Blood builders

[Doc.Happy]

The last time i donated blood, about 4 -6 weeks ago, i barely made the cut off for hemoglobin levels. Thats the whole, poke your finger and test your blood for iron thing that they do. One has to have a minimum level of 12 in order to donate and mine was 11.8. They repeated and said it was ok and off i went.

This is not the first time i have had a low iron and i generally take iron supps prior to donating although i had forgotten this time but wasnt that concerned about it because the time before my Hb had been over 15 and i thought i would be fine.

I take a very high quality and very bioavailable multi vit and mineral daily and have for years. I went down to the health food store and bought a highly recommended iron and everything else good for your blood supplement and have been taking it since.

I had a general health exam a few weeks ago because, well, im 40 now and everybody says that is what one is supposed to do when they are 40 and i hadnt been to the doctor since my son was born over 6 years ago. All was good and the doctor recommended some blood work for base levels and a mammogram. I had no problem with that as i often recommend that my clients do blood work on their older pets so that we have some baseline values to compare to if need be plus it is just good to make sure that there isnt anything else underlying going on.

Now i am a solo practitioner in a very busy clinic. i average about 10+ hours a day working and have two children that are 6 and 7 years old. I get up at 4 am and i generally try to be in bed around 9. As a solo practitioner i often have emergencies at night and on weekends so there is never much down time. Life is busy.

I had my blood work done last week and after my mammogram today stopped in to pick up a copy of the results. I was very disgusted to find that i am still low on Hb. In fact both my Hb and HCT were on the lowest end of what is considered normal. Now if i did nothing all day, that wouldnt be that big of deal but i am very active and i am going all day and i eat clean and i supplement with quality stuff and i shouldnt be that low! My overall WBC count was below normal which is a bit odd as well.

In animals i use different injectable combinations as ways to boost blood levels in performance animals but i am not going to inject myself with this dark thick black looking stuff that im sure burns like hell upon administration! So i need to know if there are any other supps out there that can boost blood levels. Maybe some natural or homeopathic type ones.

I eat a lot of meat and many other food products that are supposed to be high in iron and so apparently i need something more or different and was wondering if any one here might have any suggestions.

thanks for any input.

have a great day!

[mrshester]

When I was pregnant, the prenatals I had were making me super nauseous, so I bought Flinstones with Iron and never had a problem with mine, and mine is typically on the lower end as well. I just had 2 a day and a smile every time I chewed them up Do you eat much leafy greens? Collards and spinach are great for iron too

[Doc.Happy]

When I was pregnant, the prenatals I had were making me super nauseous, so I bought Flinstones with Iron and never had a problem with mine, and mine is typically on the lower end as well. I just had 2 a day and a smile every time I chewed them up Do you eat much leafy greens? Collards and spinach are great for iron too

I have no issue with nausea from the iron supplements and as i said, take excellent quality ones at that. I wouldnt say i am eating a ton of them right now but i frequently go through periods of eating spinach daily. I am taking in probably double the daily requirements for iron so it isnt necessarily that i am not getting enough, i think my body is just not utilizing it properly.

[mrshester]

I have no issue with nausea from the iron supplements and as i said, take excellent quality ones at that. I wouldnt say i am eating a ton of them right now but i frequently go through periods of eating spinach daily. I am taking in probably double the daily requirements for iron so it isnt necessarily that i am not getting enough, i think my body is just not utilizing it properly.

Then you should probably talk with your doctor.

[Doc.Happy]

Then you should probably talk with your doctor.

yeah, i did, he had no thoughts on it.

[mrshester]

yeah, i did, he had no thoughts on it.

Gracious...I might be looking for a new one, then, lol.

[Doc.Happy]

Gracious...I might be looking for a new one, then, lol.

naw, one cant expect that much from a GP these days. He is a client as well and a good doctor just not versed in performance medicine type things.

[mrshester]

naw, one cant expect that much from a GP these days. He is a client as well and a good doctor just not versed in performance medicine type things.

Well, maybe you'll find one here that knows more than I do, LOL

[Rowyn]

You are at the low end, but not actually anemic? Perhaps the low hemoglobin is not due to an iron deficiency, especially considering that your other levels were low too. I would go to an internist if you are that worried about it, personally.

[Doc.Happy]

You are at the low end, but not actually anemic? Perhaps the low hemoglobin is not due to an iron deficiency, especially considering that your other levels were low too. I would go to an internist if you are that worried about it, personally.

it is not that im worried about it, it is more it is an inconvenience as i am tired all the time and i have too much to do to be this worn out!

I deal with performance animals on a daily basis and i know what a huge difference having a higher HCT and RBC will do for them! A difference of 5-8 on a HCT can be the difference in a third place to a first place! More RBCs means more oxygen means happier muscles and everything else! i dont want to inject myself with what i inject them with so i was just hoping that someone might know of some human stuff that could help more than just the regular advice of increase ones iron as i am doing well on consuming enough iron.

[Rowyn]

it is not that im worried about it, it is more it is an inconvenience as i am tired all the time and i have too much to do to be this worn out!

I deal with performance animals on a daily basis and i know what a huge difference having a higher HCT and RBC will do for them! A difference of 5-8 on a HCT can be the difference in a third place to a first place! More RBCs means more oxygen means happier muscles and everything else! i dont want to inject myself with what i inject them with so i was just hoping that someone might know of some human stuff that could help more than just the regular advice of increase ones iron as i am doing well on consuming enough iron.

If you are low in WBCs as well, though, it may have nothing to do with iron and more to do with your bone marrow function. Which you probably know, being a vet and all that.