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Low iron levels- link to thyroid?

Posted , 5 users are following.

anneofcleves
anneofcleves

I've been feeling pretty rubbish for some time now- three years ago GP told me over the phone that I had been deficient in iron and that it was below half what it should be- 8 and think it needs to be 20. This was following some complaints I had made about extreme bloating/flatulence/diarrhea and eventually feeling very tired.

I also put on a bit of weight but I blamed poor eating habits and lack of exercise and started exercising a lot more (by cycling to work mainly) and eating lots of salads, fish, chicken etc.

Two years later (Dec 2016) I was still feeling awful and even worse- more weight gain, plus brain fogginess and aching back/legs, low mood and not wanting to exercise. I also had some scary heart palpitations and chest tightness when I was at work. When I had a blood test, the ferritin result was the same as before- 8. There was also some issue with tissues/muscles which the GP referred to as 'rheumatology' but should go away once I had another test and had taken the ferrous fumarate she had prescribed for a weeks. She didn't really explain what it meant I felt! Overall, she concluded that heavy periods

About four weeks later I discussed the results of another blood test with her and she just said 'everything is fine' without really expanding on the results. I wasn't too happy with this as I had not been feeling too well over the holiday period- on NYE my head went completely cold and my entire body felt numb all over like there was an issue with my nervous system or something.

I asked over the phone later about my thyroid and she said that my TSH was 1.3 and T3 (if I remember correctly) was something like 13-15- all within the normal ranges.

I had an ECG but haven't had the results yet and received a letter from the said GP to book an appointment to discuss the results.

After a period where I lost quite a bit of weight rather mysteriously, I am now putting weight on slowly and I can't lose any of it which is also making me feel less confident and a bit angry.

Is there any chance that another GP may interpret any results or symptoms differently as linked to my thyroid and prescribe a more serious medication?

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • jenny19687
    jenny19687 anneofcleves

    Posted

    Hi Anne. It might help for you to obtain your blood test results and post when you have them. These should include full blood count, iron, ferritin, b12 and folate. Lots of women get fobbed of with heavy periods when they should ascertain what the cause is. 
  • letitia08854
    letitia08854 anneofcleves

    Posted

    I agree with below - ask the Gp for a copy of the results. Weight gain/loss is not linked to iron levels. I suggest asking for tranexamic acid to lighten your periods as that does sound to be a likely explanation. It will allow the levels (combined with iron supplements) to go up. Hope that helps!
    • anneofcleves
      anneofcleves letitia08854

      Posted

      Ok, I think I agree with you both about the need for results in full- will do this when I next have a chat; thanks for the advice.

      I presume the NHS does do that for people?!

  • jane75220
    jane75220 anneofcleves

    Posted

    If you join a  thyroid forum you will see lots of blood results being analysed.
  • jlh1040
    jlh1040 anneofcleves

    Posted

    Maybe you should also get checked for coeliac disease as well. A lot of women get passed up with getting an internal check on a cause of low iron because of periods...

    Just another option

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