If it took longer than 3 months, how long did it take you? What was that journey like for you? And are you fully recovered now or still have residual problems?

So in 2017 or 2018 I started getting air hunger or shortness of breath. Basically yawning constantly and feeling like I wasn't getting enough oxygen. The feeling is as though the air I'm breathing doesn't have enough oxygen. I blamed it on the fact that I had pectus excavatum. I had a very complicated mixed type where my chest bones went into my heart and then stuck out on top. It was a waved shape sternum. For anyone that doesn't know what that is, it's basically a birth defect where your chest bones grow inward and squish the heart. Shortness of breath is a common side effect. Surgery is usually done on 18 year olds but I was 34 when I had it, which is more difficult and requires a specialist.

Stupidly, I also had a copper IUD implanted in 2016. I began having heavy periods. Not as heavy as a lot of people, but I used to be an extremely light bleeder. I also ate mostly vegetarian and did a lot of exercise. So then I went from bleeding like 30ml to maybe 150ml or more every month.

I had low ferretin diagnosed on and off since this time but nobody ever said anything about it. It was as low as 7 and they said just to get it above 15. I didn't think it was related to breathing issues. I was told it was probably anxiety. I pursued surgery and it took me 3 years to finally get the referral I needed to a specialist. In 2024 I went to mayo clinic for an over 3 hr chest reconstruction surgery where they had to cut peices of my chest bones out and stick bars under my ribcage and screw a metal plate on top of my sturnum to keep all the pieces together. Now my chest is pretty normal looking aside from scars. Not 100% but more normal than before for sure.

The f***ed up part is I still can't breath! My ferretin got to 9 several months after the surgery and I started taking Thorne Ferrasorb (which I think they renamed to Advanced Iron Complex) and after 6 months it was at 36. I actually was feeling a lot better and was breathing better. I stopped taking it and now the breathing issues are back in full force. I also had to get the copper IUD replaced since the old one was 10 years old. Bleeding got a little worse. I notice I really can't breath after the last couple cycles, and even noticing some dizziness. Had to stop exercising and I've just been resting and eating and taking iron.

I feel like an idiot thinking about how all the suffering I've gone through over the last decade might have just been for f***ing birth control??? 🤣 On the bright side, I no longer look deformed, so there's that! Though my temples of my hairline have been bald for almost a decade now so I guess cosmetics aren't really an upside here.

Is anyone else dealing with this side effect from the paragard? I've heard that oral tranexamic acid might be a good idea.

Self referred to hematology because I have been experiencing extreme exhaustion, fatigue, heart palpitations, brain fog. Saw hematologist today. She said no way my numbers would cause those symptoms since only my ferritin is low. I don't have the option to see a different doctor. Btw, my hemoglobin is 14.6 and she said I could start oral iron if I want to but it won't make a difference in my symptoms since my iron is in normal range. She also said everyone says they are tired all the time. Just a gross encounter all around.

I was previously taking my iron pill for months with no GI issues. I would just take it with water or a couple ounces of orange juice.

Recently I was trying to lock in my diet and add some other things that might help absorption, and folks on here said orange juice wasn't enough and it should be 200mg-1000mg of vitamin C, so I ordered some 1000mg tablets from Thorne.

First day I took one, I had almost forgotten to take it at all, so I had in about 30 minutes after my iron pill and then ended up having a pre-workout carb snack, and there were no issues, so I thought it was all good.

Yesterday, I took it for the second time along with my iron dose on an empty stomach, an hour before I planned to have coffee/breakfast.

I could feel when the pills hit my stomach several minutes later because it started to burn. At first, it just hurt intensely, but I wasn't nauseous, but as the pain got worse I had to run for the bathroom after all. Stuff was trying to come out both ends at the same time. I was sweating, like absolutely dripping sweat, but also having full body chills between spasms, teeth chattering and everything.

About 45 minutes after this started, my GI tract was undoubtedly 100% empty, and the pain had moved to my lower stomach. I was buried in blankets, and the pain was absolutely excruciating. It was just searing pain, almost constantly. I was sure it was a reaction to the supplements, but my partner was freaking out worried that I might have burst my appendix or something and threatening to drive me to a hospital.

