We have been going through an interesting and challenging time period. I have not been feeling at all like myself, with zero energy and other signs of a distressed body. I referred to it as feeling “bone tired”; my husband refers to this time period as the time I “fell apart”. We did a load of lab tests with my MD/ND, and yesterday we finally got the results.
Turns out I basically have no reserves of iron. To throw out some numbers, I am at a 6, when it should be at least 70 or 110! When your iron is that low, it affects a lot of other things in your body. This explains why my thyroid isn’t humming along, for example. It seems I am not absorbing the iron from my food, which may be caused by some food intolerances. We also had a food antibody test done…
…which found that I am reacting fairly highly to all gluten grains, dairy, eggs, and a couple of random fruits (bananas, cranberries and pineapple) and almonds. When your digestion is messed up with foods it can’t digest well, sometimes you can’t absorb iron well. That is at least the working theory for me at this point.
How are we going to fix it? Well, starting yesterday, I am avoiding 100% all of the foods that I have high antibodies too. I will also be doing iron transfusions (8 of them), to get my iron levels back to normal. Once my iron is back to normal, we will wait until the spring to recheck my thyroid and see if it bounces back. We will also check my iron in the future to make sure that it doesn’t get low again. If it does, we will explore other reasons why I am not absorbing iron.
I am so thankful to find out why I have been dealing with overwhelming fatigue. While I can’t get in to start my transfusions until January (we are hoping for cancellations so that I can get in sooner), I am just thankful to have that hope that I will feel so much better once my iron is back up.
Ironically, I mentioned that I referred to how I was feeling as being “bone tired”; well it appears I wasn’t far off there! One of the lab results indicated that my bone marrow was working extra hard right now (or something like that, I admit, I didn’t follow all of the technical language – I’ll blame it on low iron levels!). My low iron caused this.
It also means no banana ice cream, no maple whipping cream, no cranberry apple mini pies, no cranberry orange sauce, and definitely no gluten. But that’s okay! I already cook mostly gluten-free for my daughter. I will just have to make sure that if eating out, I don’t have soy sauce over my rice, or when I make a sandwich I use gluten-free bread, etc. So there isn’t a whole lot of gluten to take out of my diet anyways. I will miss eggs the most, I think. And cranberries. And bananas.
But if it helps me absorb iron better, it will be worth it! Plus, the vast majority of foods I enjoy, are perfectly fine for me.
Should I be on the GAPS diet?
I’ve talked about the GAPS diet before, and how it helps heal the digestion tract, which can then help with a wide variety of health issues. For some, it could help heal the digestion tract so that absorbing iron wasn’t an issue anymore. At this point, I have chosen not to be on the GAPS diet, because being on a completely starch-free diet over time makes me feel unwell. However, I think that making homemade bone broths and eating lacto-fermented vegetables and beverages is always an excellent way to boost your digestion, so I will do those things regardless. The GAPS diet may not be ideal for everyone long term, and I may be one of those unable to feel well long-term on it, but I do know that many have been able to use is successfully to help with a wide variety of health issues. The gut is so important for good health after all!
So, that is my little personal update. I am looking forward to better energy in the future!
Photo: Moyan_Breen/Flickr
Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
- 2 Ingredient Peppermint Bark - December 21, 2022
- Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM) - March 16, 2022
- Creamy Curry Red Lentil Soup - December 8, 2021
Lori
My daughter who is 23 had an iron level of 3 and have so little energy. We’ve been supplementing with iron and it hasn’t helped much. She started this new program a month ago, http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2012/11/her-new-way-of-eating.html, and she now has bundles of energy. It is suppose to heal the inflammation in the gut and so far she feels better than she has in years. I will be very interested in following your progress. It seems so many young women have this problem today. I wonder what is causing it….a toxic enviornment?
KimiHarris
Lori,
It is great that she is feeling better! Absorbing the iron from your diet is the tricky thing for many of us.
Stephanie
I had to give up gluten and several other things for similar symptoms. It’s a journey, but there is grace. God bless your journey.
