Ice!!!

[kerri161074odonnell]

I constantly crave eating ice cubes .I have to make sure I have a tray of ice in my fridge and when I am at work (in a pub ) I have to have a huge glass next to me .I know thatt this is a problem when you are anemic but I have 3 monthly injections and take 5 mg of folic acid every day ....please help I am going insane

[Twinkle333]

Wow I didn't know that's was a symptom of anemia I was so bad for eating ice cubes when I was pregnant of have to have them literally everyday I'd have a freezer full and god forbid if I ran out, I'd crunch them like I was eating fresh air I couldn't even do that now but then I just had to have them 😨

[kerri161074odonnell in reply to Twinkle333]

That is what I am like ..if I can't have ice I just scream I feel for you x

[Twinkle333 in reply to kerri161074odonnell]

It's strange isn't it 😞 x

[ndodge]

Hi, have you had your iron levels checked? Craving ice is a symptom of iron deficiency.

[Nicky_Aust]

I also have had problems with iron deficiency and craved ice during both of my pregnancies. I would carry frozen bottles of water wherever I went and also I would drive through McDonald's and ask for a cup of ice with a little bit of diet coke. It wasn't until years later that I discovered the connection. There was nothing imaginary about these cravings!

[clivealive Forum Support]

Wow! that's a new one on me and I've had P.A. for 45 years.

Never heard anything like it.

Could you not flavour the cubes with a drop of lime juice or something to make them a bit more interesting?

[toadie93 in reply to clivealive]

Hi I also had a caring for ice that lasted over 20 years sadly my teeth took a battering and for their sake I had to wean myself off. I still have the odd cup in summer but nothing like I used too. As for adding flavour I did do that but for me it had to be just water

[Fiona1039]

Hi this is known as Pica and has a very strong connection to iron/ferritin deficiency! I used to crave ice also and then after gp tests discovered I had a ferritin level of 2! I would suggest both levels are checked

[tiredb]

I agree with the others. this is pica and you really need to see your doctor, get your iron levels checked and find out if there is an underlying cause.

[Danslatete]

My pica is mints. Everytime I start craving and eating pounds of imperial mints or buying 8 or more packets of polls a day then I am absolutely below 8 hbg.

I also eat tons of ice but normally when hbg is undr10.

I'm having problems getting my ferritin and iron levels to rise and stay steady.

[toadie93]

Back in the day when I was munching/crunching ice I would go to my local tesco at the fish department an get a bag of ice. It was straight out the freezer so hadn't touched the fish and was like eating slush puppies and less damaging to ya teeth

[Hidden]

My mom had this problem as well as eating hair (her own) and dirt? The ice chomping destroyed her teeth, had them all pulled out and now wears dentures at 50 years old.

[pugdogs10]

Hi....could be worse with me its crisps or worse chocolate.

[Sleepybunny]

Hi keri,

I've assumed you're in the UK.

Are you a member of the PAS? Lifetime membership costs £20. They are helpful and sympathetic. I think Martyn Hooper, the chair of the PAS mentioned pica in one of his books about PA and B12 deficiency.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

01656 769 717

Neuro symptoms

I read in your previous thread......

"I am suffering with a bad back an numbness in my thigh and foot I am always tired"

I think numbness is usually considered to be a neurological symptom. Have you got other neuro symptoms? See links below.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

See Symptoms Checklist

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

"I have 3 monthly injections and take 5 mg of folic acid every day"

My understanding is that the recommended UK treatment for B12 deficiency with neurological symptoms includes extended loading doses and then injections every 2 months.

UK treatment info can be found in

1) BNF (British national formulary) Chapter 9 section 1.2

2) BCSH Cobalamin and Folate Guidelines

I found page 29 useful. I gave a copy of this to my GPs

3)patient.info/doctor/pernici...

See Management section in link above.

The next link has info on writing to GPs etc if unhappy with treatment. Point 1 is about undertreatment of neurological symptoms.

b12deficiency.info/b12-writ...

Other UK B12 websites

martynhooper.com/

b12d.org

UK B12 Documents/articles

ukneqas-haematinics.org.uk/...

bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g5226

Google "BCSH Cobalamin and Folate guidelines"

Useful B12 books

What You Need to Know About Pernicious Anaemia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

by Martyn Hooper

I gave a copy of this to my GPs

Could it be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses

By sally Pacholok and JJ. Stuart

Do you get copies of all your blood test results? I get copies of all mine as I learnt that sometimes what I was told was normal over the phone or face to face was not always normal on a copy. I look particularly at folate, B12, ferritin and the full blood count.

Other links I found useful

patient.info/doctor/macrocy...

patient.info/doctor/folate-...

patient.info/doctor/full-bl...

labtestsonline.org.uk/under...

I am not a medic just a patient who has struggled to get a diagnosis.

[kerri161074odonnell in reply to Sleepybunny]

Thank you for all this info I shall have a read and yes I'm in the UK ...thanks again for all your help x

[illnesswhatillness]

without enough b12 to form blood cells , you will have a relative iron deficiency .