Fighting Anemia: Tiredness

mnm464 · Feb 5, 2015

Hello, all, my apologies if this is in the wrong area; feel free to move it. Also, this is not meant to be a pity party or anything, I mean only to give bg on the situation at hand.

The past few weeks I have not felt so great-low energy, sick,etc. and at the doctors, my doctor did the blood work and confirmed I have anemia and mono(don't worry it wasn't from kissing any boys ahah-yet...jkjk bad joke? Ok...) Anyways, last week or so, I got off the ice after only a half session(25m) and felt nauseous, dizzy, and starting to fade in/out black vision(this event was probably the peak of mono---unaware then that I had it). I was sick and not up to decent on skating and everything. The weekend of that week(last weekend) I went to bed feeling quite ill, and got sick sick(putting it to childish terms for those that don't want to read all that ish) and slept on the bathroom floor in and out of sleep and sick sickness. The day after I recovered(not really but "recovered" and I didn't eat much besides liquid for the next few days.

***Fast forward to yesterday***
I felt better from illness, but I was still really tired so I went to the doctor's and did all that medical stuff they do and got the results back today: high enzyme count in the liver, mono, anemic.

I want to continue to skate well enough to at least perform my triples during this bothersome episode, but I struggle to get the energy. It literally takes so much energy to get enough energy already. Do you know any foods that will increase the energy levels that aren't bad? I tried chia seeds in water(apparently runners do it) and I think it worked, will test for another couple days. Also any of you with anemia or had it, what did you do? I am hoping I won't get too many "just rest" answers, b/c I have already rested so much and am already affected. Again, suggestions and past exp. would help!

Sam-Skwantch · Feb 5, 2015

I feel for you. I have to take supplemental b-vitamins and drink juices with Acai berries in it to maintain high energy levels. You should consult with your physician though because the medications associated with your illnesses may not interact well with dietary changes.

Not sure what type of diet you maintain but seeking out a nutritionist can do wonders. Sometimes people tend to eat "healthy" and end up depriving themselves of certain nutrients like Iron found in less "healthy" foods. Similar to people eating gluten free food that don't need to it can come with unexpected side effects. I hope that makes sense. My uncle is a physician and he swears that doctors do not understand nutrion very well and he himself visits a nutritionist to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I often feel woozy for days after completing antibiotics cycles including nausea and black out like symptoms. I try not to take antibiotics if I can avoid it. Good luck!

peg · Feb 6, 2015

I know you said you didn't want too many'just rest' responses, but really, if you push yourself too much, you will just prolong the amount of time it takes to recover. How long has it been since the 'peak' of your illness? In my experience with fatigue, pushing too much just makes it twice as bad. Depleting an already depleted body never works well in the long run.

I presume you are taking iron for the anemia? You can also ensure you eat iron rich foods, such a red meat, beans (chili is a great choice because it contains both) dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach. And eating them with foods high in vitamin C such as oranges, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, kiwi, strawberries and pineapple. A generally healthy diet will help you get back your energy quicker, but again, do not push yourself too much too fast. It'll just bite you in the behind.

dorispulaski · Feb 6, 2015

Have you asked your coaches to recommend a nutritionist? They can probably help.

karne · Feb 6, 2015

I don't give a flying Frank Carroll if you don't want to hear "just rest", I'm going to tell you to do it anyway. You have a serious illness that is further complicating what can be a serious disorder. How on earth do you ever expect to get better if you're going to keep doing stupid things like trying to do triples?

I'll take a punt and guess it's the off-season for you. So rest. It won't kill you to rest, but it just might for you to push yourself while ill. The more you try and keep skating, the more prolonged your recovery will be and the more complications you are at risk of.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I've close at hand what happens when you just don't rest. My father was ill for months because he refused to stop being a busy bee while ill. It wasn't mono, but it was something he should have got over in a couple of weeks, a month at worst. Not six.

Tavi... · Feb 6, 2015

Did your doctors give you permission to skate or engage in strenuous activities? Because rest is a key part of treatment, and there is a period when mono is contagious. So you may be exposing others to your condition as well as prolonging your recovery period. In addition, mono can have serious side effects, including anemia, and the fact that you already have it suggests that you need more rest rather than less. Unless your doctor and your parents have given you permission to skate at all, much less practice triples, IMO you should not be out there.

mnm464 · Feb 6, 2015

Yes, the doctor said I am allowed to skate. She said I have had mono for a while, without knowing, so the contagious stage is over and winds down. Now, that I think about it, my brother moved into an apartment, but while he was always living with us, we were always eating red meat like steak every night because he was on the paleo diet, but have since reduced red meat. I understand the the concert/sounding harsh, karne. My diet is usually pretty healthy, but like I just said, I reduced red meat intake drastically compared to how much I used to eat per week.

