Anemia Support Group

Hi all!

I am sure you get a lot of posts like these but I am at witts end. For years now I have been complaining of lack of energy. I changed my lifestyle and eating habits, have done blood work, etc. The last year it has been worse. the WEAKNESS and fatigue I feel is just too much. I am a very healthy 24 year old. I am active and eat right. Anyways, I went to the doctor this past Monday. I asked to get blood work done because I need to figure out whats wrong. He ordered the blood work. Also, that day he listened to my heart and noticed a slight heart murmur. I have never had this before. He said it was nothing to be alarmed by. I got my blood work back today and he said everythings normal. However, there are 3 things flaggedon the bloodwork as abnormal. Please see below levels.

Bilirubin is higher than normal - 1.4

UIBC is lower than normal - 118

Iron Saturation is higher than normal - 56

TIBC is normal but on the low end - 271 (lowest normal is 250)

My RBC, Hemoglobin and Hematocrit are all normal. Is it possible to have anemia but have your rbc's and hemoglobin counts normal? The reason I am so concerned is because I found a chart that showed different combinations. It said if you have the above ranges (my ranges above)than there is a high possibility of hemolytic anemia. Also, I read, if you have high bilirubin, that is another sign of hemolytic anemia. But my doctor said everything is normal and fine. Am I being paranoid or is this the case with me? IS this why I have felt extreme fatigue and weakness all these years?! Please help someone!

Thank you!!

Is your doctor a hematologist? This is a question of interpretation that only a hematologist is qualified to really answer.

In my non medical opinion..I would say There IS "something" going on here...There are many things that could cause high iron and you are right, that particular type of anemia fits the bill.

A reg. PC is not going to look much further than the initial numbers and may have a problem not connecting dots...

There are so many things that could explain fatigue - if you don't have other symptoms of anemia it's probably not that. Keep looking - keep hydrated - keep eating well and exercising. Sometimes we just have less energy as adults because we don't realize how much energy we expend with our day to day routines - we also just kind of slow down as we age - round about 25 it happens - according to the informal polls I've taken with friends. Hopefully whatever it is will be discovered with patience and perseverance. Keep us posted on your breakthrough!

You should follow your instincts. I think you are on to something and definitely should go to a hematologist. I agree that a primary care physician would most likely miss that diagnosis.

Heck they didn't even think to check me for iron deficiency anemia even though I was anemic during my pregnancy, they didn't check my hemoglobin after I gave birth, (I didn't know to keep taking my iron pills after pregnancy). Add to all that I breast fed my daughter until she was 18 months old. Even when my heart palpitations were so srong and so often I was afraid to walk more than a few feet, still no one thought to do a CBC. I had a whole slew of doctors looking at and lisening to my heart palpitations and none of them thought to do a CBC. A few years later after somehow surviving that, I got lucky and got a good physician's assistant a few years later who ordered a CBC the second time she saw me while I was in for a check on the meds I was on for grinding my teeth at night. I now know that I've been anemic probably all of my life or at least since I was 17. I've never had a 100% normal CBC in my whole adult life (42 now) so I'm pretty sure I was anemic after I gave birth, while breast feeding, when I had those awful palpitations and all the times in between too. Sometimes its just the luck of the draw.

I DO NOT MISS HEART PALPATATIONS!!!!!