In the seemingly endless quest to feel properly well I had a full iron panel done.
The last one I had done was 2 years ago, 6 months after an iron transfusion.
I've got a bit of a mixed bag here so I'd be grateful for some thoughts. It's getting worse, generally, I'm just not sure if now is the right time to supplement?
Grateful, as ever. 🧡
Looks like you'd certainly benefit from adding some, I'm keen on heme as it is much easier on the system and effective 🤗
Thanks Tigger and Hidden That was my initial thought too but TIBC suggests I don't need to supplement as its low in range?
Iron is a peculiar one bit like liver results you have to look at all results as a whole...
No, I didn't eat but I had a few slurps of tea before I remembered it was a fasting test. 😂 Did the test quickly afterwards hoping I could do it before my body realised. 😉😂
🤭
TIBC suggests I don't need to supplement as its low in range?
It is quite common for TIBC to be at odds with other results in an iron panel. I'm one of the people it happens to. I'm not sure why it happens, but given my family history of problems with anaemia I'd say in my case it is a genetic issue.
I have a set of results from years ago where my TIBC was actually below range, while my serum iron/saturation/ferritin were all either below range or below optimal. I supplemented anyway. I was poor at absorbing iron and it took several years for me to raise my iron and iron-related levels to somewhere near optimal, but my TIBC has never even reached mid-range.
In your shoes I would suggest supplementing anyway.
Your 2022 results were better than your current results. Do you have any idea why? Is there any chance you are losing blood from somewhere, e.g. your gut? Or from piles? If this is a possibility, ask your GP if you can have a test kit for a faecal occult test, even if you aren't in the age range that is usually tested by the NHS :
nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-can...
If you do decide to supplement, you must find out how well you absorb iron, so approx 4 - 8 weeks after you start to supplement do another iron panel and see which results are improving. If you absorb iron well then you may have to cut your dose or perhaps take iron fewer days of the week, or you might need to stop supplementing altogether.
If you absorb iron poorly you will have to continue supplementing, but will also have to keep testing. How often you re-test will depend on how quickly an iron panel improves.
3 years ago my ferritin was 205 after an iron transfusion.
Previous to that, according to my medical records, it was 66 in 2013 and 51 in 2017, so fairly stable.
By 2021 they had declined to 15, but I'd had 2 children so that perhaps accounts for it?
I've not been able to hold onto ferritin for a long time, as proven by the slow decline after the iron transfusion!
I was born at 32 weeks and then had necrotizing enterocolitis shortly after birth so I suspect thats played a big part in my biome.
I'm only 38 so miles off the NHS age range but no harm in asking for investigations... Suspect I'll end up footing the bill for it all though.
Confusing iron panel results
Iron Panel Results
Iron lab results
Iron Results 
Iron panel results 
