast, over 2 week period. She said that since the kidney function came back 63 it was all fine. She told me to get B12 supplements, which I did.

Apparently, by taking the B12 supplements, I brought it up to over 600!! So it can't be an absorption issue. And I don't think it would normally be low due to diet.

I don't like that this doctor just tells me to take stuff, but won't determine why the blood work comes back as it does.

My biggest concern is fatigue. I keep telling her, I've been anemic before. Before going gluten-free I was anemic all the time. Tired all the time. But this is different. I can't even function.

I'm just not sure what to do next. I'm not looking for something to be wrong. Just to get back to feeling better. I've brought up my PTH levels over the years. (parathyroid disease) So it's not like I'm not trying!

The doctor never sees me and just has her assistants call and/or writes letters. The iron is even lower now, so she wrote "just take two iron tables per day instead of one." I've told her over and over that I have severe constipation issues and I can hardly tolerate one. If I take two, I'll never go!

I just don't know what to do next.

[ravenwoodglass]

Can you find another doctor? Sometimes it takes a while to find a good one. You mention having issues with C. Have you considered a possible additional intolerance? What comes to my mind first is soy. If you do consume soy products you could try eliminating them for a bit and see if it helps. When you got the B12 did you get the sublingual tablets or ones that you swallow? The sublingual bypass the gut so even if you were having absorption issues your B12 would go up. It can take quite a while for a deficiency to show up so being low protein for a couple of weeks would be unlikely to cause you to show falsely low. 600 is not real high for B12 so don't stop taking them thinking your levels are too high. If your tests show over 1000 then you might want to lower your dosage.

[WheatChef]

Many mineral and vitamin pills are semi-worthless. What type of diet do you eat?