Iron deficiency anemia and PMR

Posted , 13 users are following.

I have discovered that I have iron deficiency anemia. My rheumatologist is the one who first discovered that I was anemic and since my blood test was so low she was concerned about internal bleeding. So I go to a GI doctor (well she's a PA) and she order a sonogram of my stomach area and they discovered I have a fatty liver as well but they did not detect any bleeding. So she has put me on iron pills. After a week of iron pills my blood test was even lower. So tomorrow I go back in for more blood work. But tonight I was looking up iron deficiency anemia and I discovered that it can be caused by a disease with inflammation. So of course my mind went immediately to PMR. Has anyone else out there in PMR land dealt with this?

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  • Posted

    Does anyone know what it means if your platelets are high? I do take Clopidogrel ( Plavix) and I Know It thins the platelets. So I just wonder if this could be the reason for my platelets to be high or could it be something else.
    • Posted

      I really think you need to be patient a bit longer amkoffee - there are several reasons for any of the tests being abonormal and we could theorise on which it might be and it turn out to be something totally different. The haematologist is running tests to be able to work out which it might be. He is the expert.
    • Posted

      Ok. Your right. It's just that I waited a month for my rheumatologist to tell me what the next step was (it was her blood test that found I was iron deficient.) When I contacted her after the month wait she just told me I needed to see a GI doctor. So after waiting that time I was a little frustrated with her and I am finding that the GI PA that I'm working with is slowest nails. To give you an example her nurse call me with the results of a blood test that I had January 30th.

    • Posted

      That is really not acceptable - and they need to be told that. Why would the rheumy assume it was a GI doctor you needed for low iron? First you start with the blood results - not assume there is gastrointestinal bleeding.
    • Posted

      I completely agree with you Eileen. My rheumatologist has been so wonderful and seemed to be on top of things and then she let me down. I don't know what to make of it all. I'm just so frustrated!

    • Posted

      She is trained in rheumatology - not haematology.
    • Posted

      That’s exactly what happened to me! Low iron so she sent me straight off to the GI doctor. Madness. It shouldn’t have been her first step, especially as I had absolutely no signs or symptoms of GI bleeding. Luckily the GI doctor saw me once and discharged me with no invasive procedures... He just did a few more blood tests and sent me on my way as they’d all improved. 
    • Posted

      However if I had been sent off for “procedures”, I would have considered them as cancer screening, but I have met too many patients who have had bowel perforations and other complications... 
    • Posted

      I don't think that you can be certain that you do not have internal bleeding without some kind of procedure. But she just ordered a sonogram of my midsection to look for any bleeding. That was really not invasive at all and she discovered that I have a fatty liver. But she has now scheduled me for a CT of my midsection, so we will just have to see what that shows. She really would like me to do a stomach emptying procedure but in order for me to do that I would have to get off my pain meds for 72 hours and that just can't happen.

    • Posted

      Can your pain meds not be given as injections/infusions?
    • Posted

      That won't make a difference. My pain meds slow my digestion and apparently she wants to know how it is when I'm not taking any. But it has not escaped me that this is backwards thinking. I would think that we need to know how my digestion works when I'm on it since I take it everyday.

    • Posted

      Yes I know that is not her field but all she did was tell me that my iron was low. She should have told me to see a GI doctor about it or a hematologist. I really didn't think it was a big deal. Well I knew what low iron meant but she just didn't give me any direction.

  • Posted

    Well after 2 blood tests a b12 level which was high and a methylmalonic blood test which was normal it has been determined that I do not have a B12 deficiency. In a way it disappoints me because I still have all the symptoms which evidently are coming from other conditions and the treatment for B12 deficiency is fairly easy with regular injections. Oh and my iron levels have not changed at all. I am on my 4th week of taking iron supplements. And my hematologist wants to see me in 3 weeks.

    • Posted

      Hi amkoffe

      Did you get to see the actual B12 test result, because sometimes they will say 200 is normal but it is not for over 55 years of age....

    • Posted

      Yes as a matter of fact. And I would have not seen it because the doctor has his own lab. But his lab could not run that one test. So the lab that ran the test sent me the results. My number is 222 and I am 56 yo. can you steer me to a website that would explain what your saying? The lab shows that the range is 0-378 and says nothing about age.
    • Posted

      Hi amkoffe

      "B12 deficiency symptoms everythimg you need to know".....go to this site and half way down it gives B12 normal and abnormal levels also about elderly levels.....

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