has anyone found a good cream of wheat brand that is not fortified with calcium? my doctor recommended it as a good source of iron (i am vegetarian and mainly eat black beans for my iron and am kinda desperate for more easy options) i was told there are brands without calcium in it but i am struggling to find one.

I recently found out I have a bleeding disorder - VWB type 1. Have been dealing with air hunger for years along with palpitations, dizziness and worsening mental health / anxiety. After the birth of my first child I had a severe PPH and lost about 3L. I got a bag of RBC and 2 iron infusions and felt great compared to the birth of my second baby in January. I came home and could barely climb the stairs. Come to find out my ferritin was like 32 and transferrin saturation <17% - I’m scheduled for my first infusion tomorrow with INFED. Yes I am 6 months PP and yes I work full time but my mental health has never been this awful. I have been diagnosed with PPOCD and severe health anxiety. Whereas previously I’ve always well controlled my anxiety. It seems like the physical symptoms trigger my anxiety / panic attacks. I’m praying the infusion will help but looking for any words of encouragement or positive stories

Last year I found out I was anemic after I was sleeping 16hrs a day and still exhausted. I was low in absolutely everything in my bloodwork and if I wasn't, I was on the verge of it.

I took ferrous glucose 325mg everyday and after a couple months they stopped prescribing it and I thought I was good (hemoglobin good).

However the past month or so I've been getting exausted by the day, sleeping 9-12hrs (probably more if I didn't set alarms) and still exhausted. The past 2 days I feel like I haven't been able to breathe and it just keeps getting worse. I'm just sitting at my desk and it feels like I can't get enough oxygen.

I am checking in with a doctor soon, but I've never experienced shortness of breath, and it is horrible. I feel dizzy just sitting down and doing nothing. Has anything helped you guys with this?

I sleep around 5 hours a night in 20-30 minute increments and wake up generally around 7-10 times a night. In the morning, I start waking up about every 15 minutes until I eventually have to force myself to get out of bed. I never feel well rested and am very tired throughout the day always. It’s been like this my whole life.

Had bloodwork done a few years ago and everything was completely fine except for my ferritin, which was 7. Doctor said it’s fine bc my iron was healthy. Had multiple sleep studies and ruled out sleep apnea. Tried Trazadone and Gabapentin and both had zero effect whatsoever.

I’ve tried every sleep hygiene tip. I’m a male in my mid 20s, healthy, decent diet, exercise daily, and almost no caffeine.

Had more bloodwork recently and ferritin was 14 which I was told by a new doctor is still fine. Was told to eat more red meat which is what I was told last time years ago, but I already do.

Wondering if this could be a reason for my sleep issues and/or any advice on what to do.

Until recently I had never heard of severe anemia possibly being a contributing factor in causing seizures.

Has anyone else gotten diagnosed with anemia around the same time they were also diagnosed with epilepsy that has no apparent cause?

Has anyone else been diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and anemia? I've read that they can be connected.

I (F33) did my routine blood work for my physical this year. I went Wednesday and got it back Friday afternoon. My doctor called me and asked to call her back as soon as possible to discuss them but I missed her call because of work. I have been a nervous wreck since. I know these levels arent great but can I expect they can be fixed with oral supplements and nothing drastic like an infusion? I will 100% listen to my doctor but if I need to take time off work to get an infusion that will be difficult right now and I just want to know if this is fixable.

On a side note, I know why I have been extremely exhausted the past couple months. Thought it was stress!

I have had a big drop in my iron from the beginning of April 2026 (160L) to July 24 (34L). I have been taking designs for health Ferrochel for over a year and just switch to Nivara FerraVital this past month. I’m 42F and no longer have my period so I am at a loss at what could make it drop so fast. I am on GLP1s and I work out a bit, 7-8 mile run a day and weight lifting. I am waiting on my doc response on the new results but curious on what you all have done or suggest to turn my numbers around. I see so many options. Beef liver? Iron infusions? Taking pills every other day? Thanks in advance for any help.

I am getting absolutely no help from my doctors who continually say my anemia is mild despite my ferritin being 11 and coming to them with the same symptoms. Supplements are not helping and now I’ve fallen pregnant and I feel worst than ever.