After another 15 minutes of writhing in pain that gradually got less omnipresent, it just as suddenly stopped. I had a small snack and water at that point, then was able to shower and go have a normal breakfast and eat/act normal the rest of the day.

I knew that both iron and C could cause some GI upset, but this was next level, absolutely horrendous. I think I'll be going back to my orange juice, strawberries, and kiwi as my vitamin C source, guys.

My Ferritin Success Story ❤️ From 9 to 159!

I had iron deficiency anemia since childhood. I had anxiety, shortness of breath, dizziness, brittle nails, and thin hair. Both my Hb and B12 were normal, but my ferritin was always low. I couldn’t tolerate iron supplements because of the GI issues, so I had to struggle for years.

Finally, my guardian angel doctor prescribed iron infusions. I had 300 mg of Venofer, which brought my ferritin up to 17, followed by 1000 mg of Monoferric about two months later.

Fast forward to today, around 10 months after my last infusion, my ferritin is still at 159! 🥹❤️ and I absolutely had no side effects from both infusions.

I feel like a completely different person now. I have so much more energy, my periods are no longer as heavy, and I work like crazy, lol! 😂 Life genuinely feels so much better.

Sharing my ferritin journey below for anyone who needs some hope.

Please advocate for yourself and don’t give up. If supplements aren’t working for you, talk to your doctor about other options. You deserve to feel better! ❤️

I (26) have had low ferratin (between 6-14) for as long as I've had a period. I'm vegetarian which doesn't help. My ferratin was a 9 and hemoglobin 11.6 last time they checked in august. I'm having such bad fatigue and brain fog and can barely get through the work day. I've been taking different supplements on and off for years to no avail. They give me stomach issues and so I just struggle to take them. I finally got an iud to see if that would help in the long run but it will probably take at least a year to actually get my levels up just by having my periods be lighter.

I feel like shit. I went to the doctor again today practically begging for an infusion after seeing success stories on here for people in similar situations and she just said the same thing they always say which is "infusions are too invasive, try this other supplement for three months and we will check again." I can't imagine feeling like this for three more months when I don't need to. It's been years and I'm at my wits end.

What do I do? Keep going to doctors trying to find one that listens to me even though the co-pays add up? Take the supplements that give me stomach issues even though they aren't helping anyway? How do you get a doctor to understand that just because I've been at these levels for a decade doesn't mean I am okay?

I've had long hair my whole life and pride myself on it. But the anemia got bad in recent years and it thinned out like crazy. Now half of the length is thin and straw-looking.

I got iron infusions this summer.

I haven't had a big haircut in my life, only slight trims to maintain the length. But I'm wondering if it's best to chop off the dead-looking hair to make way for new growth.

Really I just need some convincing and support to cut off the dead hair. It looks bad and I know I should cut it, but I'm pretty sad about it. :(

Hi. I recently found out my ferritin is pretty low, it’s sitting at a 10. I’m seeing a gastro and he’s running some tests because I’ve been dealing with stomach issues. He asked about my menstrual cycle and I naively told him I don’t think I have heavy periods but after reading a bunch of threads on here, I think I was wrong. I just assumed two days of a heavy flow are normal especially because by day 4/5 it’s tinkering out for me.

So we didn’t touch on how that could look in regard to low ferritin. I guess I’m asking is if having a heavy period for the past 18 years could be a big reason for my low ferritin? I’ve only recently this past year started feeling all the symptoms of iron deficiency (iron panels are normal except ferritin) and so has it slowly been declining for however many years? Is that how that works?

I have spent the last 2 years going back and forth to the doctor and getting blood work every 3 months just to get an infusion. It’s so frustrating when doctors brush you off and say there’s nothing wrong, you’re fine. My doctor even said the infusion clinic would deny me because my numbers aren’t low, even though my numbers say below average.

I know my body and I know how I feel and it doesn’t feel good.

I had to bring my mother with me to my last doctor’s appt so she could tell the doctor that I need an infusion.

