hemochromatosis

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi guys a few of my family members have been diagnosed with hemachromatosis tbh I do think I have it due to aches in my finger & knee joints also my skin is does tend to go a little darker some times! Occasionally I wake up in the morning with a terrible sick feeling in my stomach also I notice I have dark circles under my eyes with a yellow colour does anybody else have these symptoms? I'm not sure what hemacromatosis gene my family have but the dr told my family it's it's linked to the vikings because they eaten a lot of iron based foods

2 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Hey Jade,

    Have you not already been tested for it? If your family members already have then it's obviously hereditary and your chances of having haemo are very high.

    How old are you? Your picture makes you look quite young. Generally women aren't diagnosed until they're around 50 due to menstrual cycles, but I was diagnosed when I was only 21. My main symptoms was constant fatigue and that's why my doctor tested my iron levels - they were 600+ at the time. Do you know what yours are?

    Aching joints and yellowing of the skin are signs of iron overload. The circles under your eyes could also be from fatigue, but at the same time some people are just born that way. But, because people in your family have it, because your joints and fingers hurt, and because of the yellowing, I'm postive that you do have it.

    Go to your doctor as soon as you can and make them test it.

    And I'm not sure if it's because they ate a lot of food high in iron, but it's origin is Eastern European, which the Vikings do fall into. 

    • Posted

      Thanks for the reply meg and no I haven't been tested my auntie found out that she had hemachromatosis on Friday so have not been able to get an appointment with drs till Monday Im 24 I have started to get these symtoms when I was 22! And wow yes I do suffer with anxiety I do some times have mini panic attacks I don't seem to get them as much now xx
    • Posted

      I do feel sick a lot if the times to especially in the morning do you have the same problem xx
    • Posted

      I used to get stomach aches in the morning often, but my anxiety was worse at the time.

      Have you eaten a lot of iron rich foods for a long time? Things like spinach, beets, red meat, etc.? I'm just wondering because I was 21 when I was diagnosed but the only symptom I was suffering from was fatigue (and then all the symptoms associated with fatigue - well, and anxiety, but again, that's not a proven symptoms but I'm postive it's related).

      I can't say whether or not my stomach aches in the morning are gone because my iron levels have lessened meaning my anxiety has also lessened with it, or if there was another reason for that. However, once every few months I end up having to take a day off of work because I'll wake up and my stomach will hurt in a way that I also feel sort of nauseous. So then I'll go back into bed and I'll sleep until about 2:00 and waste my whole free day.

      I'm glad you're going in! Let me know what the results are

  • Posted

    And actually, I have been prone to stomach aches in the morning. I used to get them in high school and they've been a lot better recently. But there are times where my stomach appears to hurt for no reason. However, I do have IBS, and I know that that could be the cause of my stomach aches. And in high school, I was anxious a lot, which also causes stomach aches.

    There have been discussions on this board about whether anxiety is linked to haemochromatosis, and there are enough people on here who suffer from it, to make me think that it is.

    Do you think you have anxiety?

  • Edited

    Hi Jade,

    definitely don't take your time getting that test. my numbers are in the 2000s. I developed cirrhosis, diabetes on top of the hemochromatosis! I itch so bad I can't stand it.

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