langlois, I started off at 685 in September. I think I am at 205 seven months later. Will have labs drawn on the 24th and docs appointment on the 26th. Hopefully, I am way down.

I don't remember what Queenie said her beginning levels were, but I do remember they were extremely high - - in the thousands.

Everyone is different. I think the three important things to consider are: (1) your Ferritin level at the start (2) how often you have phelbs (3) how fast you load.

Mine has been a slow process because my doc only lets me phleb every three weeks. In March and April she did agree to let me go every two weeks. I had my last phleb April 28th and now I have to wait until the 19th for another. Usually by now I am totally wiped out, but I'm still holding my own and I have eleven more days to wait before going again. Hopefully, still having a little energy this long after a phleb is a good sign.

Langlois ,like Sandy said my ferritin was over 2,000 the beginning of July last year ,I was being phelbed every 2 weeks when I started my treatment and I found this group in December and learned more and realized most people with ferritin levels as high or higher than mine were being phelbed every week so I took that information back to my doctor and requested we try it but since she had never treated
hh she was hesitant so we settled for every ten days which worked out great ,I started feeling much bettter because during the two week wait it felt like eternity ,from dec into feb there were times where my ferritin accually jumped from the 300 range back to the 500 range then it kind of leveled itself out and the ferritin drops were not big as in the beginning but they werent jumping up either ,everybody is so differant because I also took my mentally dis-abled brother for testing and sure enough he had it ,his ferritin was over 4,000 and after his second phelb he had dropped over 1,000 that quick . It took me 10 full months ,some people de-iron quicker ,also the frequency of the phelbs plays a big role because had I not found this group I would not be as far ahead as I am now .My hemotologest was concerned about me crossing over to the anemic side if we rushed too fast on the phelbotomy treatment . How often do you phelb ? Queenie

Wow Queenie, you have come a long way. I'm so proud of you.

My ferritin was 2400+ when I started, I phlebbed every Friday for 12 months Then I think i did every two weeks for two months and then settled on every three weeks for maintenence, Like Queenie my numbers jumped all over the place and the closer I got to my goal the slower they went down. Langlois, Are you being phlebbed weekly or bi-weekly? We are all very different, but are working for the same goal, good luck

Langois, the other members are right. It is hard to compare because we all load and unload at different rates. My ferratin jumped from 5583 to 6855 between the end of September and the 4th of November last year while I was waiting to see a specialist.

On the other hand, I went from 6855 to 52, after being phlebed twice a week, by mid February - 22 phlebs.
They wanted me to wait 3 months to see how fast I load up again and I will be having that test this week. I am afraid to look at the results because I feel like crap and and hurt everywhere.

Wish me luck.

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I am now having phlebs every two weeks but only 4/5 of the usual amount. I found that 500 every two weeks was too difficult on my system. Things are now much easier for me: I guess the body adjusts to it better after a few phlebs. I am very careful with my diet and am hoping to be done by the end of the Summer (even though my hem said at first it would take a year!) I will go to the blood center this friday and they will check the ferritin level - I'll let you know... Thanks again, I learned so much from all of you.
Langlois