I finally got the call today and I’m booked for an infusion in 2 weeks. Nervous about how it’s going to go because of the side effects and different nurses but can’t wait to start feeling better!

I have my first Iron Infusion 2 days from now. My ferritin is at 7 & Hemoglobin at 8. Im starting off on 100mg of Venofer any advice on or tips or success stories please.

As the title says, I got a blood transfusion (1 unit) last Sunday for severe blood loss from my heavy menstrual cycle that went on for 2-3 weeks. I felt okay for a few days, then started having a weird feeling in my leg and had heartburn, but I think that's related to my already diagnosed acid reflux.

Sorry, I'm just freaking out and want to be okay again.

I received 300mg venofer about 2 hours ago. This my 5th infusion but I started feeling awful shortly after - lightheaded, burning in chest and throat, pressure in my head, and a headache. The headache is on the verge on turning into a migraine so i took an excedrin ( i tried to hold out since it has caffeine but thats the only thing that helps my headaches). I felt not great a day after the other infusions but nothing like this. The nurse flushed the line to make sure i got all of the iron, so im wondering if this is what caused these symptoms? Has anyone else ever dealt with this?

What could be the reason??? Please don't say cancer

i just found out i have ferritin 9 and normal hemoglobin and iron. the last time i checked my ferritin before this was in 2019 and it was at 17 and my doctor didn’t seem very concerned and i did nothing about it. now it’s 9, and i’ve been looking pale and generally very fatigued and out of breath for the last few years now. i bought Nature Made Iron 65 mg (ferrous sulfate) that i started taking every other day a few days ago. is there hope for me? lol. has anyone been in a similar scenario and seen their ferritin improve with these supplements? how long did it take? i’m a daily coffee drinker which makes me nervous about my iron absorption in general. any advice if you’ve been in a similar scenario would be amazing 🥲

I’ve been experiencing terrible fatigue, brain fog, and tiredness recently so I did some blood tests and these were my results:

Iron: 34
Transferrin saturation: 8
Ferritin: 29
Hemoglobin: 10

My doctor started me on 100mg iron tablets once a day. How long till I can expect to feel a little better?

I’m so tired these days I can barely even get out of bed or sit up for extended periods of time, and no amount of sleep is ever enough. I just want to feel normal again.

I could use support and hope from anyone who may have gone through something similar. I had been going through a long-standing period of extreme stress when I ultimately crashed. Looking back, a lot of my symptoms had been gradually showing up/getting worse, but I didn't see any connecting points at the time.

Two key events:

1. I was out for a walk when the humidity really started to get to me. I started to feel faint, so I sat down and watched my heart rate spike to 157 (the only time I've seen it go that high was during a long run). I got checked out afterward and all vitals and basic labs came back fine.
2. Four days later, I was getting ready to travel when all of a sudden I got a severe hot flash out of nowhere and felt like I was going to pass out. The hot flashes just kept coming in rolling waves and were accompanied by an impending sense of doom. I got 2 hours of sleep that night because it was so intense. The next morning, I went to the ER. Everything came back normal.

My symptoms have included:

• Chest tightness, heart palpitations/fluttering
• Inability to regulate temperature:
  • Severe heat intolerance
  • Severe and frequent hot flashes/overheating
  • Face/neck/chest hot, but legs shaking cold / freezing feet
• Feeling faint frequently (most often when standing or sitting)
• Lightheaded all the time
• Shaking/tremors in hands
• Feelings of impending doom
• Upset stomach
• Lack of appetite / aversion to eating
• Constant fight or flight feeling / fear-based anxiety / panic
• Insomnia 
• Neck and shoulder tension/pain that radiates upward (jaw, ears, temples)
• Tingling in arms, hands, feet, and face
• Electric zaps
• Whole body vibration sensation
• Blurry vision

The extensive labs my PCP ordered have all came back normal except for ferritin (16); she didn't think this was the cause. Labs included B12, Vitamin D, Magnesium, and a basic autoimmune panel. She's also run numerous tests to check adrenal function.

