Tested Positive For Hemochromatosis

[Kratos]

What Does High Ferritin Levels But 25% Saturation Mean?

^previous topic i made. just wanted to thank everybody that posted in that topic. after 2 phlebotomies and many other blood draws done for tests my ferritin is now near 160 and i have more planned for the next two weeks and my goal is to get it down to 30-50. my hemoglobin is 16-17 so i don't have to worry about getting anemic. i just have to say that everybody should be monitoring their ferritin no doubt about it.

 

[tankasnowgod]

What Does High Ferritin Levels But 25% Saturation Mean?

^previous topic i made. just wanted to thank everybody that posted in that topic. after 2 phlebotomies and many other blood draws done for tests my ferritin is now near 160 and i have more planned for the next two weeks and my goal is to get it down to 30-50. my hemoglobin is 16-17 so i don't have to worry about getting anemic. i just have to say that everybody should be monitoring their ferritin no doubt about it.

Very cool. I agree, men especially should regularly check ferritin and get a complete iron panel.

By any chance, are you keeping a journal about your overall health? That's recommended when getting de-ironed. Sometimes, there can also be some transient symptoms when getting a lot of blood withdrawn in a short amount of time, and it appears you are getting frequent phlebotomies, 2 in about a months time, yes?

From my experience, you are entering into the area where you might start seeing improved overall mood and energy. Hemoglobin looks great, but if you notice it getting low, a B complex or simply vitamins like B6, Folate, and B12 can be useful in keeping it from falling too low.

Also, you might see some benefits from some supplemental Vitamin C and E. Both tend to be depleted when iron gets higher. There is some concerns about C enhancing iron absorption, but if you take it away from meals, it's not an issue at all. Even when taking it during iron containing meals, the long term research is inconclusive- http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/bloodjournal/64/3/721.full.pdf?sso-checked=true

 

[Kratos]

compared to two months ago im feeling better and sleeping better but i still am having bad days. i cant tolerate fruit at all and im very carbohydrate intolerant which is termed diabetes mellitus and the body retains too much glucose in the blood and i think i will be like this until my body settles. ive still been eating a lot of hamburgers the past month and when i do i feel good so i am not having any desire to avoid red meat. i will get one phlebotomy this week and another one in the middle of march. crazy thing is that ive been losing body fat without exercise and ive been putting on muscle without really doing anything strenuous. ive been suffering from low testosterone i think my whole life so i am believing that i do have iron in my pituitary gland right now and thats whats been keeping the levels low and my testosterone level right now has gone up near 100 points since two weeks ago. and even with my iron saturation in my liver being normal i am proof that it means nothing because if your ferritin level is high your body can still be getting serious damage. i even read an article about a man of middle eastern descent having parkinsons symptoms with a ferritin level in the 100's which is horrifying because people do react differently to various levels and some dont have any symptoms at all until its too late and they come crashing down.

but you were right in what you wrote tankas about any high level of ferritin being bad. a lot of doctors dont even know the basics about hemochromatosis including my doctor im dealing with right now so its good for everybody doing research. even if someone tests negative for the 3 main hemochromatosis genes that are tested it doesnt mean you dont have other genes that will make you load iron unnecessarily. but a person can definitely have high ferritin levels due to severe inflammation or you have an anemia or kidney problems so you have to test your hemoglobin levels, epo levels and red blood cell levels to rule it out. but if your ferritin is high and your kidneys are fine and you dont have polycythemia vera and your hemoglobin/red blood cell levels are good then most likely you do have hemochromatosis which is whats happening with me and turns out i am a carrier of h63d. i will get the 2 phlebotomies and in april will get my ferritin tested to see where im at but the general consensus amongst the best hemochromatosis specialists is to get the ferritin down to 20-50 and stay there and see how im feeling.

 

[tankasnowgod]

compared to two months ago im feeling better and sleeping better but i still am having bad days. i cant tolerate fruit at all and im very carbohydrate intolerant which is termed diabetes mellitus and the body retains too much glucose in the blood and i think i will be like this until my body settles.

Well, I have more good news for you-

Blood Letting in High-Ferritin Type 2 Diabetes

Iron Depletion by Phlebotomy Improves Insulin Resistance in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hyperferritinemia: Evidence from a Case-Control Study

Low iron status and enhanced insulin sensitivity in lacto-ovo vegetarians | British Journal of Nutrition | Cambridge Core

Basically, people with lower iron levels are less likely to have insulin resistance, and lowering high levels will improve insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. If you haven't seen Chris Kresser's presentation on iron, it is a worthy watch, but if you want to see his summary of the benefits of lowering iron levels, you can skip to the 10 minute mark-

 

[Lucas]

What Does High Ferritin Levels But 25% Saturation Mean?

^previous topic i made. just wanted to thank everybody that posted in that topic. after 2 phlebotomies and many other blood draws done for tests my ferritin is now near 160 and i have more planned for the next two weeks and my goal is to get it down to 30-50. my hemoglobin is 16-17 so i don't have to worry about getting anemic. i just have to say that everybody should be monitoring their ferritin no doubt about it.

Whats was your ferritin before the donations? I too have high ferritin with low saturation.

