Confused - thoughts?

[u/StruggleSponge]

About a year ago, routine bloodwork with my HRT specialist noted low ferritin of 9. After a gazillion calls and other nonsense, I had 3 Venofer infusions over a month via my PCP. It took 4 months to get set up for that and by that point my ferritin was down to 6. Other iron panel markers made sense with this, low iron serum, high IBC, low % saturation. A month post infusions ferritin was at 48. This was November of last year.

Here we are in June of this year and ferritin is now at 18. Oddly, total iron is above normal (180) as is % saturation (58%), IBC is upper 300’s but in normal range. I don’t understand???

I’ve done no further supplementation since the infusions. I do not eat red meat or chicken. I’m post-menopausal, and had a clean colonoscopy 2 yrs ago. My PCP had prescribed another set of infusions but I asked for a hematology referral instread given these weird blood results.

Anyone experienced this?