Loved Ones who support someone with MS Community Group
This group is meant for those who help someone with MS. This would include family, good friends, spouses and caregivers. It is a place to exchange good ideas that may help us in caring for those we love that have this disease.
You know if you have LOW iodine, over time, you have a enlarged goiter. If you are very HIGH in iodine for some time the symptom is...an enlarged goiter.
Well if you have LOW iron (stored in tissues as ferritin) then you have a lot of fatigue. You also have fatigue when you are very HIGH in ferritin for a long period of time.
Also note that there are MANY causes of fatigue ie very low thyroid levels, low methyl-B12, low oxygen (ie long time smokers where lungs can not get rid of CO2 and O2 levels are lower), etc, etc.
One of MS's most common symptoms is fatigue and most probably this is due to MS..at least a good chunk of it. However, do not discount these other possibilities. Since my husband eats a good amount of meat (he is allergic to many things and higher sugar causes his problems thus his diet is limited), I wanted not just his short term iron levels checked in a CBC but his long term ferritin checked.
It was 4 times the normal level and the doctor was just going to dismiss it. Yeah I put my foot down and said this is NOT normal and I wanted to find out is it that he needs to lower red meat and get blood drawn more often or is it something else. Realize I had already had him go to get his blood drawn once before this annual testing, (ie CBC) plus the ferritin I asked for, so those numbers are not good.
After our little...chat the doc sent him to a specialist where they diagnosed him with the genetic issue (Hemochromatosis) that causes a METABOLISM problem where you produce too much ferritin. IF it is caught early, like with my husband, then getting the blood draws (12 draws over the next 12 weeks then a few times a year) will reduce his ferritin. This will definitely prevent liver and brain damage that can occur if you are not diagnosed and treated for this issue.
Getting these blood draws to reduce ferritin, MAY also reduce some of his fatigue...we won't know how much for another few months.
Ferritin is a relatively lower costing test (ferritin issue will not NOT show up in iron tests). IF ferritin is really high you may want to look into this issue.
Best wishes to all,
EP
Well if you have LOW iron (stored in tissues as ferritin) then you have a lot of fatigue. You also have fatigue when you are very HIGH in ferritin for a long period of time.
Also note that there are MANY causes of fatigue ie very low thyroid levels, low methyl-B12, low oxygen (ie long time smokers where lungs can not get rid of CO2 and O2 levels are lower), etc, etc.
One of MS's most common symptoms is fatigue and most probably this is due to MS..at least a good chunk of it. However, do not discount these other possibilities. Since my husband eats a good amount of meat (he is allergic to many things and higher sugar causes his problems thus his diet is limited), I wanted not just his short term iron levels checked in a CBC but his long term ferritin checked.
It was 4 times the normal level and the doctor was just going to dismiss it. Yeah I put my foot down and said this is NOT normal and I wanted to find out is it that he needs to lower red meat and get blood drawn more often or is it something else. Realize I had already had him go to get his blood drawn once before this annual testing, (ie CBC) plus the ferritin I asked for, so those numbers are not good.
After our little...chat the doc sent him to a specialist where they diagnosed him with the genetic issue (Hemochromatosis) that causes a METABOLISM problem where you produce too much ferritin. IF it is caught early, like with my husband, then getting the blood draws (12 draws over the next 12 weeks then a few times a year) will reduce his ferritin. This will definitely prevent liver and brain damage that can occur if you are not diagnosed and treated for this issue.
Getting these blood draws to reduce ferritin, MAY also reduce some of his fatigue...we won't know how much for another few months.
Ferritin is a relatively lower costing test (ferritin issue will not NOT show up in iron tests). IF ferritin is really high you may want to look into this issue.
Best wishes to all,
EP
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Usually I get a daily influx of emails on health topics. An article from Dr. Mercola really stood out recently though because it mentioned that fat cells have their own mitochondria. Not only was this the first I'd heard of this, he also mentioned that fat serves a purpose in our metabolism. Another new factoid for me. The bottom line for me was to appreciate that even our fat cells play a...
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I just do not feel well and I really think that it's because I cried yesterday on my way to work about my Aunt who is in the hospital. I don't think that we will have her much longer. She is very frail. Now she needs help eating. So, this is the third time in a year that I felt this way after crying. I think crying releases toxins into my body. I also worked up a sweat at the gym...
I pay good money for tests that these "MD's" don't even consider. I'm so thankful for my integrative medicine doctor. She's an MD, a Psychiatrist and a homeopathic doctor all in one. (Makes me want to stay in school and get more education than the B.S. in Psych.)
So happy for you and your hubby. He is so lucky to have a wonderful and caring partner in you. :)
Vegan is a healthy way to live as long as you can get enough protein and B vitamins.
Part of what makes it so hard for us are all the foods my family are allergic too.
All three (hubby and kids) have big chronic IgG allergy (not acute IgE) to eggs.
My husband's mouth gets itchy (so he is having an acute IgE allergy) when he eats Kale and raw spinach but can have cooked spinach in spinach artichoke dip. He also has issues with green beans, kidney beans, pineapple(our daughter too). He can have a little gluten but 90% of time I try to make his meals without it. The rest of us have casein protein issue with A1C (cow milk not goat milk). Add some of the other allergies and my husband's issue with too much sugar (we both have to have low sugar diets) you can see where meat (chicken, beef, pork) is one of the few things we all can have.
I hear you about the useless tests and mandated doc visits after ER that do NOTHING for you except make you owe more money.
He is a good guy too. It just is hard when I have a UC flare to take care of everything. I just wanted to let you guys know about this ferritin test if fatigue is very big issue for you.
Take Care of you and hope your life is going well.
EP