 

[CDT]

What Does High Ferritin Levels But 25% Saturation Mean?

^previous topic i made. just wanted to thank everybody that posted in that topic. after 2 phlebotomies and many other blood draws done for tests my ferritin is now near 160 and i have more planned for the next two weeks and my goal is to get it down to 30-50. my hemoglobin is 16-17 so i don't have to worry about getting anemic. i just have to say that everybody should be monitoring their ferritin no doubt about it.

Interesting. Sharon Moalem talked about a patient he had assisted with hemochromatosis in his book The DNA Restart. Were you consuming a lot of red meat, by chance?

 

[Douglas Ek]

Supplemental zinc lowers measures of iron status in young women with low iron reserves. - PubMed - NCBI

Zinc seems to lower iron status. This is just one study but if you research there’s many more. It should also help keep red blood cell and hemoglobin up by signaling it’s production while donating. Think zinc since it’s involvement in antioxidant status it’s also important for men with hemochromatosis. Iron isn’t so good to signal the body to make blood as main stream science wants you to think. The important thing is keeping hemoglobin up while getting rid of excess iron and having a great antioxidant system in place to protect yourself from the extra oxidative stress.

 

[nad]

and what does it mean if hemoglobin, hematocrit and RBC are above normal?

 

[Dave Clark]

Was just watching a Chris Masterjohn video where he said that if ferritin is high (TF low or normal), it could be that you have an infection, since microbes feed on iron and ferritin is the way the body sequesters iron to keep it away from the microbes.

 

[Douglas Ek]

and what does it mean if hemoglobin, hematocrit and RBC are above normal?

Could mean erythrocytosis. Futher investigation would be good but there’s a lot of hormones and supplements that increase it. Athletes do this to get an oxygen advantage. Steroids, high altitude training, cobalt/cobolamine, zinc, retinol all stimulate it. Not always a bad thing. You can donate blood to reduce but be aware about getting to low iron since your a woman. Depends on what your iron status is. Iron is not a good indicator of hemoglobin and blood status and vice versa. Never rely on blood status as an indicator of iron status.

 

[nad]

Could mean erythrocytosis. Futher investigation would be good but there’s a lot of hormones and supplements that increase it. Athletes do this to get an oxygen advantage. Steroids, high altitude training, cobalt/cobolamine, zinc, retinol all stimulate it. Not always a bad thing. You can donate blood to reduce but be aware about getting to low iron since your a woman. Depends on what your iron status is. Iron is not a good indicator of hemoglobin and blood status and vice versa. Never rely on blood status as an indicator of iron status.

Thanks for replay.
I'm sedentary post menopausal, not over supplementing, my PCP didn't pay attention since it not TOO high and don't want to check the iron, but it's remain like this over the year (w/elevated D-dimer).
That's not my only problem, but just saw the post and get interested.
Was thinking about donation - always feel better after just blood test, but only emotionally. But I think my previous Jaundice means they don't want my blood.
So just would be good to know is it something worth to pay attention and maybe to act in some way,
or my Doc. is right not to worry. How bad is erythrocytosis?

 

[Kratos]

Interesting. Sharon Moalem talked about a patient he had assisted with hemochromatosis in his book The DNA Restart. Were you consuming a lot of red meat, by chance?

no not really, mostly chicken the past year.

Supplemental zinc lowers measures of iron status in young women with low iron reserves. - PubMed - NCBI

Zinc seems to lower iron status. This is just one study but if you research there’s many more. It should also help keep red blood cell and hemoglobin up by signaling it’s production while donating. Think zinc since it’s involvement in antioxidant status it’s also important for men with hemochromatosis. Iron isn’t so good to signal the body to make blood as main stream science wants you to think. The important thing is keeping hemoglobin up while getting rid of excess iron and having a great antioxidant system in place to protect yourself from the extra oxidative stress.

ive been taking some zinc also.

and what does it mean if hemoglobin, hematocrit and RBC are above normal?

sounds like polycythemia vera, go to a hematologist as soon as you can. theyll test jak2 and your epo levels.

Was just watching a Chris Masterjohn video where he said that if ferritin is high (TF low or normal), it could be that you have an infection, since microbes feed on iron and ferritin is the way the body sequesters iron to keep it away from the microbes.

high ferritin can make the body more inflammed which will also drive up more iron hoarding on top of it.

and yes tankas the video you posted seems true for me so far.

 

[Douglas Ek]

no not really, mostly chicken the past year.



ive been taking some zinc also.



sounds like polycythemia vera, go to a hematologist as soon as you can. theyll test jak2 and your epo levels.



high ferritin can make the body more inflammed which will also drive up more iron hoarding on top of it.

and yes tankas the video you posted seems true for me so far.

And how is your magnesium? You have high blood pressure? Insulin problems or anything like that?
Magnesium is also important to protect from iron overload and iron depletes magnesium. I think this is why obese which tends to have higher iron also have higher blood pressure.

Iron accumulation in tissues of magnesium-deficient rats with dietary iron overload. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Kratos]

I do have somewhat high blood pressure and blood glucose problems, I do need more magnesium.