Anemia

[monkeygirl62]

Hey Thrivers!! I am wondering if any one has anemia and is struggling with it. My oncologist says I do have it and have had it for quite a while. But she's not giving me anything this time for it because it's not as bad like last November when I had to have a blood transfusion. I was wondering what you do for it or take for it without causing constipation. I don't want constipation if possible to avoid it. Thank you for your responses. Alicia

[Discocat]

Hi Alicia

Not sure what treatments your on...I'm on ibrance, letrozole, zoladex and zometa and have always been slightly anemic long before my diagnosis four years ago.

I was a vegetarian but now I do have some seafood and have chicken occasionally too when I'm run down....and long cooked chicken and whole carcass bone broth is my end of cycle go to.

Have you got a dietician available to you at your oncology centre? There are lots of tweaks to make to your diet that can help and things to avoid and not combine in same meal.

Dark greens ...spinach, kale, brocoli,green beans etc and red fruits are good iron sources and if you have them with a little lemon juice the vitamin c helps absorption....but having high calcium or tannin things together at meals inhibits absorption....so avoid creamy sauces(calcium) and tea and coffee(tannins) at mealtime.

Whole grains are recommended and so are good sources of animal protein...meat / fish.

Stress is also a factor that can increase aneamic symptoms...so try some relaxing techniques...improve your sleep, yoga, nature walks, meditation...

I was given iron supplements whilst pregnant with my son...he's 21 now...so that was ages ago...but I had awful constipation and have always avoided since.

Hope you find some helpful info

Take care

Zoe ×××

[monkeygirl62 in reply to Discocat]

Thank you for your response. I am on Ibrance and letrozole and also doing immunotherapy (imfinzi for SCLC) for another primary cancer at the same time. It sucks. That's great about the dark green veggies. I realize I have not been eating much meat in my diet lately. I think the immunotherapy is really what is affecting me. I think I need to add red meat to my diet with the dark greens. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.

[Discocat in reply to monkeygirl62]

I also remember that there is a liquid type of iron formula called Floradix that is made from fruit and herbal extracts that my son used to take and it did not cause any constipation...but please check with your oncologist before taking any supplements or vitamins as even herbal remedies can cause contradictions with some of our treatments.Sorry to hear of your complications...dealing with another primary cancer on top of everything else...it's no wonder that your feeling run down.

Take care

Hope you find some relief

Love Zoe

×××

[monkeygirl62 in reply to Discocat]

Zoe, I was wondering, i like steak sauce like A1 it's not creamy would that be ok or straight horseradish too? I have a nice t- bone steak for tonight. I am going to check out the floradix too. I need something to really help me have some energy. I face plant into sleep every time I sit down and one time while eating my dinner. Lol 😂 Thank you for your advice, Alicia

[Discocat in reply to monkeygirl62]

Sorry...I'm not a nutritionist....I just read up on iron absorption....and the recommendation was to try to avoid combining iron rich food items with calcium high items....the article said to leave a few hours between ....I know it sounds tricky....as its important to have calcium in our diets too!! And how can you wait 2 hrs from main to desert if you want something like icecream for instance??The reality is the same treatments that keep us alive also take a toll on our bodies....so while it might help to give you a bit of a boost to increase iron rich foods into your diet it might not make a drastic difference to your anemic state....sorry.... but I'd say just go for that steak and have it how you like it best with any sauce that you like too.

I personally have at least found an improvement in my energy levels when I'm more careful to include more protein and iron rich foods in my diet....

Also...I'm not familiar with A1 sauce.Is that an American speciality?...it sounds yummy....I'm living in Cyprus... so I have no idea if that's creamy or not

Have a great dinner!

Love Zoe

×××

[monkeygirl62 in reply to Discocat]

Oh thank you though for all your information Zoe. It's so helpful to me. A1 I think is like a teriyaki with ketchup base sauce so no cream sauce. It's similar to Heinz 57 steak sauce. Oh you are in Cyprus, I am a German living a long time in the United States I have my citizenship from USA. We love loads of fattening food as Germans lol 🤣. The American regular diet I must say is awful fast food but we Germans eat lots of potatoes and bread. Thankfully there are German grocery stores here and I can get German bread in most regular grocery stores now. I do love beans as protein. Especially baked beans. Thank you again Zoe. Valentine's Day is tomorrow for us so Happy Valentines Day,zoe Love Alicia 💗

[Discocat in reply to monkeygirl62]

Thanks

Happy Valentines to you too!!

I'm part German...my mother is a mix of Dutch and German....and my Dad is Cypriot. I love carbs!!! A good crusty bread with cheese or a plate of hot crispy fries with lots of salt and mayonnaise!!! It's no wonder my waist is expanding!

Have a great day tomorrow!

[monkeygirl62 in reply to Discocat]

My mom is just straight German lol. She passed in November 2024. She was 86 years old. Good long life.

[Discocat in reply to monkeygirl62]

Nice chatting with you Alicia.Sorry to here your mum passed away recently...but as you say that was a good long life! Feel free to personally message me anytime you like and we can chat away!!! Although I have to admit I do not speak any German...or Dutch...and even my Greek is poor....so we will have to stick to English.

I hope your energy levels pick up soon.

[monkeygirl62 in reply to Discocat]

English is fine with me. I speak Spanish too. My Spanish is better than my German dad to say. There's no one to keep up my German. Anyway you can also message me. It would be nice to chat again.

[SunShineEveryDay]

Hi!

Unfortunately, it’s the meds! It lowers our red blood cell counts so it can’t properly supply oxygen to our organs. I’m also anemic yet my iron, B12, magnesium etc. are fine!

I’m going to talk about that with my oncologist next time. Because as important as the meds are, being anemic is not okay.

Warmest regards,

Miriam

[JEE123]

I haven't done it, but my oncologist offered an iron infusion. Just been to busy, but I'm considering it. On Ibrance.

[monkeygirl62 in reply to JEE123]

JEeE223, Thank you, I will check about an iron infusion. Is that the same as a blood transfusion? Thank you! Alicia

[JEE123 in reply to monkeygirl62]

yes, they are different

[hearprint]

In addition to dietary adjustments (consuming iron-rich foods like red meat, beans, and leafy greens, along with vitamin C to enhance iron absorption), my PCP recommended I use "Easy Iron" (Ferrous BisGlycinate Chelate) which is less likely to cause constipation and vitamin B-12 supplements.

[monkeygirl62 in reply to hearprint]

Hearprint, Thank you for your response and help.i am going to check out Easy Iron and for sure add vitamin B-12 supplement. I don't know why for the life of me I couldn't figure this out myself. But I think all the fatigue keeps me from thinking straight. Thank you, Alicia

[Tolife_18]

hi Alicia, I suggest a consult with hematologist. There are many issues that causing anemia while we receive drugs.

Iron, B12, magnesium deficiency is easy to take care of.

In my case, all these are normal, but I’m still quite anemic. I’ll do some more additional tests to understand the cause better.

Wishing all the best!

[monkeygirl62 in reply to Tolife_18]

That's an idea, I will talk to my primary care doctor about. Thank you!

[hearprint]

Alicia, It is so easy to get lost in all the various side effects of both the cancer and the side effects - so please don't beat yourself up about it. My oncologist wasn't concerned about my anemia, but my Primary Care Doctor jumped on it when I complained about fatigue. The iron & B vitamins have really helped me; hope they help you too. Carol

[monkeygirl62 in reply to hearprint]

Oh thank you, I see my primary care doctor next week and I will tell her about how I am feeling. Thank you Carol!