Heather
Wow Kimi! Overwhelming news. I had no idea things were that bad for you. I am glad that you now have some answers, a direction, and a plan.
Blessings!
KimiHarris
Thanks! Yes, my energy has gone from bad to worse. In fact, we wonder if my iron levels are even lower now, as my energy has gone down even more since I had that blood drawn. Who knows. Regardless, we are very happy to have some answers.
Barb H
Just curious since your Lyme post the other day…did they test for Lyme? It would be ideal to test through Igenex to get the best results. One of our first symptoms was overwhelming fatigue…
KimiHarris
No….though we could look into that if needed. Living where we are, it is a pretty slim possibility (but a possibility nevertheless). Never been bitten by a tick, etc. A couple of friends who go to this doctor were tested and found out to have lyme disease (they got bit camping aways from here when young). There would be some more likely things to check before that though.
Kim - The Nourishing Cook
Happy bday! I have had iron infusions too and am sensitive to gluten, and am also in Portland, ironically! The iron infusions were amazing, I started to feel better after about 4 days which then continued for about a month. Also if your vit D levels are low you may consider injections, which I did too and they worked great. Doctors said that infusions were “too drastic” and I was like, you’re not living this way! How can they say that??
Great post and thank you for getting the word out about infusions. Feel free to email me if you want any details about anything.
KimiHarris
That’s so ironic. And your name is Kim too. LOL I have heard that so many people feel dramatically better with the transfusions. I am really hoping that is me too! I do, actually have low vitamin D too, but I don’t know if it is low enough to warrant the transfusions. I will be at the very least taking extra vitamin D. It is that good Portland weather of no sun. 🙂
KimiHarris
I think it’s funny that I said “ironic”. No pun intended there. 😉
Kim - The Nourishing Cook
you made me laugh out loud with that one! loved it. If you don’t absorb your vitD switch to the ‘dry’ version (not the oil filled capsules). Even the dry stuff didn’t work for me, hence the injections.
The naturopaths name is Dr Tyler Keliiheleua (Natural Family Health Clinic) and he’s on Oleson Road in SW Portland.
Maria
Hi Kim,
Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I’m wondering what specific food antibody test you had done. My regular MD doesn’t believe these are accurate but I would like to get one done anyway. Just not sure how pricey they are.
Good luck with transfusions. I have low vit D and iron. Not as low as yours. Chronic fatigue is not fun especially when doctors feel it’s all in your head. Sounds like you have a good team of doctors. Take care!
KimiHarris
Lab tests are tricky and they do have to be interpreted…but with that said, the one we had done was Foodstats antibody assessment (it was sent to US Biotek Lab). We were looking primarily at the IgG as being problematic, while the IgA shown not being problematic.
Maria
Thanks Kim! Yes, lab tests can be tricky and sometimes are only as good as the person analyzing them. Feel better soon!
Sarah
Another thing to look into is your oxalate count. I belong to the low oxalate diet group on yahoo for my pup but have been learning a lot about it – here is another good link too – the owner of the site also is on the yahoo group – http://lowoxalateinfo.com/about/
Hope you feel better soon!!
Anne Marie
Have you considered looking at Schlesser’s cell salts? Hyland makes a tablet called “bioplasma” that contains all 12 of them. One cell salt aids the digestive track (nat sulph), another the nervous system (mag phos) and another bone development (calc phos–found in Hylands teething tabs), etc. One can help specifically with iron absorption (ferrum phos). Homeopaths recommend it if you are taking iron and aren’t absorbing it or if you are deficient in it. Mark Stengler’s book, Natural Physicians Remedies might be a good resource for you. You might be able to get it from your local library. Best wishes on improving your health.
Lauren
Have you been tested for coeliac disease? These are common symptoms for it.
I’m sorry if you’ve told us before. I haven’t been following your pages for too long 🙂
I wish you health and happiness in the coming celebrations. Good luck!
Taylor
I was also going to mention celiac disease. Gluten destroys the intestinal micro villi where iron is absorbed.