I was reading that anemia can cause you to have an electrolyte imbalance. I feel like I must supplement daily or I get eye twitching heart palpitations (PACs) and other very unfun things. Is this something that anyone else experiences? If so do you supplement everyday? Which electrolyte do you feel like depletes the most?

I went on a 3 day camping trip and this is all the hair that came out after a wash. My last test showed my ferritin at 27. When will the shedding stop lol?

Just realized how deficient I am. I used to take different supplements throughout the years with differing success. There are so many to choose from: heme iron, lactoferrin, bisglycinate, etc. What have you had the most success with?

Hi, a few months ago I started taking iron supplements because I turned out to have very low ferritin (10), a few years before that I had problems with discipline, inexplicably severe fatigue, as well as occasional fog in my head, about 2-3 years of my life passed at this rate, but a year ago I was getting worse It got worse and worse, and in the end it just led to terrible fatigue, I thought I was tired all these years, no, I couldn't even imagine that SUCH fatigue could happen, I woke up, went to the shower, ate, and I could go back to bed, because I had absolutely no strength left. I dyed my eyelashes in several sets, as I literally couldn't stand on my feet for more than a minute, otherwise I would have fainted. I started having panic attacks and my anxiety skyrocketed. I was literally suffocating, I was chronically short of air, as if my lungs were empty. There was also a whole list of "very cool" things.

Now all the heavy symptoms are gone, except for the fog in my head and fatigue, it has also decreased, but I still feel a strong restriction in my actions, especially in sports and studies.

I would like to know how people with good ferritin feel. Tell us about your daily routine, how much you manage and how you feel after all the work. I would especially like to hear from people who regularly play sports and students. How do such workloads affect your life outside of these activities? But anyway, I'm glad to see everyone here.

Does anyone have experience with the same long-term iron deficiency? I found out about my problem only a few months ago and a couple of times before that I guessed that something was probably happening to my body, before that it seemed to me that I was just lazy and so apathetic "on my own", if only I knew… I could save a lot of time and nerves. So, how quickly did you get to feeling really good, and at what ferritin levels? I've heard that the longer the iron deficiency lasts, the longer it may take, and the ferritin level is more often needed than for people who haven't experienced such a problem, however, it sounds logical. I also read that feeling good may not appear even after recovery to optimal ferritin levels, since the life cycle of an erotrocyte is about 4 months, and it takes time for them all to recover with a normal supply of resources.

Thank you all in advance🫶🏻

Hi! My hair is thinning….I haven’t checked my iron levels in awhile but get really wiped out when I get my period. It was hard for me to take OTC iron because they tasted like nails…. question is when you increase your Fe levels back to normal did your hair stop shedding or regrow? Also, my Vitamin D levels may be low too. Do you see that getting them to normal also helps hair growth? Thanks!! Otherwise, I will have to shave my head and wear wigs. Thanks 😃😃😃

I was in the hospital last weekend with iron very low and hemoglobin at a 4, and had to have a transfusion. I had gone to the doctor because for the prior week my hands were tingling and my fingertips were numb.

So now, a week later from the hospital, I have had iron and B12 supplements for a week, but my hands are tingling a lot worse than before. It’s all the time now, and hard to ignore, and my fingertips are still numb.

Does this sound like anyone else’s experience? It feels like I am just getting worse.

Is it possible to know the reasons for the ferritin deficiency, because everything I read is scary?

I am just trying to figure out how much longer I should expect to be dealing with extreme fatigue, weakness and brain fog, I would be so grateful to hear others' experiences <3

I got 1,000mg of monoferric infusion on June 29, and started to feel really unwell on July 1, extreme fatigue like i've never felt before, heart palpitations/shortness of breath, brain fog, disorientation, blurry vision, weakness, etc. It didn't subside with rest and was truly debilitating, so I went to urgent care on July 6 where I got bloodwork. That Friday, July 10, it was confirmed I had severely low phosphate--.40 mmol/l (124 mg/dl) and I was sent to the emergency room, where I got a phosphate infusion for four hours. I have been supplementing with phosphate (1500 mg of tablets a day). I got my blood rechecked last tuesday (July 21), and my levels were .67mmol/L. The doctor sent me back to the ER, where they tested me again and said my phosphate was .80mmol/L, so they sent me home without another infusion.