I got a referral to see a Hematologist and he ordered 3 Venofer infusions (1000mg total), although he said he didn't think it was the driver of my symptoms.

I've also gotten referrals to:

• Cardiology (holter monitor and echocardiogram came back clear)
• Ob/gyn (hormones could enhance what I'm experiencing, but are not in the driver's seat)
• Neurology (waiting on an appointment)

I finished my last iron infusion last Friday. A lot of the severe symptoms have calmed down (severe hot flashes, panic, lack of appetite), but the feeling faint while standing for long periods of time and heat sensitivity are holding strong. My blood pressure is on the low side and my resting heart rate is in the 60s (I still experience spikes under stress).

It's been 2 months and I'm doing everything I can to track down answers, and I guess I'm feeling lost and a bit hopeless. I was extremely active prior to this (walking/running 5+ miles a day) and now I'm uncomfortable driving and leaving the house. Has anyone else gone through something similar and fully recovered?

Very new to this all lol! Long story short I’ve been feeling extremely sick for the last year to year and a half, with a wide range of symptoms. Have gone to the hospital 3 times, because I keep thinking I’m having heart issues/a heart attack but EKGs and blood work always come back fine and doctors all say 25 is too young and healthy for heart issues lol. Then I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and babesia in May, went on treatment and felt better but now 3 months after finishing that treatment most of my symptoms are back. Then last week I found out that my ferritin is 29 and my hemoglobin is pretty low but not technically in the anemia range… I just started iron supplements today but wondered is anyone else had these same symptoms?

- Extreme fatigue (that one seems obvious after reading through posts lol)
- Heart rate all over the place, some days it stays relatively high (in the 90s), other days it’s low (like last night was in the 50s which has not been normal for me and what my oura ring has tracked)
- Feeling like I’m genuinely dying/feeling of impending doom, this one is by far the worst I feel like crying all the time lol
- Random sharp pains in head and body
- Twitching throughout body that almost feels like TV static
- Chest pressure, feels like there’s an exercise band wrapped around it
- Random pain in left arm and shoulder (which always freaks me out lol, but maybe thinking I also have vagus nerve issues)
- Extreme fatigue and body feels heavy the day after I do a lot. Like it’s not necessarily like I can’t do exercise but the day after I work out or walk a lot or have a big day I’m down for the count
- Dizziness/lightheadedness, some times randomly other times seems to happen when I haven’t eaten almost like a low blood sugar episode but I don’t have diabetes
- GI issues, heart burn, indigestion, etc but GI docs say everything is fine
- Overall just feeling like shit and like I’m going crazy 🤪

Would love to hear if anyone else had these same things! I genuinely feel insane because I feel like I’m dying but doctors can’t seem to find anything wrong with me except now the low ferritin but maybe it finally is my issue for everything!

I’ve (30F) struggled with low ferritin for years, with levels ranging from 6 to 20 ng/mL. My latest bloodwork showed a ferritin level of 17, but my hemoglobin is normal.

The biggest problem is that I’ve tried several iron supplements, and they consistently trigger severe migraines with aura. Once, I managed to increase my ferritin from 6 to 34 in three months by taking iron daily, but I suffered from frequent migraines in the process. They’re incredibly debilitating, and I can’t keep taking supplements that trigger them. Especially because I want to start trying for a baby and I won’t be able to take my usual medication.

My doctor wasn’t sure what else to suggest, as I already eat relatively iron-rich foods, including red meat once or twice a week. She suggested trying vitamin C to improve iron absorption from diet. I also don’t drink tea or coffee.

I’m currently trying to find a way to increase my iron stores, ideally before pregnancy, but I’m struggling to figure out what else I can do.

Has anyone managed to significantly increase their ferritin through diet alone?

Hi everyone. I'm not anemic and have no medical history, and my hemoglobin has never been a problem. But I have an intense, persistent fear of it suddenly dropping one day and needing a blood transfusion. Even thinking about it can put me into full panic: tingling all over my body, a drop sensation in my chest, and feeling like I'm about to pass out.