KimiHarris
You can see my comment below on my experience on and off of a gluten diet. However, I have wondered whether dairy has done a number on my digestive system. It took a long time to recover fully after taking it out.
KimiHarris
Lauren,
I’ve thought about it – but at this point it is rather a mute point as I will probably remain gluten-free indefinitely. However, I’ve done personal tests of staying off gluten for several months (strictly!), and then re-introducing it, and never had a problem with it. I am pretty sure that a true celiac would have strong reactions after several months of no gluten. (The reason I didn’t feel better off of gluten is because I didn’t take out other foods that were equally problematic for me).
Stephanie
That’s not necessarily true– a fair proportion of adults are “silent” celiacs. Typically, they get diagnosed because of low iron or because a family member was diagnosed. Celiac testing is less than perfect, though, as you have to have a fair amount of damage for the bloodwork to capture it.
I assume they’ve checked for folate and B12, as both are needed for RBC synthesis?
butternutrition
Strong stomach acidity is needed to absorb iron. Low stomach acid (often caused by low zinc or low thyroid) is a common cause of low ferritin (iron stores). Working to restore digestion might be worth a look.
Also, this is a great read:
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml
KimiHarris
It is amazing how much one thing, like low stomach acid, can cause a wide variety of problems. On my post about Lyme Disease, someone mentioned a doctor that helped people with lyme disease simply by supplementing HCL. Crazy! It wouldn’t be a surprise for any American to have low stomach acid as it is a common problem. However, my daughter was tested as having too much stomach acid! And I have a lot of the symptoms she has for that. So, in my case, it would actually be surprising.
butternutrition
Interesting on the high stomach acid! As a side note, the book: Why Stomach Acid is Good for You by Dr. Jonathan Wright is a great read.
According to Ray Peat, PhD, anemia is caused by thyroid deficiency. An easy way to check in on your thyroid function is your temp upon waking and 20 minutes after meals. If it is less than 97.8 upon waking in bed, or less than 98 after meals, it would suggest low thyroid function.
Hope you find relief soon!
KimiHarris
Interesting! My MD thinks that thyroid issues can be caused by low iron, rather than the other way around. But I would bet that both could be true (some for some people, and some for others).
KimiHarris
Oh, and I may be wrong, but I think my doctor has that book for sale in his office. 🙂
Jen B.
Well Praise God for answers! It’s always wonderful when the Lord directs our steps and gives us wisdom to follow. Blessings on your healing journey. 🙂
KimiHarris
Thanks, Jen!
Kari
I agree with butternutrition–have a look into Ray Peat when you get a little energy. Lots of wonderful info. Hormones, thyroid, ect can all really affect the health of the gut. Good luck in your journey! : )
KimiHarris
Thanks, Kari. I’ve actually read some of his stuff before.
Jen
Hugs to you Kimi. Being anemic sucks. I have struggled with it my entire life and had surgery 1 1/2 years ago for the cause of a severe bout with it. I hope the transfusions work for you. Thanks for sharing your journey because it helps those of us who struggle with it too.
Carly
I’m glad you have some answers. I react to gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, tree nuts, pineapple and flax. I am ramping up to GAPS! Just finished my first batch of fermented veggies and started eating them today. Have also been doing bone broth and juicing first thing in the morning. (And waiting until 10 am to eat). I feel so much better already. My last hold outs are non-gluten grains. I’m gonna wait until after Christmas to remove completely. Good luck! I feel your pain (and lack of energy). When I first started down this path, my enzyme specialist told me I had the lowest B vitamins he had ever seen in 20 years in medicine!
Tina
Hi Kimi~
I’ll share my iron experiences. I was iron deficient in college….hard for me to walk up stairs…I was so tired. Iron supplements fixed that.
9 years ago I developed CFS, in addition to iron deficiency. My ferritin was 5 ng/mL and my Hct and Hgb were very low. They did an iron absorption test, which was normal, meaning I was absorbing iron. If you haven’t had this done, I would recommend it. Basically make sure you are not taking iron supplements (even in a multi-vit); go in for a fasting blood draw were they measure serum iron, then you take an iron supplement and an hour later have another blood draw. If the serum iron goes up, you are absorbing iron. A doctor needs to order this test of course.