I am taking iron pills, vitamin D, and another vitamin that I can't remember now.Thank you, Sam-Skwantch for your recommendations, really actually everyone. Any suggestions for higher energy levels? I still have to get through school!

gourry · Feb 6, 2015

My brother had a serious anemia problem last year(symptoms: fatigue, really bad case of constipation....) and vitamin B-12 seemed to help a lot. He took it in the form of shots, but maybe pills will work as well. Ask your doctor about it! Good luck and.... please rest.

vlaurend · Feb 6, 2015

mnm464 said:
Yes, the doctor said I am allowed to skate. She said I have had mono for a while, without knowing, so the contagious stage is over and winds down. Now, that I think about it, my brother moved into an apartment, but while he was always living with us, we were always eating red meat like steak every night because he was on the paleo diet, but have since reduced red meat. I understand the the concert/sounding harsh, karne. My diet is usually pretty healthy, but like I just said, I reduced red meat intake drastically compared to how much I used to eat per week.

I am taking iron pills, vitamin D, and another vitamin that I can't remember now.Thank you, Sam-Skwantch for your recommendations, really actually everyone. Any suggestions for higher energy levels? I still have to get through school!

Good that you are taking iron supplements. The highest natural iron content you will find in foods would be in organ meats, particularly liver. Any kind of liver will give you lots of iron. I was never a fan of liver, but found that sauteeing it and flavoring it with some soy sauce and chili pepper makes it much more palatable! As for other things that will help your energy level, ASK YOUR DOCTOR! Don't ask us because we aren't recovering from mono and anemia and whatever helps us won't help you!

loopy · Feb 6, 2015

I am on the boat of just get the rest.

"Avoid contact sports and heavy lifting for several weeks after you become ill with mono (or until a doctor tells you it is okay) to reduce the risk of injuring your spleen."

I think heavy contact includes falling while performing a triple jump on ice.

Amaya · Feb 6, 2015

Oh darling. Take care of yourself! Rest rest (it doesn't mean you should stop skating or etc, it means outside have some rest!). Allow yourself to watch a movie sometimes!

Do you know any foods that will increase the energy levels that aren't bad?

Like i said i had anemia before. 1) iron pills and vitamin B 2) pomegranate! (> then iron pills) 3) meat (beef, especially boiled, turkey > chicken) 4) BEETROOT (juices, food, salads!!! it's amazing) 5) yolk.

mnm464 · Feb 6, 2015

Amaya said:
Oh darling. Take care of yourself! Rest rest (it doesn't mean you should stop skating or etc, it means outside have some rest!). Allow yourself to watch a movie sometimes!

Like i said i had anemia before. 1) iron pills and vitamin B 2) pomegranate! (> then iron pills) 3) meat (beef, especially boiled, turkey > chicken) 4) BEETROOT (juices, food, salads!!! it's amazing) 5) yolk.

Thank you for all the food recommendations! I appreciate it!

Weathergal · Feb 7, 2015

With this cold weather (assuming you live in a cold climate), Cream of Wheat (hot cereal--farina, smoother than oatmeal in case you're not familiar with it) is good. It has a nice amount of iron in it. Someone mentioned vitamin C enhances iron absorption. Also helps support the immune system. Note that if you're a tea drinker, you should try to avoid drinking it when you're consuming iron-rich foods because it inhibits the iron absorption.

NanaPat · Feb 7, 2015

For anaemia, two deficiencies can come into play.

Vitamin B12 is needed to turn iron into hemoglobin. Fortunately it is cheap, has few/no side effects, and works quite quickly (within a few weeks). Get the plain kind - not sub-lingual and not timed release. Take 1000 mg a day (you can get one pill with this dose).

If your iron stores are low, you'll also need iron supplements. These take a lot longer to work. There is something called polysaccharide iron complex that doesn't have bad side effects on your digestive system and can be taken in much larger doses than iron salts. One pill is 150 mg of elemental iron, which is many times the RDA. You should definitely not take it on your own, but can ask your doctor about it. There is a blood test for something called ferratin, which gives an indication of how much iron is stored in your body. Iron is used in making hemoglobin (blood) but is also used in your muscles and other parts of your body as well, so you really want to get your ferratin levels up.

