anyone have anemia plus fibro

[PhillyFibro]

Was recently diagnosed as having anemia after routine blood work with my GP. I had been feeling even MORE fatigued and made of lead prior to that ... and thought maybe it was a fibro flare.
He put me on iron pills right away, and said a colonscopy is needed to see if there's any intestinal bleeding ... even though stool sample came back as normal. I'm close to 30 years with this lousy fibro ... and am 76 yrs. old. Can no longer socialize, so friends and family have drifted away ... and I don't know anyone dealing with anemia.
I researched on line and there are many reports of anemia with fibro. My concern is that there may be other tests and/or treatments that can be done before the colonoscopy which is about 2 weeks away. The wait is so that certain meds & vitamins have to be stopped 10 days before test.
Surely you've said many times, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" ... and doing ONLY what you can is key. Along with meds, of course. But no help for fatigue
Would like to hear from any of you who have been diagnosed with anemia, so we might "compare notes". Go ahead and giggle, but this whole thing is a pain in the butt !!!
Thanks for reading, and my best wishes are with all of us all of time time, from PhillyFibro

 

[woundedhealerwannabe]

I'm on iron pills, too. It's only been a few weeks and I can't feel a difference yet but my skin looks pinker.

 

[Leeta]

i was severely defficient in vit D. after i got my blood levels up to the high end of the scale - leg pain stopped and so did a lot of the tiredness. i do 10,000iu 5 days a week. get doc to check your vit D via blood test. levels are 30-90, mine was 11. i live in the sunny south but do not go out often. vit D pills have greatly helped.

 

[moe1959]

I Was ONCE TOLD I HAD ANEMIA. THE DR LOOKED AT MY TOUNGE, IT WAS WHAT SHE CALLED "BEEFY sp? So, I recieved a vitamin B shot." IT HELPED FOR A WHILE. I WAS ALSO BITEING MY TOUNGE AT NIGHT, AND HAD WHAT'S CALLED A SCALLOPED TOUNGE. GOOD LUCK.

 

[PhillyFibro]

Thanks much, moe1959 and leeta, for your very quick replies ... and all the info !! I see my doc in two days, and am definitely going ask about both the Vit. B shot AND Vit. D deficiency. Will try to get back ASAP with results, and thank you both sincerely for your help. I guess this means more blood tests ... but the lab I go to is very gentle. How nice is "gentle" for us, eh? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh ! Cheers, from PhillyFibro :grin:

 

[njdev95av]

Philly, I have been anemic since i was a child and have needed Iron IVs since the pills just make me either seriously ill or constipated. If you are going in for a colonoscopy make sure they test for microscopic colitis, it is a fairly rare form of colitis but can have a serious effect on vitamin and mineral absorption. I have it and after being treated for several months I feel better than i have in many years. the doctor won't see it if they are not looking for it. i had to see an IBS specialist in norther NJ to find it but it has made a world of difference so better to make sure. good luck

 

[Shyest]

Hey I live in your area!
I have never had anemia that I know of, used to take iron small tablet supplement because I was vegetarian, now vegan. I've had my levels checked pretty consistently in the past few years and I've always been exceptionally normal with my iron. I did have vitamin D deficiency which is super common and can definately make fibro worse for some- but bringing my blood levels back up didn't help me at all. B12 (pernicious anemia) is another one you might want to look into, and B6. If they haven't tested all the B vitamins they probably should. I used to drink natural energy drinks with very high doses of vitamin B in them and they did used to get me going more when I just had fibro and an autoimmune issue, but now my case is increasingly more complex so I have stopped.

Were you told to stop iron before your procedure? I don't know the exact rules, my colonoscopy was a few years ago. Call and make sure with the gastro soon before you stop anything and make sure they know about each med and supplement you take, it isn't worth the risk. The biggest ones you have to stop are blood thinners including NSAIDs. Have you had a colonoscopy before? They're not that much fun, I recomend buying a small thing of maxi pads for the ride to the center if you have a finicky digestive system and packing an extra pair of undies in your purse.

 

[Tinte1948]

Hey I live in your area!
I have never had anemia that I know of, used to take iron small tablet supplement because I was vegetarian, now vegan. I've had my levels checked pretty consistently in the past few years and I've always been exceptionally normal with my iron. I did have vitamin D deficiency which is super common and can definately make fibro worse for some- but bringing my blood levels back up didn't help me at all. B12 (pernicious anemia) is another one you might want to look into, and B6. If they haven't tested all the B vitamins they probably should. I used to drink natural energy drinks with very high doses of vitamin B in them and they did used to get me going more when I just had fibro and an autoimmune issue, but now my case is increasingly more complex so I have stopped.

Were you told to stop iron before your procedure? I don't know the exact rules, my colonoscopy was a few years ago. Call and make sure with the gastro soon before you stop anything and make sure they know about each med and supplement you take, it isn't worth the risk. The biggest ones you have to stop are blood thinners including NSAIDs. Have you had a colonoscopy before? They're not that much fun, I recomend buying a small thing of maxi pads for the ride to the center if you have a finicky digestive system and packing an extra pair of undies in your purse.

What are the major symptoms of Anemia?

 

[PhillyFibro]

Thanks so much, njdev95av and Shyest, for your replies and info. Been down with
a bad head & chest cold, which's why I didn't reply sooner.

Had the colonoscopy (yuk!) and am lucky to have had no polyps or bleeding, etc.
My doc has me on iron (non-constipating) and Vit. D ... and it really is helping, plus
had B12 shot. So far, so good.

We have such a crazy life with these fibro problems, and it helps so much to have
info and support like yours. It's a daily fight ... and you help make it easier ...
so thanks very much, and best wishes

PhillyFibro

 

[Mikira]

I can't add much to this discussion other than that I have also had been told I've been anemic since I don't remember when - in my 20's and I'm in my 40s now so it's been a long standing thing. Maybe this is just another 'symptom' that our doctors should be looking at?