So, I was put on iron supplements. Even though I was taking 200 mg of elemental iron a day, my iron indices continued to drop. There is a table of my iron labs on page 24 in this book (maybe Amazon will let you see it with the search inside feature): http://www.amazon.com/When-Somethings-Wrong-Navigate-Health/dp/1608446719/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354155823&sr=8-1&keywords=when+somethings+wrong+how+to+navigate+the+world+of+health+care
So, I ended up with a uterine ablation. It took several months and my iron indices finally normalized. I still take iron from time to time (I am considering the possibility that I have some kind of food intolerance so I am starting an elimination diet today). I get my ferritin measured yearly, along with my other iron indices.
I would recommend doing an absorption test for iron, for you may be able to take oral iron. I would also recommend keeping close track of your iron indices in some kind of table until things normalize. I was having monthly blood draws so I could tell if what I was doing was working or not. Also, if your Hct and Hgb aren’t low then your tiredness may be due to other factors (thyroid or other issues).
Good luck! I’ve been there and done that and have recovered from iron deficiency, but I still have CFS…..
Best, Tina
MelissaM
Thank you for sharing this. You have encouraged me to explore this as well. I am on a roller coaster of symptoms you’ve described, but I am already gluten free. I need to go back to my ND to explore intolerances again. Thank you for the push. 🙂
Nicky
Hi Kimi – gosh, nothing worse than being that tired….and trying to have the energy to look after your wee ones. Plus putting out a cook bookend running a blog. You are amazing!
Hope you start to feel better soon xx
Julia McCabe
WOW!!!
I am So Glad you have a reason why you are feeling so run down. I hope that the transfusions will be able to be done before January. I have been in a very similar place where you are right now and it was and is not fun to deal with when all you want to do is sleep. I still struggle with my iron levels but now that I know the signs I can catch it before it gets too bad. (mostofthetime). I have gluten issues as well as iron, however, it is very hard for me to give up gluten completely. I can do really well for a few weeks and then something just snaps and I NEED bread or something filled with gluten. I wish I could figure out how to turn the gluten switch off for good and not have the big ups and downs from it. I wish you great success and I know you will be back to normal soon!!! 🙂
KimiHarris
My doctor told me that once a month exposure to gluten was too much (for me). If something is bothering you, only having it every once in a while will still stress your digestive system. Maybe that could encourage you to keep away? 🙂 When I went off of dairy, which definitely bothers me the most of anything, the first 4 weeks was the hardest and I had major cravings. But after that, they really did go away for the most part. If you can manage to do it for those first 4 weeks, you may find it easier to keep away. 🙂
Anyone else have stories to tell about getting off gluten? Was it hard or easy for you?
Stacy
I discovered my gluten intolerance myself 4.5 years ago after being overseas and feeling GOOD and SLEEPING for the 3 weeks I was there eating rice and beans. I got home and stopped sleeping and began to feel bad again (headaches, low energy, brain fog, memory… you name it). Took gluten out when I made the connection and I’ve never looked back. Over the next 6 months after taking out gluten, one by one, I realized I was also sensitive to oats (even GF), sesame and almond. I can eat other nuts in moderate quantities without a problem usually. I have no problem staying away from these things except for accidental ingestion. Interestingly enough, my reaction to gluten has changed over time. At first, once my gut had healed some, I had terrible, intense gut reactions, blowing up with gas like a balloon until I looked 6 months pregnant within 15 min, vomiting and with my intestines literally visibly writhing in my belly. It was so painful. Then, I’d have a day of rest (with a hangover from the glutening), and day 3 I’d get sick all over again, but this time with diarrhea. I had the same reaction last November while traveling for work and missed 3 days. But sometimes now I don’t even react. I accidentally took a big swig of my husband’s beer once this past summer with no reaction at all. And I don’t get as many severe reactions. At any rate, I still struggle with overall wellness (though I’m a lot better) due to longstanding thyroid issues, low iron, and occasional fibromyalgia flare-ups. It’s difficult, but definitely much better than it was, and I have found a naturopath who I like. After New Years I am going to try to go refined-sugar, grain and dairy free for a month before re-introducing to see what happens, though I love yogurt, cheese and butter, so it will be hard. I’ll have to wean myself off of my coffee with milk and sugar in the meantime (unfortunately I can’t stand stevia)! I wish you a healing journey – nothing is too difficult if it poisons your body!!!
