<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
My doctor is Dr. Green head of the Celiac Center at Columbia. When
diagnosed, my levels were very low. After 6 months were still too low and
he said I need to go on a prescription Iron supp. They are still low but he
say that can be normal. I eat several servings of dark green veggies daily.
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A few more tips. Don't take the iron with any dairy or
calcium. That will inhibit its absorption. As will Zn and Mg. If you
take a multi, take the iron a couple of hours apart from the multi
because of this. Vitamin C or a glass of OJ will promote the absorption
of the iron. So best to take it with some vitamin C source. Also, high
doses of iron cause constipation so drink lots of water, and eat high
fiber or a take a stool softener (if the fiber and water don't work.)
Or, I like the iron from Jarrow ( www.jarrow.com) as it doesn't upset my
stomach or cause constipation. It is what I use. If you take this dose
of iron (325 three times a day), you should be starting to feel much
better in a few weeks to a month. And, you should be able to go back to
18 mg a day after 1-2 months. My ferritin was as low as yours and that
is about how long it took me. Also, I am in the medical field so I have
seen this with a lot of people ( celiac and non celiac).
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My ferritin ( 16 month GF ) is like yours....it is around 22 and that is
only because I take a MEGA_POTENT iron pill every day. Some people have
"refractory celia Dx"...they do NOT repair the villiv damaged and/or proper
re-absorption and function does not get repaired by the body.
am over two years post-diagnosis and have had up and down ferritin levels.
Immediately after diagnosis I took iron supplements, and my ferritin rose.
But then I stopped and now it's low again. My GI did CD blood tests, an
endoscopy with biopsies, and a small bowel series and they all were negative.
My theory is this -- I only eat red meat rarely (maybe once or twice a year),
I am a woman of childbearing age (so I'm losing some iron), and few (if any)
GF grains are enriched with iron. I've actually read a few articles on the
subject. "Mainstream" grains are enriched with iron, thiamin, and folate.
Not so for GF grains. It's only a theory. Anyway, I'm on iron supplements
again and will go back to the doc for blood work soon.
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I started taking iron immediately after diagnosis amd my ferritin returned
to normal within a few months. I would think it would take longer for
women, though.
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I was diagnosed in May 2002 and to this day I still have low ferritin levels if I don't stay on the supplements. I am completely compliant with the diet and never cheat (and rarely have an accidental ingestion). I was on 3 iron supplements a day for about a year and a half after diagnosis (my iron was about 12 when I was diagnosed-that anemic feeling was just horrible) and recently went to 2 a day because I'm taking a prenatal vitamin that has iron in it. My doctor has said that iron is difficult for even the non-cd person to absorb so for people with CD it can take time for the gut to heal enough to absorb iron efficiently. Also, when you are as anemic as we were, it takes time for the body to build up its iron stores again.
I just had my blood tests yesterday so I'm anxious to see if my levels dropped since I switched to 2 supplements a day. My doctor does the blood tests every six months so that we can make sure that my levels don't drop too much.
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