I've been taking large doses of supplemental for 2 years, and my Dr has my ferratin level tested every 1 - 3 months. You can definitely overdo iron supplements and make yourself sick from too much iron. And all iron supplements must be kept out of the reach of young children - a single pill can kill a young child.

Ask your doctor if he/she has tested your ferratin. Unless that reading is satisfactory, you can have recurring/chronic anaemia, which you definitely don't want.

And listen to your body. Over-exercising with anaemia can cause heart problems (failure? attack? ) and even death.

One other note about iron absorption. As someone said above, vitamin C helps absorption and caffeine inhibits it so take vitamin C with your iron pills or iron-rich foods and avoid coffee, tea and cola for an hour before and after.

Good luck, and have a speedy recovery!

Sam-Skwantch · Feb 7, 2015

Thank you for such an informative post. :clap:

peg · Feb 7, 2015

NanaPat said:
For anaemia, two deficiencies can come into play.

Vitamin B12 is needed to turn iron into hemoglobin. Fortunately it is cheap, has few/no side effects, and works quite quickly (within a few weeks). Get the plain kind - not sub-lingual and not timed release. Take 1000 mg a day (you can get one pill with this dose).

I think you meant 1000 mcg.

One thing to note though is that when you take such high doses, only a small fraction (roughly 10 mcg) is absorbed. o, unless you have low B12 levels to start, this isn't a problem, as normal daily requirements are less than 5 mcg. If you do actually have low B 12 levels (and aren't just taking it to help your body make use of the iron) then injections are usually preferable because your absorption rate will be higher.

mnm464 · Feb 7, 2015

Weathergal said:
With this cold weather (assuming you live in a cold climate), Cream of Wheat (hot cereal--farina, smoother than oatmeal in case you're not familiar with it) is good. It has a nice amount of iron in it. Someone mentioned vitamin C enhances iron absorption. Also helps support the immune system. Note that if you're a tea drinker, you should try to avoid drinking it when you're consuming iron-rich foods because it inhibits the iron absorption.

Yes, we have the cream of wheat, but never really ate it(preferred oatmeal--- mom's stashed enough food for an apocalypse ahaha love you, mum) . I will try this food! About the tea, is that completely or only before/after?

NanaPat said:
For anaemia, two deficiencies can come into play.

Vitamin B12 is needed to turn iron into hemoglobin. Fortunately it is cheap, has few/no side effects, and works quite quickly (within a few weeks). Get the plain kind - not sub-lingual and not timed release. Take 1000 mg a day (you can get one pill with this dose).

If your iron stores are low, you'll also need iron supplements. These take a lot longer to work. There is something called polysaccharide iron complex that doesn't have bad side effects on your digestive system and can be taken in much larger doses than iron salts. One pill is 150 mg of elemental iron, which is many times the RDA. You should definitely not take it on your own, but can ask your doctor about it. There is a blood test for something called ferratin, which gives an indication of how much iron is stored in your body. Iron is used in making hemoglobin (blood) but is also used in your muscles and other parts of your body as well, so you really want to get your ferratin levels up.

I've been taking large doses of supplemental for 2 years, and my Dr has my ferratin level tested every 1 - 3 months. You can definitely overdo iron supplements and make yourself sick from too much iron. And all iron supplements must be kept out of the reach of young children - a single pill can kill a young child.

Ask your doctor if he/she has tested your ferratin. Unless that reading is satisfactory, you can have recurring/chronic anaemia, which you definitely don't want.

And listen to your body. Over-exercising with anaemia can cause heart problems (failure? attack? ) and even death.

One other note about iron absorption. As someone said above, vitamin C helps absorption and caffeine inhibits it so take vitamin C with your iron pills or iron-rich foods and avoid coffee, tea and cola for an hour before and after.

Good luck, and have a speedy recovery!

Thank you so so much for the detailed post. I did not know about the tea bit, so that's good(and a little disappointing, since tea is my drink of choice) . I will definitely take all of this into consideration and ask my doctor.