Now
Mary V
CELIAC AND DIAGNOSIS
I saw your comment about celiac and reactions to gluten containing foods (after a stretch on a gluten free diet). I am a celiac and wanted to put in my two cents on the topic. I believe that you can eat gluten containing foods and NOT have a reaction for a little while even if you are celiac…..however, this is only because you have healed your gut somewhat by avoiding gluten. The damage starts up again and your symptoms will start up again too. So, in short, just because you were able to eat gluten containing foods without a reaction (after a spell of going gluten free) does not mean that you are not celiac.
That being said…..I would not go to a doctor to get a diagnosis if you suspect that you are celiac. Once you are labeled celiac it is VERY difficult to get insurance because celiac is considered a pre-existing condition. This was the advise given to me by my doctor when I was asking him for a test 12 years ago. He said, “The only way to avoid celiac symptoms is to completely avoid gluten, and if you are committed to that diet, you do not need a diagnosis to confirm it. The diagnosis will be used against you!”
rachel
You seriously have written everything I’ve been going through. My iron is a 6 pills didn’t work just finished my fenifur injection and feel slightly better but the colonoscopy I had today showed signs of crohns but very mild. Would love to chat more and find more information on the diet
KimiHarris
Rachel,
The diet I am going to be following (besides being based on a “Nourishing Traditions” type ideal), is simply avoiding foods that I am intolerant too. I am also going to make sure that I eat lots of homemade broth and lacto-fermented foods, as a general healing/nutritional boost. I’d love for others to chime in here (and like I mentioned, this diet isn’t for everyone), but I’ve heard great things about using the GAPS diet for healing Crohns disease!
KimiHarris
So, I probably should have mentioned this, but another reason why my iron was sooo low might be because I lost a serious amount of blood when I gave birth two years ago….and I haven’t taken any iron since then. I am not sure why my midwives didn’t recommend that, or why I didn’t think of that myself, but there you have it! Obviously, I should have been rebuilding since then, and haven’t been, but I am sure that didn’t help.
Anne Marie
Check out earthclinic.com for pantry remedies to help build up blood naturally.
Jen
That’s huge Kimi. I had Fibroids and menorrhagia for years. Each month I never replenished my iron stores and just kept losing it. I would say this is a huge cause for the low iron. My levels have popped back up since the surgery to remove the fibroids. Although they had to leave a few in because I was too low for them to remove all of them, fearing too much blood loss and lowered iron levels. So I just try to stay away from getting too much estrogenic foods that will grow those things.
I know that waiting to get those transfusions seems like a lifetime. I wasn’t eager to get cut open (I had a month after diagnosis to wait for the surgery), but I wanted to have energy so bad that I would have done it sooner if I could have. It’s misery when you are that tired. My heart goes out to you.
Beth
Having just gone through low iron anemia yet again earlier this year, the memory of exhaustion is fresh on my mind. It does take a while to feel better because all the red blood cells that were made during the low iron time are smaller i.e. can’t carry as oxygen and live for 3 months. Was an iron absorption test one of the tests done to determine poor absorption?
