iron deficiency

[hal0ofwint3r]

iron deficiency. i have it. G6PD, hashimoto's and iron deficiency all inter-related. who's had iron deficiency on the trail? or have already had it before doing a long hike? your thoughts.

[miloandotis]

Of course I start with you should obviously discuss your goals with you physician-assuming you haven't already.

My personal experience is hashi's and chronic anemia (but not iron deficiency-type)

Several factors. Your overall health and activity. Your join date is in 2010 so I'm guessing you are not new to hiking/backpacking? How active are you already and what can you tolerate now? When were you diagnosed-Are these all new??

I'm not familiar with how the three all interact, but Hashimoto (very common hypothyroid disease) if your thyroid replacement is sufficient is not a problem. Simple iron deficiency you treat with proper iron intake/suppliment combo again not a problem.

I am less familiar with G6PD deficiency except to know it can cause hemolytic anemia (most likely after exposure to an oxidative medication or infection). If you are a class 4 or 5 and you avoid triggers, shouldn't be a problem (and maybe even class 3). But if you have class 1 or 2 (which I understand to be fairly rare), would be a risk.

[hal0ofwint3r]

yes, you're right. i'm not new to hiking. i've been hiking, mountain and road biking and running for about thirteen years. i used to be in the airborne and was the fastest runner in my unit. i have hashimoto's and my endo says my antibodies are sky high. he also said my free's are in range but my TSH is 15. what i don't understand about that is when my TSH was 220 three years ago and my T4 was extremely low, i was hiking up and down mountains and mountain biking every week with no problem. my endo says i don't have to worry much with G6PD. what he says is just fatigue because of my TSH, i don't exactly agree. with G6PD, i'm not supposed to eat peanuts. unfortunately, i just found that out and he never told me. nor did any of the doctors i've seen for the last several years. i just came to the conclusion why i have an anemic type crash when i go hiking, which is the only time i eat peanuts. everyone eats trail mix, who doesn't? expecially if it has m&m's in it. haha. anyway, i just now pieced it together that i feel so out of oxygen(not to be confused with being out of shape, this is when i was in my prime i.e. top shape) that not too long after i would start eating a bunch of trail mix that i would feel it. i would become so fatigued that i would almost not be able to focus, become almost disoriented and i would feel like something sucked everything out of me. typical of anemic episodes where it goes away in a short amount of time and boom i'm back to more hiking. i'm not trying to ask for any medical advice, that's for the doctor, but i've seen so many doctors and have so far been blown off. that's why i posted this, just to see if anyone had the same problem and what they did to help it. as for how active i am now, my thyroid gave me a lot of trouble for the last year and a half and gave me a lot of pain, but now it hasn't given me too much trouble and i've been feeling better, but i'm far from feeling like being able to do what i used to do. i have absolutely no energy, it's hard just to jog and work out, i feel like i have the energy of a fifty year old(no offense to anyone fifty or older), and i just feel fatigued all over. and like i said about my thyroid levels, i just don't buy that it's all my thyroid. my tsh may be a little high and my free's are in range, but just several years ago when my TSH was 220 and my T3/T4 really low, i had absolutely no energy problems, i could hike all day for a week then come home and go on a fifty mile bike ride the next day, and on top of that, i'm only 31. if anyone thinks i'm having an anxiety bout, don't bother to reply, because there isn't any. it's more a mounting frustration that keeps on building because the VA sucks. i guess it all kind of sounds like i need to relax or i'm very upset, which i am, but for the most part i'm actually feeling better than i did for the past year and i'm excited to get back out hiking, but i have absolutely no energy. i started exercising again, my cardio isn't that bad, my bpm is dropping some each week when i run, but as soon as i go uphill or up the steps, it spikes way up. kind of sounds like POTS. well i guess i'll see how i feel after i see the endo again. he says i need more synthroid anyway.

[miloandotis]

With my hypothyroid I have blood work done quarterly to be sure my levo dose is correct We don't have to tweak every time, but usually 2-3 times a year. (And of course I have to pay oop because insurance doesn't cover that many checks without a "GOOD" reason. Don't know how often you get checks thru the VA.) For me, even if I'm a little off, maybe because of the chronic anemia too, I feel it. No energy, no motivation and maybe TMI, but my hubby can tell too cause the good ol' sex drive nose dives! I'm 39 and have been hypo since I was 12 when they did radioactive iodine to reverse hyper. (tried armour in the past, got caught up in the "natural" vs synthetic hype-was my worst 6 months ever so went back to levo). With your G6PD you discovered peanuts on your own. What about iodine and your hashi's? I'm one of those folks who have a "iodine crash" with too much iodine. Do you use iodine to purify your water? If so, that may be something to consider, too.

[hal0ofwint3r]

sorry, i guess i don't sound too positive. it's just very frustrating. but i'm not giving up. i'm trying really hard every day, working out and trying to eat better. that's probably a big factor, my diet was never really the best, and maybe it just caught up to me. and maybe that's why i don't have the energy to work out, it could just be not getting enough of the right nutrients. but my blood tests have shown that my iron is back to normal, B12 and other levels are normal. either way, i'm taking it one day at a time.

[hal0ofwint3r]

that is, and i didn't mention it. i don't use it now. i started using aquamira drops from about '06 to '10. and i did a LOT of hiking, so you know what that means. i do try to stay away from gluten, food coloring and haven't used aquamira for about two years now, but it's hard to stay away from soy and i hear soy affects T4 binding. my endo says i don't have a problem with T4-T3 conversion. i get a blood test and see the endo every six weeks.

[miloandotis]

You need a new doc!! Soy should be avoided because of your G6PD!

[hal0ofwint3r]

but i do feel better, i hiked nine miles in three hours on a day trip last week. i wasn't going for how fast and far i can hike, that's just what i did. and it was my first hiking trip in about two years. i had the worst pain with my thyroid that my endo gave me endomethacin.

[hal0ofwint3r]

haha, that's nice. i guess i'll post a new thread about soy free trail meal ideas!

[miloandotis]

So, you need a fava, soy, legume, peanut and menthol-free, low iodine, high iron trail meal thread

[robinpaul]

Can anyone here tell me is it good to consume iron tablets which doctors recommend to overcome the iron deficiency?