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swanysto

Golden Member
May 8, 2005
1,949
9
81
I need some advice on possible iron deficiency. I have been noticing, and by noticing, I mean my wife has been noticing, that the bruises I have been picking up at the gym(basketball) have been taking an abnormal amount of time to go away. The first thing that came to mind was a lack of iron in my diet. I don't eat a lot of red meat(even though I love it). I typically find myself eating a lot of chicken.

I searched the web for iron deficiency and kept seeing the word anemia. So I searched symptoms of anemia. There were only 2 symptoms that I would fall under, and while I would like to blame my pale skin on anemia, I think my genes are to blame. I would also like to blame my difficulty concentrating on anemia, however I think the a.d.d. is probably the better explanation.

Anyways. A lot of the help pages I see on iron supplements are geared towards people with anemia. Is there a good iron supplement anyone here could recommend? I feel like I am in pretty good shape, but it is very easy for me to forget certain needs cause I don't really monitor my diet, outside of just trying not to eat complete garbage.
 
sixone

sixone

Lifer
May 3, 2004
25,030
4
61
The first thing you should do is see a real doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
 
eldorado99

eldorado99

Lifer
Feb 16, 2004
36,324
3,163
126
Buy yourself a:
CatD9T.jpg

Lots of iron there.
 
A

AnMig

Golden Member
Nov 7, 2000
1,760
3
81
Bruising usually not caused by anemia.

Easy bruising should be a concern for a bleeding disorder (hemophilia, platelet disorder are examples).

Bruises depending on depth and size of injury can last 2-3 weeks.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
126
Not on any blood thinners are you? Those will cause you to have terrible bruising. Anemia isn't your issue here. Plus as you get older, it just gets easier to bruise. Your skin and small vessels get more brittle and can't stretch as well under stress.
 
S

swanysto

Golden Member
May 8, 2005
1,949
9
81
AnMig said:
Bruising usually not caused by anemia.

Easy bruising should be a concern for a bleeding disorder (hemophilia, platelet disorder are examples).

Bruises depending on depth and size of injury can last 2-3 weeks.
Click to expand...


Yeah, but these are not major bruises. Bruises like these used to be gone in a few days. I realize I am older, but I have one that has gone from black and blue a month ago to a nice mustard yellow today. It wasn't even a very hard hit, I didn't even remember getting hit there.

I don't think I have any bleeding disorders such as excessive bleeding or internal bleeding. My cuts heal pretty well.
 
S

swanysto

Golden Member
May 8, 2005
1,949
9
81
vi edit said:
Not on any blood thinners are you? Those will cause you to have terrible bruising. Anemia isn't your issue here. Plus as you get older, it just gets easier to bruise. Your skin and small vessels get more brittle and can't stretch as well under stress.
Click to expand...

I don't take medicines.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
126
Easy bruising is more of a vitamin deficiency - C, B12, ect.
 
PhoKingGuy

PhoKingGuy

Diamond Member
Nov 15, 2007
4,685
0
76
If you feel yourself getting tired, healing poorly or noticing abnormal bruising please get a blood count done asap.

It could possibly be an anemia of some sort, however it can also be a lot of other things as well that are not as easily treated.

How old are you by the way?

Obligatory: 2nd year med student, I barely know anything.
 
Iron Woode

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
31,120
12,631
136
swanysto said:
I need some advice on possible iron deficiency. I have been noticing, and by noticing, I mean my wife has been noticing, that the bruises I have been picking up at the gym(basketball) have been taking an abnormal amount of time to go away. The first thing that came to mind was a lack of iron in my diet. I don't eat a lot of red meat(even though I love it). I typically find myself eating a lot of chicken.

I searched the web for iron deficiency and kept seeing the word anemia. So I searched symptoms of anemia. There were only 2 symptoms that I would fall under, and while I would like to blame my pale skin on anemia, I think my genes are to blame. I would also like to blame my difficulty concentrating on anemia, however I think the a.d.d. is probably the better explanation.

Anyways. A lot of the help pages I see on iron supplements are geared towards people with anemia. Is there a good iron supplement anyone here could recommend? I feel like I am in pretty good shape, but it is very easy for me to forget certain needs cause I don't really monitor my diet, outside of just trying not to eat complete garbage.
Click to expand...
do any other sores or injuries take longer than normal to heal?

It could very well be diabetes.

For more iron in your diet, you could cook things in a cast iron pan. Its a pretty simple way to increase iron.
 
PhoKingGuy

PhoKingGuy

Diamond Member
Nov 15, 2007
4,685
0
76
If hes eating chicken and a normal western diet its probably not an iron deficiency, its actually pretty rare to see such things without some sort of colonic malabsorptive disorder.

Diabetes would manifest with fatigue, urination, etc. He didn't mention anything specific so I would generally lean away from that. I'd still run a glucose strip though.

It can be quite a few things, you really need a full CBC with a blast count/peripheral blood smear to be sure.
 
B

bradley

Diamond Member
Jan 9, 2000
3,671
2
81
Bruising can eventually cause a depletion of iron. A good source of heme iron is liver or desiccated beef liver pills. This could prevent new bruises from forming.

Weakened capillaries, thinning blood or a platelet problem, could cause the bruising itself.

To strengthen capillaries and synthesize collagen, vitamin C lysine and proline will help. To regulate clotting, I would try magnesium and vitamin K2. If you are still concerned, see a doctor.
 
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