KimiHarris
From what I’ve heard, the iron transfusion works much faster for most people in feeling better (thank goodness!). Otherwise, we could be looking at a year to get my iron up to proper levels! I am sure my MD will have me do that test if needed (that is, my iron gets low again, despite removing foods that are messing with my digestion).
christy
was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis a few years back…healed it following Jini Patel Thompson’s “listen to your gut” program. PROBIOTICS heals your gut. heal your gut and you stop the allergic reactions we get from food: food enters our blood stream when the guts defenses are down…then our body sees it as bad=allergic reactions. use Natren brand. expensive, but worth it because it works. also she has amazing research behind her recommendations…she recommends and I used Thorne Iron along with liquid chlorophyll which greatly aids iron absorbtion. be careful with over supplementing iron..because it is a very high oxidant! don’t take iron with dairy…binds it up. good luck to you, I appreciate your site and posts very much
Karen
Kimi, Just a note of caution. My daughter was low in iron as a child and we put her on
Infamil to bolster her iron. We found out the hard way, (no pun intended), that iron causes constipation. I solved it by adding prune juice to her bottles, but not without
some painful results first. K
Becky
My ferritin (useable iron) levels were very low a few years ago. I don’t eat much red meat and I was craving a green salad every day. I started using a freeze dried green vegetable powder and got my ferritin levels up to normal with that.
I also struggle with food sensitivities. Had the blood test done at Meridian Valley Lab in Renton WA (approx $150), and the test was right on. Stopped eating those foods and my inflammation decreased drastically. I am not gluten sensitive, but try to avoid it as much as I can. I do OK with sprouted spelt flour which has a much lower gluten content.
A recent blood test showed my DHEA levels were very low; per my ND’s instructions I started using DHEA sublingual spray and have noticed a definite improvement in my energy levels.
Be sure and check out Platinum Plus amino acids and Sea Aloe Gold. They help nourish your thyroid, heal your gut and have better absorption of the nutrients in your food.
Hope this info helps someone else searching for something new to try to improve their health.
christy
ps eating fermented foods is so awesome…BUT if you are needing to HEAL your gut for a bit, you’ll have to supplement with a higher amount of probiotics…much much higher than yogurt or fermented foods can give you….theraputic doses are needed for people with digestive issues, not just maintanence amounts…stuff that we can fix for ourselves. I take the natren healthy trinity capsules…
Michelle
Use cast iron for all your cooking… I’m dealing with perhaps a resurgence of thyroid cancer… Just got done with breast cancer.. Have at least one kid with ulcerative colitis and NO iron.. Maybe two kids… The iron transfers to whatever you cook… Even my morning eggs are cooked in iron…. My daddy is very sick with MDS and has iron overload, in researching what to feed him, legumes, greens and everything cruciferous is packed with iron… Don’t go for Gfree crap… You don’t need subs… Just don’t eat crap… Fresh is best!!! You can do this!!!
MamaBear
Have you looked into floravital to help with iron in the interim and fermented cod liver oil for vitamin d?
Just ideas! God bless.
KimiHarris
Yup! Already take both. 🙂
minta
have you ever heard of floradix? it’s a liquid iron supplement….rather than take iron pills (during my pregnancies) my midwife recommended this b/c your body absorbs it better.
http://www.amazon.com/Floradix-Iron-Herbs-8-50-Ounces/dp/B00078RWU6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354167670&sr=8-2&keywords=floradix
KimiHarris
YES! I like it so much more than any other iron. However it is expensive to take as much as I am right now! Eek!
Valerie
I have battled for years with iron levels. Similar reasons to you, Kimi. Blood loss and so on. I have had incisions but have since heard they are very hard on the body. My last test showed me at a ten, and I have been taking hard-core iron tablets since. Ferrograd c. Feeli g much better! Floramax has never worked for me as it simply does not contain enough iron to boost levels. It is good for maintaining but even says on the bottle not for iron deficiency. Just my two cents!
Valerie
Infusions not incisions! Floradix not Floramax! Lol.
Valerie
Also, I met with one of the leading world experts on iron absorption – mainstream doctor – who said the best way to absorb iron (if there are no other problems) is through foods. Red meat, taken with vitamin c, no tea or coffee within an hour of a meal.
minta
btw, in response to another’s post – yes, iron supplements cause constipation. which is why my midwife recommend floradix. it never bothered me!
