Yikes! DD16 is anemic

[minkydog]

I took DD16 in for her regular physical today. No problems, she's eating well, healthy weight, exercises regularly, periods are normal, takes calcium & multivitamin supplements daily. She has been vegetarian for over a year, so I suggested to the ped that we just check her CBC since she is at that age when a lot of teenage girls get a bit anemic. The Ped really didn't think we needed to draw blood, but agreed to draw blood "because your mom is insistant." I wasn't "insistant", I just made my case for why I thought we needed to check her blood.

Her hemoglobin came back at 9.0 She has no symptoms, other than fatigue but I just thought she was staying up too late with friends(it *is* summer, after all.) The ped apologized and declared "It's a good thing we listened to your mother! Mom's know their own kids."

So, now DD is taking a daily iron supplement as well. She has decided to read labels, add molassess to her diet, eat more dry beans (did you know that red beans supply 15% of your daily iron needs? I didn't know that), and eat dark green leafy vegetables even though she says "they taste like a petting zoo." She picked out spinach, dark lettuces, asparagus, several kinds of beans(we aaaallllll love dry beans!), some iron-fortified cereal. She also said she was considering eating a little chicken or fish now and then (her idea, not mine.)

The doctor wants to recheck in a month. DD is already eating eggs, cheese, beans & rice, beans & cheese, hummus,and mixed greens. Any other suggestions? Don't suggest tofu--been there, done that, not going to go there again. What other foods will increase DDs red blood count? Vegetarian would be good.

 

[sbell111]

I think you nailed it. Beans and dark greens have bunches of iron. Nuts also have quite a bit.

This is an issue that anyone who wants to go veggie needs to think about. It's not as simple as avoiding faces.

 

[Nette]

I took DD16 in for her regular physical today. No problems, she's eating well, healthy weight, exercises regularly, periods are normal, takes calcium & multivitamin supplements daily. She has been vegetarian for over a year, so I suggested to the ped that we just check her CBC since she is at that age when a lot of teenage girls get a bit anemic. The Ped really didn't think we needed to draw blood, but agreed to draw blood "because your mom is insistant." I wasn't "insistant", I just made my case for why I thought we needed to check her blood.

Her hemoglobin came back at 9.0 She has no symptoms, other than fatigue but I just thought she was staying up too late with friends(it *is* summer, after all.) The ped apologized and declared "It's a good thing we listened to your mother! Mom's know their own kids."

So, now DD is taking a daily iron supplement as well. She has decided to read labels, add molassess to her diet, eat more dry beans (did you know that red beans supply 15% of your daily iron needs? I didn't know that), and eat dark green leafy vegetables even though she says "they taste like a petting zoo." She picked out spinach, dark lettuces, asparagus, several kinds of beans(we aaaallllll love dry beans!), some iron-fortified cereal. She also said she was considering eating a little chicken or fish now and then (her idea, not mine.)

The doctor wants to recheck in a month. DD is already eating eggs, cheese, beans & rice, beans & cheese, hummus,and mixed greens. Any other suggestions? Don't suggest tofu--been there, done that, not going to go there again. What other foods will increase DDs red blood count? Vegetarian would be good.

Ugh, I feel for her. I have a really low iron count as well. Is she taking her iron supplement on an empty stomach? There are certain foods that you should not take it with as it decreases the absorption of the iron. Eggs and calcium rich foods are two. However, vitamin C will help with the absorption of the iron. I take my pill (usually) with a packet of EmergenC. It also seems to help with the stomach upset caused by iron.

Good luck! Glad to hear that she's willing to try new foods in order to stay healthy!

 

[Nette]

I think you nailed it. Beans and dark greens have bunches of iron. Nuts also have quite a bit.

This is an issue that anyone who wants to go veggie needs to think about.

And if you haven't already... you should probably have her B12 monitored regularly because the best supplies of B12 are found in animal products - particularly meat. And a low B12 count can cause all kinds of fun issues, from nerve damage to another kind of anemia.

 

[dizluvah]

I was shocked a few years ago to learn I am anemic as well. I discovered this on a trip to the ER because everytime I stood up my heart was racing. I needed a blood transfusion right then. Since then, simply taking the iron supplement every day is sufficient to keep me in the normal range of the scale. I have made no other dietary adjustments.

Best to your daughter. And Kudo's for being a healthcare advocate for your family; sometimes doctor's don't know us best.

 

[NHdisneylover]

raisens are also good sources of iron. Yes, to watch the B-12. Pernicious anemia (low B-12) is terrible and many doctors will not catch it in someone younger and diagnose anxiety instead (I speak from sad years of experience).

 

[Christine]

Avoid taking iron with tea. Something in tea blocks iron absorption so make sure the iron is taken on an empty stomach and 2 hours away from calcium, tea, etc. I think soy can also be a blocker but not sure of that.

I take supplements but some of my best improvement in numbers came from eating lean red meat. I know she doesn't want to do that so it's going to take awhile.

 

[mommasita]

raisens are also good sources of iron. Yes, to watch the B-12. Pernicious anemia (low B-12) is terrible and many doctors will not catch it in someone younger and diagnose anxiety instead (I speak from sad years of experience).

I so agree with this. It is usually not diagnosed until it is PA, and then the injections are necessary.

 

[Melmac]

A doctor's advice to bring up my iron was to "eat a good steak" (not my usual doc, needless to say! She didn't seem to care that I don't eat red meat and only eat chicken and fish. Leafy greens and beans (as mentioned previously) are all good, as is baked potatoes with the skin. Also, although it is a bit more difficult to find here, you can buy fortified pasta. I also try and eat iron fortified cereals. If she does have lower B12 as well, you could try switching her to a pre-natal vitamin which has higher iron and B12 contents than a regular multi-vitamin. This also helped my upset stomach that I was getting on the iron pills.

As a side note, when I was first told about my iron deficiency, I checked to see what foods had high iron and seal and walrus meat were right up near the top. Gross!

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

A PP beat me to it about raisins. I stay anemic, but thats my fault. I should eat better. I can't take iron supplements, they kill my stomach. I don't eat enough red meat or leafy green veggies. I don't know how true this is, so take it with a grain of salt, but someone told me that you can tell your iron is low if your gums are pale pink and your inner eye lids are pale pink. Mine are, but that may just be coincidence.

 

[SaraJayne]

Since she is taking iron pills, make sure she drinks lots and lots of water ~ if you kwim.

 

[minkydog]

Thanks for the great suggestions! I had forgotten about seeds, nuts & raisins. I will probably forego the walrus meat I never thought about checking the B12. I may suggest that when we go back next month.

I already told her about the possibility of getting constipated, although she eats so many veggies and fruit it might not be a big problem. It is true that your gums and inner eyelids will be pale with anemia--I should have checked that before. I just noticed how white her gums are

 

[amid chaos]

Cream of wheat with berries and drink OJ...perfect iron filled breakfast.

MY DD, age 14 had a hemoglobin of 7.8 in April. Some of the things they tested her for were extremely frightening. She has had so much blood drawn (up tp a dozen tubes per draw), it's no wonder shes anemic..LOL. after lots of iron, she is better but is now going to Children's Hospital to find out why she was so anemic.

She takes an Iron pill (slow FE) with breakfast and dinner and a multivit with lunch.