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[QUOTE=ChickieLou;3540151]... Have you had your thyroid checked?[/QUOTE]

I've recently had the following checked:[list]
[*]Thyroid (x2 - Normal)
[*]Adrenals (ACTH Stim Test, ACTH, Cort - found "Primary Adrenal Insufficiency")
[*]Sex Hormones (T,LH,FSH - Low T, FSH, LH, but still trying to figure it out)
[*]Lipids (High Tri's and low HDL's)
[*]probably a few I've forgotten about

That leads me to my next question...

Could Anemia be caused by giving blood religiously about every 10 weeks for the past 6 1/2 years, and giving once again and having all the above lab work done in the last 3 months?

I just found some old Lab work done back in '94, and although it didn't have everything, it shows the following:

Iron, Total - 101 (25-170)
Iron Binding Capacity - 328 (200-450)
Iron Saturation - 31% (12-57%)
Hemoglobin - "Normal" (from Physician Notes, so no ranges)

I'm assuming the rest of the CBC and labs were normal, because the blurb in the Physician Notes mentioned that my Potassium was slightly low @ 2.9, but said "otherwise unremarkable".

I also assume that since the Red Cross keeps letting me give blood, that I must not be too bad, (last donation was about a month ago). My Copper Sulfate test has been doing weird things, (like breaking apart), so they have had to "spin" my blood, but they haven't turned me down yet, (I mean, who'd want to turn away someone who can fill a Pint in about 6 1/2 minutes?)

Do I just need to load up on some Iron pills and stop giving blood for a while until I figure out the rest of my health problems?

(See the following thread to see what else is going on...)
[QUOTE]I also assume that since the Red Cross keeps letting me give blood, that I must not be too bad, (last donation was about a month ago).[/QUOTE]

! Don't let me start on the Red Cross !
I failed their blood drop test, or whatever they call it (when they watch to see how fast your blood sinks in that vial) and I asked them if that means I should check with my doctor if I'm anemic and they said, nah, don't worry about it.
If only I had, I might have gotten by anemia diagnosed a year earlier.
Damn vampires.
Too eager too keep their donors to care.
(sorry for venting)
I found a great medical study titled "Iron Deficiency In Blood Donors" done in 2001.

It shows how dramatically a person's Ferritin can drop from donating blood, and multiple donors and women are at a high risk for Iron Deficiency. They conclude that the Hemoglobin screening test the Red Cross uses isn't enough to exclude donors who are iron deficient.

Fascinating read. I highly recommend it to anyone who frequent the Red Cross.

On a side note, I think the neuropathy in my toes has gone away after about 10 days of iron supplements.


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