Rachelle
I hope this spell of “bone-tiredness” ends for you soon. I saw you mentioned that you lost lots of blood when your little one was born and has most likely stayed low since. I lost LOTS of blood just after one of my babies was born, and my midwife recommended I take Floradix. It helped tremendously. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but it might be a good way to supplement your iron before you can have the transfusions. Good luck!
Linda Osmond
I didn’t read the entire thread, but you have probably heard that often low iron can also be a result of parasitic action or bad bacteria. They feed on iron. Almost all of my family members were low on iron, including me (mom). We did do GAPS for about 6 months, and I think it did help.
Thyroid and iron are very related. If you want some real specifics of what to test (because it is more than serum ferritin and iron…need other components in the iron panel, too, to really evaluate how it is affecting thyroid), see http://www.stopthethyroidmadness for much detailed info about iron lab work and thyroid.
As far as supplementation (which I think Dr. NCM of GAPS says actually feeds parasites or bad bacteria), the best we have used is Enzymatic Therapy either Ultimate Iron or Energizing Iron. It contains heme iron from liquid liver fractions, which is much more absorbable and does raise iron levels better than any other brand I’ve tried. A local health food store said the same thing about this brand from reports from their patrons. Also, be cautious of liquid iron supplements (not in capsule form), as they can stain your teeth, as the woman on stopthethryoidmadness attests.
P.S. Gluten can be a big key. I went off of gluten for quite a while before starting GAPS. It helped some, I think, but healing the gut was the best thing for me, it seems.
Best wishes to you in your journey back to health. I know that God will continue to guide and direct you and give you answers.
Linda
KimiHarris
Yes, I have! Weird and disturbing, isn’t it? Thankfully, my doctor is very aware of all of that. (He uses the GAPS diet with many of his patients, himself).
Philippa
Apparently cranberry seems to come up as highly sensitive in a lot of people in that test for unknown reasons, even if you don’t eat them or eat very much of them.
Carrie I
Afriend found this website: http://dogtorj.com/ and it held the clues to her severe fibromyalgia because it has information many others don’t- like how high glutamates are in bone broth… More information for your quest for health…
Katarina Johansson
And don’t forget the simple thing! To eat and orange or Clementine when taking your ironpills! Vitamin C helps absorbing the iron. Coffee and tea are also no good for the iron levels. Once I had low iron levels.I was tired and dizzy, had the weirdest pain in my arms, and it felt like a brick was laying pressing on my head. Then I got chestpain. Was no fun at all. Took supplements for a while and then I was fine. Doc said I had many SMALL red blood cells, instead of normal sized ones.
Em (Wine and Butter)
Hi Kimi – Im so sorry to hear of yoru troubles and so glad you know what is up so can start to be on the mend. I love your blog and have followed it for years.. such a great resource (we especially love your dark chocolate tart!). Anyhow I also wanted to say how much I respect your balance of conventional medicine and traditional natural methods (including nutrition). Its so easy to get caught up in one or the other, when really the best thing we can do is take the best aspects of both.. all progress brings changes both good an bad and its up to us to make the best of both of them! All the best to you! xo
Adrienne
Hi Kimi. How interesting. My husband’s iron stores were almost at zero a few years ago as well – 3 I think. Anyway, I am sure you are taking a probiotic but that helped him immensely. I was reading the GAPS book and the author talked about how bad bacteria eats iron.
He did that, and went off almost all gluten and some of the higher glycemic fruits (he was eating a lot of bananas and dates) and his stores are almost back to normal now. We are also doing a nutritional means of removing metals and he did have those for sure (me too). I wrote a little about it here but I hope to post more. I’d love to keep in touch about this if you ever want to talk. http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/could-you-have-heavy-metal-poisoning-and-not-know-it-part-one/
Blessings – and a big hug.
