In brief I have had anaemia (iron count of 10) for the past 13 months. I eat fruit and veg (increased my intake of brocolli and dark green leafy veg in particular) been taking ferrous fumerate daily (210mg) can't stomach ferrous sulphate. Blood tests in between show no improvement to the level and I have since developed a vitamin d deficiency which again I take 1000units of daily.

I feel dreadful. I struggle to get through the day without falling asleep at some stage, been so bad at times when I am stationary in traffic the urge to put me head on the steering wheel and have a snooze is almost overpowering. GP simply says keep taking the tablets and rest as much as you can. I am 31 and can't spend all day sleeping and resting. I am now having a major operation between feb and March and have serious concerns about recovering from it and bleeding post op in this state.

Has anyone been through something similar or a wife or girlfriend maybe has (the problem is obviously made worse for 10 days a month) and can suggest something which may help.

Kind thanks

When I was a young girl my Mother said to me.. You listen here kid you're CPFC

Well maybe not as bad as you, but I have been really fatigued lately,went to the docs and sure enough I am now anemic.
My blood count had dropped by 40%,he thinks losing blood through an ulcer.
So hospital appointment today got to have the camera both ways,and on three iron tablets a day.
So I can relate to your symptoms a bit.
Hope it goes well with the operation.

always a Norwood boy, where ever I live.

Get a referral to a specialist.

I am so sorry to hear about your anaemia and the problems you are having to deal with as a result. It sounds like it is having a huge impact on your life and well-being, which must be very concerning for you and your family.

No doubt you will have had advice from various doctors and dieticians about what types of medication or food products would or would not be suitable for you, and should of course accept their advice above any of ours on here. But from my own personal experience, there is something you might like to try and will hopefully find helpful.

After falling very seriously ill in August 2015, I spent nearly six months in hospital with one of the problems arising from my condition being severe anaemia. Due to the extreme nature of my illness some of the treatments I underwent would not be appropriate for someone like yourself as they would only be administered to hospital patients, but the one thing I can recommend is a fruit and vegetable juicer/extractor.

A healthy iron intake is obviously very important for someone with anaemia and it is good to see you have increased the amounts of leafy green produce you eat. You are on the right track, but another way to significantly increase this in your diet is to make your own smoothies with iron-rich fruits and vegetables (I understand spinach and beetroot are particularly good sources of iron, as are pistachio nuts, among other things). The extractor I would recommend for this would be the Nutribullet, which is very effective and easy to use.

My mum often made me smoothies with almost anything with a high iron content using her Nutribullet while I was in hospital, and while I can’t say that they alone were the reason I was able to recover (I think the intravenous iron therapy and EPO injections I had helped as well), I think they must have benefited me in some way and certainly did not do me any harm. Many of the other patients and even some of the nurses hadn’t heard of a Nutribullet before, so seeing the cup of dark reddy-green juice I was drinking was often a talking point with them! And in spite of some of their ingredients, the smoothies never tasted anywhere near as bad as you would think.

I was also prescribed ferrous sulphate tablets, but as of about six months ago no longer need to take them as I now have no signs of anaemia. I still drink the occasional smoothie though, but only because I want to and not because I am at death’s door.

Whether or not you decide to invest in a Nutribullet or other type of juicer (there are several alternatives available), I hope you find something that works for you and helps put this problem behind you once and for all. I hope your upcoming surgery goes well for you, too.

You may well be quite right. I'm not an expert, and as I said at the outset the advice or a doctor or dietician should always be followed above ours. I can only comment on my own experience and fortunately have not had any stomach problems or other adverse effects as a result of drinking smoothies. They were also never discouraged by any of the medical staff caring for me, some of whom had even used juicers themselves, and am happy to say I am no longer affected by anaemia (thanks to a range of medical treatments).

I am pleased you raised the points you have though as they are important ones to bear in mind and will help us all, myself included, to make a more informed decision about using juice extractors or similar devices in future.

Blender....

Pro USA & Israel