Hello,

I was just diagnosed as acutely iron defficient anemic. My ferratin was a 3 the rest of the numbers were low but not severely so. The GP said it was really low but not so bad that I needed a blood transfusion.

Let me back up a little. I had started to get pretty weak. My arms and legs were having trouble supporting me. I was getting winded with the simplest things. I had gone on a trip to the Carribean and I tried to go snorkelling, had to turn back as I could not breathe. I thought I was going to pass out. Snorkelling is one of my favorite activities. I had started feeling weak BEFORE going on my trip, but everything was booked, and it was not that bad. I was having trouble there but it was not extreme. It was bad enough that I was occasionally stopping on the stairs to catch my breathe or on a walk to just slow down for a bit to regain my strength. So I booked an appt with my GP for the day after I got back.

They called with my lab results a day or two after I got back, I had been trying to reach them all day to tell them I had gotten a lot worse. I was having trouble walking around the office. Carrying my laptop to meetings hurts. Walking up stairs almost always resulted in me sitting down half way through to regain my energy. But of course he could not hear me and I could barely hear him when he called. He told me I was acutely iron defficient anemic, and I should take Vitron C once a day, that I would feel better in 6 weeks and that I was close to needing a blood transfusion but didnt.

I had an appt with my GI scheduled anyway so I saw her, she said based on the pain in my stomach and my labs she would order a colonoscopy/endoscopy except I had been having the pain for a while and had been scoped in November. I went to see a hematologist, I brought my labs with me she offered me the blood transfusion when I said I could not wait 6 weeks to be able to walk normally, (did I mention I am walking ridiculously slow because everything hurts,) I said there had to be something in between vitron c and a blood transfusion. So she ordered two iron IVs. She ended up ordering: blood work, 2 iron infusions, and a CT of my stomach due to the pain and tenderness.

I had the blood work last Thursday, my first infusion yesterday and the CT this morning. I am lost though. I don't know what is going on. The doctor's dont seem to know what is going on. I am used to doctor's telling me they have no idea what is causing anything, and just waiting to get better.

So far I have been getting worse though. My legs have waves of tingling/discomfort while sitting now as well as weakness while walking. My arms hurt during exertion which counts as lifting them up at times. My stomach is hurting more and more often. I am nauseas more and more often.

I write like I think, which means I keep adding facts in as I remember them. My doctor looked at my bloodwork, I am epileptic and was in the hospital in both Nov and Dec. In Nov my bloodwork was fine, in Dec my numbers started to look low. Which means this is all since November.

Any advice? Suggestions? Opinions? Things to suggest they look for? Honestly I just want feedback... I need people to vent to that understand more. I have vented to some of my friends and family. My mom has offered to quit her job to take care of me, but I am still working full time, that is not necessary.  

Also - a lot of the nurses/doctors I talk to seem surprised I am working full time. Do people generally go on short term disability for this?