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Iron testing in the tissues

Peyt

Senior Member
Messages
678
Location
Southern California
Back to blood donation, I do once in a while get a canker sore in my mouth when my immune is low, but as I said, when I had a blood test for STD it showed all clear.... is this something that would make me not be able to donate blood?
 

Oberon

Senior Member
Messages
214
You really should run a full iron panel before you do anything. Look in to Anemia of Chronic disease. There was another thread about it here: http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/high-or-low-iron-and-ferritin.50758/

My ferritin has been consistently high, much higher than yours (may depend on the reference range and measurement for an actual comparison.)

My ferritin is 362, but my Iron, Iron Binding Capacity, and Iron saturation are all in the mid range according to my most recent test. My test before that I had a Ferritin level that was in the 300's and my Iron panel came back low.

Ferritin is not a reliable marker of your iron levels if you are experience ongoing issues with inflammation.
 
Messages
43
Location
San Diego, California
Remember that the blood cannot be donated to the blood bank if you have ME as it would have the potential to make someone sick.
I'm attempting to the Morely Robbins magnesium protocol, and just started searching on Phoenix Rising here for anyone having success with it...saw this posting...I found out today that blood bank may do therapeutic phlebotomies (where they draw your blood and dump it instead of donate it) without charge if your doctor orders it. If you have ME, CFS, or Lyme etc, your blood will not be donated.
 

Peyt

Senior Member
Messages
678
Location
Southern California
I'm attempting to the Morely Robbins magnesium protocol, and just started searching on Phoenix Rising here for anyone having success with it...saw this posting...I found out today that blood bank may do therapeutic phlebotomies (where they draw your blood and dump it instead of donate it) without charge if your doctor orders it. If you have ME, CFS, or Lyme etc, your blood will not be donated.
I actually paid for a consultation with him and started his protocol which he told me to follow on his web site and had to stop due to blacking out and falling down 4 days later ... Goes to show anyone that has a 1 size fits all plan needs to be carefully examined before following.... He does have some good points as far as donating blood, but his protocol does not take into account anyone with other illnesses or on other medications...
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
Just found this thread... I've had high ferritin for the past couple of years and have been working the issue. Some things I've learned...
  • Ferritin is an "acute phase reactant" - it can become elevated if your liver is upset as your cells are damaged and release iron
  • The 2 HFE SNPs mentioned above would tell you if you have a tendency to hemachromatosis. 23andme had them, but a LabCorp test can tell you, too. (I am heterogeneous for the 2 SNPs, which accounts for only10% of cases.)
  • Infections in the liver can cause elevated ferritin, like c. pneumoniae, EBV, hepatitis B/C, etc.
  • Treating infections can lower ferritin (mine went from 605 to 270)
  • The Iron Disorders Institute has a nice chart of iron study numbers - you can compare your results to the chart and it will tell you - doesn't lol like you have hemachromatosis
  • My local blood bank charges $112 for phlebotomy and they don't want my blood (check requirements at yours)
  • Many of us have hypercoagulation - and can have trouble with clotting during phlebotomy, so an experienced nurse is important
  • High ferritin can be a early indicator of cancer - when mine went over 600, all of my doctors sent me for a CT scan and checked every cancer marker they could think of
  • You don't want to take too much copper...very bad if you have too much. Make sure to keep an appropriate zinc/copper balance (if you don't, you could experience mental illness symptoms easily corrected by righting the balance)
Has your doctor looked diligently for infections?