Hi Jen! Good to see you back on the boards!
I understand your confusion about your iron/ferritin tests. Iron overload is a serious problem, so you definitely want to make sure there is a deficiency before supplementing.
I did some research for you and I found out something I wasn't aware of: before iron blood tests, we shouldn't take iron supplements or Vitamin C (including orange juice) for 3 days prior to having the blood drawn. Doing so can cause an artificially inflated serum iron test result. Why don't the docs ever tell us that?
Another possible reason for the elevated serum iron/low ferritin is pernicious anemia (Vitamin B12 deficiency). You have a higher risk of this because: 1)you take Glucophage, which interferes with absorption of B12 and 2)pernicious anemia is considered an autoimmune disorder with strong connections to autoimmune thyroid disorders.
Here's some info about the Pernicious Anemia/Hypothyroidism connection:
According to the AACE survey, only 15 percent of Americans are aware of the link between anemia and thyroid disease, but research shows that thyroid antibodies are frequently found in patients with pernicious anemia and their relatives. Pernicious anemia is a Vitamin B12 deficiency that usually develops in patients over the age of 60. This is an age group also at strong risk for thyroid disease. In fact, one in five women over the age of 65 have an increased thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) blood level, indicating a failing thyroid gland.
In a large series of American patients with pernicious anemia, nearly half (48.3%) had laboratory test evidence of thyroid disease(12). The overall prevalence of pernicious anemia among children, siblings, parents, and parents' siblings of patients with pernicious anemia is about 2.5 percent, or about 20 times the prevalence in the population at large(13). This figure becomes even greater if age and closeness of the family relationship are considered.
A couple of blurbs I found from two different sources:
Elevated serum iron can occur as a result of pernicious anemia.
And this, which explains how pernicious anemia effects iron absorption:
The impaired function of the gastric parietal cells associated with pernicious anemia not only reduces the production of intrinsic factor, but also lessens gastric acidity. Impaired iron absorption can result. In addition, the megaloblastic enterocytes absorb iron poorly. Frank iron deficiency can accompany the anemia produced by cobalamin deficiency. The serum iron level and transferrin saturation often are artifactually high in patients with pernicious anemia (Demiroglu, et al., 1997). Pernicious anemia slows hematopoiesis significantly. Since 80% of circulating iron is destined for the the erythron and red cell production, the iron accumulates on plasma transferrin awaiting use. Correction of pernicious anemia dramatically increases hematopoiesis, with a consequent drop in plasma tranferrin iron levels. A recheck of plasma transferrin saturation should be performed within a week or two of the start of treatment for pernicious anemia to ensure that iron stores can support the higher rate of erythropoiesis.
I suggest you ask the doc to run a B12 blood test to see if this might be the problem. The fix for PA is either b12 injections or sublinguil b12 (absorbed under the tongue) supplements. My dad has had PA for years and has monthly b12 injections.
There's many other tests to determine iron status besides serum iron and ferritin (for instance hemoglobin, hemocrit, red blood cells, TIBC). If you don't already have it, get the actual lab report so you can see all of these values which will help you to research this further.
Good luck,
Linda
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dx pcos 1984, type II diabetes 2001, also hypertension
Met 2000mg since 2001, started Glucophage XR 4/22/04, then switched to Met ER 6/04; also: multi, Vit. C, Vit. E, B12/folic acid combo, fish oil & borage oil combo, garlic capsules, cinnamon, Vitex, calcium with magnesium/zinc, biotin, CoQ10, selenium,iron
Other meds: Verapamil and Altace(for blood pressure)
Started laser hair removal 7/29/03, completed 3/04 (it works!)
UAE for fibroid 3/24/03 and 3/16/04
Last edited by nobimbo; 02-05-2006 at 02:36 PM.
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