Iron levels

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On Tuesday I had an appointment with the haematologist about my haemochromatosis and how my iron levels are doing after 6 months of having a pint of blood drained out of me every 2 weeks.

It was quite odd to see this usually confident and in control consultant looking distinctly sheepish and embarrassed.

Apparently he had just assumed my local GP would be getting my blood tested after each venesection.

Apparently my local GP has assumed I should keep having the blood taken until the 6 months had passed, when the haematologist would test me again.

Apparently I am now anaemic.

I should have guessed when I stopped feeling the urge to face magnetic north when having a crap.

I thought I was feeling more tired of late; a downward turn since the New Year.

But then, when you’re tired all the time anyway, it’s not always obvious it you’re getting worse or not. With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome there are bad days and not so bad days, and bad weeks and not so bad weeks. So how to tell if I’m just having a bad patch, or things have actually taken a turn for the worse?

It could just have easily been the time of year – me and winter months, with their lack of light and warmth, have never particularly got on well together.

Still, I don’t have to take iron supplements as my genetic mutations mean I’ll recover from this considerably quicker than the average mortal.

But at least I only need to have a needle the size of a piece of scaffolding stuck in my arm 3 or 4 times a year from now on.


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