Weathergal · Feb 8, 2015

mnm464 said:
Yes, we have the cream of wheat, but never really ate it(preferred oatmeal--- mom's stashed enough food for an apocalypse ahaha love you, mum) . I will try this food! About the tea, is that completely or only before/after?

My understanding is it's best to avoid drinking tea right/before after consuming iron-rich foods to get the most benefit from them. I often have iron-rich breakfast cereal (like Cream of Wheat) and then have a chewable vitamin C right after it. Probably if you wait a bit for the tea (I like tea also), you'd be OK.

Learned this stuff because I used to have problems with anemia.

Just looked up iron absorption/tea because I didn't want to give the wrong advice (I don't have a medical background!), and the U.S. National Institutes of Health said that if you consume something like ascorbic acid/vitamin C as you're consuming iron, it will normally outweigh and any absorption issues from the tea. But it recommends having tea between meals instead of during them to be safe.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

NanaPat · Feb 8, 2015

peg said:
I think you meant 1000 mcg.

One thing to note though is that when you take such high doses, only a small fraction (roughly 10 mcg) is absorbed. o, unless you have low B12 levels to start, this isn't a problem, as normal daily requirements are less than 5 mcg. If you do actually have low B 12 levels (and aren't just taking it to help your body make use of the iron) then injections are usually preferable because your absorption rate will be higher.

You're right about the mcg for B-12. I misread the label.

My anaemia was so severe when diagnosed that I was hospitalized and transfused. So my "listen to your body" is a bit of do as I say and not as I do.

My hemoglobin, B12, and ferratin were all extremely low. My hemoglobin and B12 bounced back rather quickly with only oral B12 (less than a bottle of B12). The ferratin has been a longer slog: after two years it's stuck in the low-normal range. I didn't realize you can overdose on B12, so thought it was a safe (and cheap) suggestion. I've been taking 1000 units a day for two years with no ill effect, but perhaps I should taper off. I know too much iron can be dangerous (and expensive) so suggested follow-up tests.

I know that there both B-12 and iron can be administered by shot, but assume that mnm464s doctor will take care of that if necessary. I managed to come back with only oral supplements, and I was pretty darn sick; I was lurching around like a zombie, which can be amusing for observers but is not so much fun if you're the person doing it.

mnm464 · Feb 8, 2015

NanaPat said:
You're right about the mcg for B-12. I misread the label.

My anaemia was so severe when diagnosed that I was hospitalized and transfused. So my "listen to your body" is a bit of do as I say and not as I do.

My hemoglobin, B12, and ferratin were all extremely low. My hemoglobin and B12 bounced back rather quickly with only oral B12 (less than a bottle of B12). The ferratin has been a longer slog: after two years it's stuck in the low-normal range. I didn't realize you can overdose on B12, so thought it was a safe (and cheap) suggestion. I've been taking 1000 units a day for two years with no ill effect, but perhaps I should taper off. I know too much iron can be dangerous (and expensive) so suggested follow-up tests.

I know that there both B-12 and iron can be administered by shot, but assume that mnm464s doctor will take care of that if necessary. I managed to come back with only oral supplements, and I was pretty darn sick; I was lurching around like a zombie, which can be amusing for observers but is not so much fun if you're the person doing it.

Of course, there was a period in time last weekend where I didn't do anything but stay on the same position of the couch for quite a long time, esp. since I am a bit of a noob most of the time jumping around our living area causing our neighbors below a ruckus! Anyway, I am taking oral supplements for iron, a multivitamin, and I believe vitamin b12.

Weathergal said:
My understanding is it's best to avoid drinking tea right/before after consuming iron-rich foods to get the most benefit from them. I often have iron-rich breakfast cereal (like Cream of Wheat) and then have a chewable vitamin C right after it. Probably if you wait a bit for the tea (I like tea also), you'd be OK.

Learned this stuff because I used to have problems with anemia.

Just looked up iron absorption/tea because I didn't want to give the wrong advice (I don't have a medical background!), and the U.S. National Institutes of Health said that if you consume something like ascorbic acid/vitamin C as you're consuming iron, it will normally outweigh and any absorption issues from the tea. But it recommends having tea between meals instead of during them to be safe.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Got it. Thank you so so much!!!!

Fighting Anemia: Tiredness

mnm464

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”

peg

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

Tavi...

mnm464

gourry

vlaurend

loopy

Amaya

mnm464

Weathergal

NanaPat

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”

peg

mnm464

Weathergal

NanaPat

mnm464

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