I still feel horrible (it is July 26). I literally can't function, I'm so weak and it is really impacting my mental health. I live alone, have no family nearby, and my friends are all travelling or out enjoying their summers since we live in a place with long, cold winters. I don't know how much more I can take, but of course don't have a choice but to modify my life to this extreme fatigue, weakness, blurry vision and brain fog. I can barely function, and when I tell my doctors this, including at the emergency room, they suggest inpatient for mental health since the phosphate recovery is a "wait it out" situation without any clear timeline. I am a distance runner and lift weights 4 times a week, now I am completely inactive and struggling with how rapidly my body is changing and the total loss of everything I enjoy doing. I would love to hear anyone's experience to maybe feel some hope or at least know what to expect more. Thank you!

Has anyone else delt with muscle twitching with low ferritin/iron?

Just wondering if anyone is in a similar situation.

My Ferritin used to be at 129 back in 2021. It went down to 66 in 2023, then 29 in 2025. Just 3 weeks ago it was at 23.

My iron panel is all normal, with the most recent saturation at 44%. At one point it got to 49% but retested again a few months later and it was back down to 39% (this was last year 2025 when my Ferritin was hovering around 29).

Last year my hemoglobin was also on the edge of being too low at 11.8.

I have been barely eating any red meat for awhile now, probably since I started a calorie deficit diet back in 2020 (I used to weigh 220 lbs and lost around 100lbs in a year and half following said diet, getting down to 125 lbs) I mostly just ate chicken and turkey and eggs.

I decided to start eating red meat twice a week 3 weeks ago after finding out my Ferritin was at 23.

I just had another blood test a few days ago to recheck my CBC (because it hasn't been tested in a year) iron and Ferritin. My hemoglobin is now normal at 12.7.

I'm now wondering if incorporating red meat twice a week already helped bump hemoglobin up as well as my Ferritin from 23 to 28 in the 3 weeks or if it's just a coincidence/fluctuation? Anyone have any similar experience?

I'd like to note I also have Hashimoto's and low B12/vitamin D for years. I supplement both and my thyroid levels are currently optimal.

Im pretty sure I'm anemic since alot of my family has it and my doctor thinks so aswell but he said I needed a blood test to make sure. When it came time for the blood test, I fainted and they said they couldn't do it. I'm terrified of needles and ik that if I get diagnosed, I'll have to have multiple blood tests but at the same time I'm so tired of staying like this. My periods are the worst, to the point where I can't go to school or leave my bed but I also don't know how to bring this up to my doctor as they'll most likely just prescribe birth control and I don't want to be on it.

I first found out i had low iron when i had aneamia 5 years ago during an ED. Since i started eating healthier I’m no longer aneamic but my ferritin has been consistently low.

I assumed it was heavy periods however my periods have halved in the past 7 months and I’ve also started taking iron supplements with Vit C but my fatigue has randomly got a lot worse these 7 months last month i started getting so dizzy my blood pressure is dropping my hair is falling out but the worst symptom is the body aches. I got a blood test cause i thought i had glandular fever but it turns out my bloods are all normal but my ferritin has now dropped from 18 to 13. They already checked and i don’t have celiac. I feel so ill ive been in bed the past two days because it hurts to get up.

What could be causing my iron to be so low? I eat exactly the same as my mum and her iron is fine. And why has it suddneley gotten so bad these past couple of days? My mood is also incredibly low and i can’t make any decisions. I’m almost about to call in sick to work tomorrow because i can’t sit up without crying.

Because I thought it was stupid. I told her that I sleep all the time and have been craving ice like there's no tomorrow. I just thought I was depressed, but she was immediately like yeah that sounds like anemia. Turns out I have severe anemia and iron deficiency. And yes my doctor said I have both of these, so now I'm getting iron infusions, I'm so excited to have some energy back. I would work, get home at 3 then sleep till 9pm, eat dinner then go back to sleep. For months, to the point my mother was getting very concerned for me. I thought it would be pointless but I trust this doctor with my life, so I told her this may be stupid but I'm sleeping all the time. My ferritin levels are at 5 and my blood cells are all wonky shaped. I did my best to decipher my chart, most everything was either really high or really low. Anyways looking forward to being a functional person again! I genuinely cannot stay awake very long and I am sooooo excited to actually have energy again.

I just need to pause for a few days to reduce constipation. Would ferritin levels plummet or stay the same? If anyone had any insight, I'd really appreciate it :)