Any other men here anemic?

Triathlon Forum
1

I barely register as anemic. Definitely below the average numbers when it comes to my blood CBC. Per my doctor and hematologist, there is no underlying condition causing it. It’s been this way dating back to 2012. Early spring I really felt low energy. I mean like I could hibernate. I do have a toddler, and I’m old (48) but it wasn’t that kind of tired. It was lights out. The kind where you know something is wrong. So I went to the doctor and after a bunch of tests and ultrasound of kidney’s and other organs, they pointed to my anemia. So they put me on iron supplements and my god I feel like a completely different person. It’s like I have energy now. I have motivation. I feel fantastic. I do have to go in for CBC every 8-weeks. Being a male, they want to watch my iron levels and make sure they don’t get too high.

Anybody else in similar position?

2

I always show as being anemic when blood tests are done as part of my annual physical but, it runs around 12 and that is really kind of borderline anemic. This has also been life long for me, and I seem to get along just fine. Energy is no problem, and while I will run out of breath before some others during exercise, there will always be some that run out before me. Anemia is more of a problem if you suddenly become anemic. For instance, if your hemoglobin generally runs around 12, but suddenly drops to 10 then it needs to be investigated. Iron and B12 are the typical culprits but, it could be other reasons too.

I don’t think you are going to get Procrit or other red cell producer unless your hemoglobin is down around 9 or less. It’s better to avoid drugs. There are always side effects, and some don’t show until later.

3

What do you eat?

4

I am also anemic. Over 15 years ago I had a camera inserted at both ends to make sure that it was not being caused by something nasty.
The doctor put me onto iron supplements. It took me 3 months to get my iron levels up to a “normal” level. It took me a few years to get my iron supplementation right, to keep my levels normal.
I was tired and lethargic with low iron. As long as I keep my iron levels up I feel great.

5

I barely register as anemic. Definitely below the average numbers when it comes to my blood CBC. Per my doctor and hematologist, there is no underlying condition causing it. It’s been this way dating back to 2012. Early spring I really felt low energy. I mean like I could hibernate. I do have a toddler, and I’m old (48) but it wasn’t that kind of tired. It was lights out. The kind where you know something is wrong. So I went to the doctor and after a bunch of tests and ultrasound of kidney’s and other organs, they pointed to my anemia. So they put me on iron supplements and my god I feel like a completely different person. It’s like I have energy now. I have motivation. I feel fantastic. I do have to go in for CBC every 8-weeks. Being a male, they want to watch my iron levels and make sure they don’t get too high.

Anybody else in similar position?

Can you post your initial bloods, mainly your Hb and Ferritin??
I am a specialist, not a haematologist, but with a particular interest in this area with the field I work in.
It is unusual for a make to be anaemic like that and low in iron. Am glad you are feeling better and smashing it now!

6

Hemo is 13.5.

Ferritin 117

Iron level 63

Iron saturation 18

7

I’m a meat and potato’s person. I have been eating healthier since switching to Home Chef and Hello Fresh.

8

That tired feeling is just awful.

9

Hemo is 13.5.

Ferritin 117

Iron level 63

Iron saturation 18

That must be post treatment I presume? Do you know what you were beforehand?

10

I’m another.

Male, 6ft tall, 52YO, not veggie or vegan or avoiding anything.

Drink only a bit of alcohol (but I really mean only a bit - maybe a 2 beers a week - sometimes can go 2 or 3 weeks without). Never smoked.
Am mildly asthmatic (kept at bay with inhalers, unless I get a chest infection or bronchitis).
Do drink coffee and milk. Maybe too much.

Never a problem with anaemia until mid 2019. After repeated bronchial and chest infections spanning several months, I saw my GP when yet another bronchial infection didn’t clear up over several weeks, and got worse. Mid 2019.
(I was still training, but had no specific ‘big’ race planned in 2019, so wasn’t on a structured or intense plan, I was just going S/B/R-ing as mood took me. Defo not over-trained - way way off that !). And some complete breaks when the chest infections were bad.

By which time a couple of friends even noticed I looked off colour (literally).

Saw my GP, arranged some blood tests… ferritin was close to zero, haemaglobin low (cell count OK, but all red cells a bit too small).
(I’d have to find the precise numbers and PM you if it’s of interest.)

Diet hadn’t changed much over the past 20+ years that could point to a cause.

What was really interesting to me was that I could do a steady zone 1 and 2 ride or swim all day. In fact did a 100 miler with something like 8k ft climbing like that. But 10-15 secs after my heart rate went above about 125, I was gasping for air. And couldn’t get the HR above 130 before I’d be hanging over the bars gasping. Then reset… repeat etc. But steady all day, no problem.
I related to it being like having a rev limiter set at 3,800 rpm on the car when it would normally rev through to 6000+.

Had scopes at both ends to check for no internal bleeding, ulcers, or bowel cancer. All clear. No fault found.

3 Months of Fe tablets, ferretin and haemaglobin back up to near normal. Another 3 months, numbers higher.
And I could tell by feel - power back up closer to normal, peak HR back up to normal (about 175 -177) if sprinting flat out, after the 1st 3 months of iron.

Off the tablets, all OK for about 9-10 months. Got to late 2020, then could tell I was heading back the same way. Back to GP…Blood tests… low ferritin and Haemaglobin again.

And repeat… (figures currently back to normal after 3 months tablets).

Only thing I can think of changing is reducing the milk intake
(But hey I don’t have osteoporosis brittle bones as a result !) And the caffeine.

11

This was on 25mg supplement. I’ve been moved to 65mg.

Looking at history I range from 12.7 to 13.8 for Hemo. This dates back to 2012. The doc and blood doc want me consistently over 14.5.

My ferretin was 109 before 25mg. They want me near 150.

When I get to my laptop I can maneuver the website better. It’s a PIA on iPhone.

12

Xmas Eve 2004, I was knocked unconscious with a bottle to the head, lost a bit of blood. I was training for Ironman NZ in March 2005. I ended up being tested for anemia in the leadup, and turns out I was. Had to have iron supplementation and I came right right before the race. Found it funny that I really was an ironman before I had even completed my first!

13

I had a 18 month stint where I went from “Normal” to "How are you upright?
My Ferratin levels dropped within a 3 week period from ~150 to 9. A few weeks later it had dropped to 6.7. Then onto iron supplementation to bring it back to somewhat normal levels.
Lots of tests, still no real reason, a few guesses made by the doctors, but it is now back to normal.
There is something wrong when within a two week stretch, you go from 120k bike and a short run after in the morning and then wonder what should you do in the afternoon, to “Whelp, I walked up the single flight of stairs at work, I need a 2hour nap”.

Still wish I knew what caused it, and how it got fixed.

14

Interesting read. I have access to CBC machine so Ive started checking. Had not been exercising for 3 years. Feeling unhealthy, I started 100 days of 30 min exercise on Jan 1. Approaching the 100 days, it was time for annual checkup. I was surprised to see a HCT of 46. In mid April, I decided to get a coach and start tri training again. Intensity picked up. Six weeks later my HCT is now at 42.3. This outcome is expected. Cant say I’m exhausted and I can feel it slightly.