Iron deficiency?

[t316]

I have been having:

- extreme weakness in my hands

- coldness and tingling in my hands and feet

- some minor pain in my hands and a little more profound stabbing pain in my feet arches and toes

- electrical current like buzzing in my hands and feet (slightly more distinct than tingling)

- very concerning short/mid term memory lapse and word recall

- tiredness

- weight loss

I have significant candida so, other than probiotics and natural antifungals, I have been on a gluten free diet. It just dawned on me that I am missing all the vitamin B and iron additives in bread because I eat the Udi's gluten free bread which doesn't have any. I have been supplementing the active forms of B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B12 through natural sources sublingual tablets and also taking 3gr of lipospheric vit c/day. But I don't really have a source of iron in my diet other than occasional steak.

My iron related tests show an inkling of anemia but I am not sure:

FERRITIN (range: 20.0 - 380.0 ng/mL)

0/15/10 5/31/11 2/9/12 7/11/12 2/16/14 10/7/14 12/15/14

70.4 61.8 72.1 65.5 56.4 52.7 73.1

HGB (range: 14.0 - 18.0 g/dl)

11/17/10 3/3/11 3/21/11 11/15/11 2/9/12 7/11/12 8/30/12 2/16/14 9/3/14 12/15/14

14.8 13.9 L 13.7 L 13.6 L 14.3 14.4 14.9 14.9 14.3 14.9

HEMATOCRIT (range: 39.0 - 51.0%):

3/3/11 3/8/11 3/21/11 11/15/11 2/9/12 7/11/12 8/30/12 2/16/14 9/3/14 12/15/14

40.7 44.3 39.7 40.0 42.1 42.7 43.4 45.0 42.0 44.2

IRON SER( 40 - 190 mcg/dL):

7/30/10 10/15/10 5/31/11 7/11/12 1/17/13 10/7/14

90 93 136 137 142 88

TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY(250 - 400 mcg/dl):

7/30/10 10/15/10 5/31/11 7/11/12 1/17/13 10/7/14

413H 391 364 424H 465H 437H

TRANSFERRIN(180 - 329 mg/dl):

7/30/10 10/15/10 5/31/11 7/11/12 1/17/13 10/7/14

295 279 260 303 332H 312

TRANSFERRIN SATURATION(15.0 - 50.0 %):

7/30/10 10/15/10 5/31/11 7/11/12 1/17/13 10/7/14

21.8 23.8 37.4 32.3 30.5 20.1

In the 2010, 2011 timeframe I had memory issues and weak/cold extremities and my doc put me on slow-fe and that seemed to fix me up.

Now, my ferritin is low normal but my TIBC is high, transferrin is occasionally high and my transferrin saturation rate is low normal.

Is it possible that I have a functional iron transportation deficit given my numbers?

Also, we have been dealing with mold at home and my C4A was quite elevated and my TGF-Beta1 was a little elevated, too. Even though my CRP is normal, this implies inflammation.

I know there is a form of anemia called anemia of chronic illness which goes hand in hand with inflammation, however literature says I would have low TIBC with it, not high.

My questions are:

a) Do my raw iron test numbers in any way, on their own, without any other associated theory, imply any iron issues?

b) Is this theory possible? Due to inflammation, my body is sequestering iron in to ferritin stores (to keep from bacteria, virus, etc). And lets assume that normally, my iron stores are really low, but with this artificial sequestering my iron stores go up a little and peak in to the low normal range. So, I am asking if I could have anemia of chronic illness with high TIBC and low normal ferritin.

c) Even though I have candida issues and I may have anemia of chronic illness, should I just try slow-fe again for a few days? Would it cause me any harm?

One additional health concern is that I have fatty liver showing on my last ultrasound. Not sure if that can be connected to my symptoms.

[Hidden]

Gosh, I can only say I know nothing about other anaemia's, but if you think you may have a problem with B12 def then it would help if you could stop supplementing B12, and after 3-4 months have serum B12 tested, if that seems even slightly low, and your MCV appears high, have active B12 tested, and MMA if active B12 is low. I'm no expert, but your symptoms could be related to low B12, but also other issues like thyroid, have you had thyroid tests? Anyway, this is way above me, sorry!

Kind regards,

Marre.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

As Marre - don't know much about iron deficiencies and one of those people with B12 absorption issues for whom anaemia isn't actually a factor.

B12 deficiency could be causing your problems with iron - could also explain the tingling, tiredness, memory etc and could also be a factor in build up of fat.

Not sure where you are based and also not sure if homocysteine is actually available in the UK but it might be worth adding that to the tests that Marre has suggested.

[aliveandwell]

I am not a doctor, but have just been reading a book about b12 deficiency and all your symptoms do suggest that.

Since your iron stores are not at the high end of the scale. See if you can take the supplements, and monitor your levels, and see how you feel. Although I would talk this over with your doctor as I am no expert. It just seems practical solution to me. It may help you to find out what your iron levels were both before and after you took the iron last time. To see how they compare to where they are now.

[MensaKaren]

I had similar situation and turns out despite my B12 numbers being in "range" THAT the RANGE is not accurate in the US (!!!). I was 182 and 181 was considered slightly B12 deficient. In reality 550 is B12 deficient in many people! After 2 months of daily "methyl b12" at 10,000 mcg supplementation my worst symptoms were gone! I hope you started taking ENOUGH and the RIGHT KIND of B12. Methyl requires no processing to absorb! See my group on FB "When Medical Doctors Fail" or my blog www tiny url dot c*m /blog 2016

[PAS-admin Partner]

even methyl needs 'processing' ...

this thread is two years old, the original poster will possibly or even probably not be here anymore.