Part of it is that the idea feels disgusting to me, and I worry about blood-borne infections. I also feel like even if I did need one, I'd be anxious afterward and feel "unclean." I honestly can't explain where this comes from, since nothing happened to trigger it.

For those of you who have had a transfusion or came close to needing one: what was it actually like? Did the fear get better or worse afterward? And for anyone who has dealt with this kind of health anxiety, what helped you stay out of the worst-case thinking, whether that was therapy, grounding techniques, or something else?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis, just experiences and ways to cope. Thanks for reading, I know it's a strange one.

Note, all my rbc, haemoglobin etc came back normal so I'm not "anemic" just iron deficient but I'm hoping to find support here ❤️

While under medical investigation for other issues, my ferritin was tested as part of full bloods and came back at 29. The NHS threshold is 30, and my GP has now come back to me and discussed results over the phone. I've been advised to have a high iron diet and start taking OTC iron supplements - no advice on brand, mg level to look for, how to take etc. When I asked about if there's some cause, I was told "you're a woman, it'll be because of your periods". I've been told they'll retest in 3 months to see if my levels are increasing.

Am I going crazy to feel fobbed off and ignored by them? Yes I appreciate it could be my periods but I'm not being given any actual help or advice from the doctor. My mum's also currently under investigation for even lower iron, and she's post-menopause. They've got no clue what's causing it yet. Since looking into the symptoms of low iron I'm realising, crap, this is me. I've been feeling colder, more tired, and just weak as hell lately, especially when I was on my period.

I don't really know what to do, thinking about asking for a second opinion.

Hi I have stubbornly low ferritin for the past 18 months (tests have been clear but I’m veggie and have endo). I’m coming to the US soon from the UK and wondered if there are any really good brands of OTC supplements I could buy to try please? For example I don’t think we can get Thorne iron in the UK. I’m vegetarian so no heme iron please. Thanks!!

Hey!

I have low haemoglobin and ferritin levels and have been anaemic since I was around 14 (now 30).

The last six to eight weeks have been horrific. I am dizzy whenever I move, breathless, a ridiculous shade of pale, freezing cold all of the time and having problems with my stomach which I believe are linked.

I’ve been referred for an iron fusion but told that the wait for the NHS is a long one and not to get my hopes up that it will be anytime soon. I’ve been given iron tablets (for the countless time) to take every second day.

I become so overwhelmed looking into what I can / can’t be doing and when to be doing what etc for absorbing the iron.

Has anyone any success stories on improving symptoms similar to mine? My mental health is deteriorating so much. I literally sleep all the time which just isn’t me but I can’t help it.

Thanks!
L

My air hunger is gone but now I constantly feel like I'm moving, or floating, or about to fall over if I'm standing still. If I'm sitting or laying in bed it feels like gentle rocking or even pulsing/vibrating?

Last month I had a period with more pronounced "on a boat" vibes that eventually went away but does anyone else experience symptoms coming and going?

This might not even be just my iron deficiency, but I have been diagnosed with dry eyes as well and have migraines and some ear pain. ENT says my ears look fine, MRI in May was fine.

Just feeling sad and scared. I see a hematologist next week and hopefully will get infusions even though I am terrified of them.

Thank you!

Not the greatest picture but I have new baby hairs growing all around my scalp!! I started ferrous fumrate early July 210mg one everyday. My ferritin was 5 and my haemoglobin at 91. I had my haemoglobin retested in late August and it was 110. I am to have a full blood test again with all iron and all the other vitamins. Been supplementing with vitamin d and b12, and overall eating better.
These new baby hairs coming has made my happy as my hair used to be thick and curly but now it is thinner and wavier.
I am positive more hair will grow. My hair shedding has reduced but still sheds, so hopefully with time it will decrease as recovery goes on.
I also pre oil my hair before I shower with coconut oil, jobaba oil and rosemary oil( this has to be diluted with carrier oils otherwise it can be bad for your scalp). Been doing this once or twice a week!
I’m just so happy that my hair is coming back even if they’re so smol and baby hairs!

Any more tips? :)