claire emba
Hey, been following this site for a little while and glad to know you’re on the way to sorting out your low energy probs. I’ve been having similar problems over the last couple of years – began by finding low iron and discovered other things from there inc low vitamin D – have you had that one checked? I wasn’t lucky enough to get a test for food intolerances – maybe i’ll push for that; had to push for the vit D test even! I was advised by an alternative health practitioner i was seeing to try giving up gluten and it has helped a lot but i’m still trying to untangle what foods make me feel unwell. It seems like drs here don’t believe in testing for such things but i’m becoming a lot more assertive in asking for what i want! Anyway – solidarity in the search for good health and thanks for the informative posts 🙂
Dina-Marie @ Cultured Palate
I am sorry you feel so bad and are going through this! I am on the GAPS diet and have had amazing results but you know your body and the die off symptoms can be difficult! You are right, GAPS is not meant to be a long term diet just for a period of healing.
I am glad you know what you are dealing with – sometimes the fear of the “might be” is worse than reality! You always have a balanced approach and are an inspiration to us all – thanks for the time you spend on Nourishing Gourmet! In fact, your blog was one of the first that I found when looking for real food recipes – thanks!
Jessie
Thank God for answers & God bless you on your healing journey.
Samara
Hi Kimi,
So sorry to hear you’re so low on energy. I do hope the transfusions help. Praying and wishing you well from afar!
Shelby
I was extremely low in my iron after the birth of my first baby. My midwife recommended to increase iron naturally I could use Yellowdock herb. It was amazing the difference it made and it did not cause constipation. It increases it quite quickly too!
Danielle @ Poor and Gluten Free
So glad you’ve found out what’s wrong! I’m gluten intolerance and went through that inexplicable total exhaustion (“ironically” my iron levels were good though, it was the first thing they tested for). Hopefully now that you know what to avoid you can begin to feel better! Oh, and another of my girlfriends who is off gluten actually carries her own GF Tamari soy sauce in her purse when she goes for sushi ;p
Ashley
Hope you get to feeling better soon! It’s awful to have no energy.
Jenny
Hope you feel better Kimi! In the meantime, I am more than happy to keep eating gluten free with you! I’ve been gluten free since 2002 and feeling SO much better : )
Debbie
Kimi,
Sorry you’re going through this, although I know how encouraging it is to get answers. I am following the gaps diet to a point. I eat a grain free (coconut flour, zucchini, baking soda, honey, cinnamon and a combo of unsweetened applesauce and plain coconut yogurt) muffin each morning with a banana/coconut milk smoothie. According to gaps, I should be making my own coconut milk, but I buy the So Delicious. For lunch I have some kind of homemade soup from my continuous bone broth. Sometimes I also have some sweet potato chips (only 3 ingredients in these; swt. potatoes, sea salt and sunflower oil) dipped in mashed avocado/cumin and little bit of salsa. For dinner I have 2 vegetables, always cooked and some kind of slow cooked meat. I did not do the intro gaps, but feel I have a routine. If I can truly heal my gut, I would love to try eggs again for of all the things, I miss eggs the most. I am not doing any grains, dairy and very little sugar and only in the form of honey. I also do some raw sauerkraut with my lunch and dinner, take a strong probiotic pill each morning. Along with that, I take fish oil and 5000 iu D3 and also the CALM magnesium/calcium. I’ve been trying to heal my gut and my chronic fatigue for years. Pre-menopause I too was low in iron, although not like you. I didn’t want to take the iron tabs, so she suggested I cook with cast iron which, of course I did. It’s truly a journey for many of us to find the right balance in our bodies and to still hold our heads up, knowing it’s not “all in our heads!” I pray you have a Merry Christmas, even as tired as you are and that you continue to keep hope in your heart that better things are just around the corner.
Also, I didn’t tell you all this because I think you or anyone else should be doing what I am doing, we’re all different and that’s the key, finding what works for us. I’m not even sure if what I’m doing will work. It’s been about two months, I figure I have a long ways to go to heal after so very many years of struggling and not finding the answers. I shared because I enjoy reading what others are doing in their health journey. 🙂
Catherine
Man, I would love to find answers to my problems. Who did you go see? What is their contact info?
Rachel
I had sent a private message but not sure if it got to you. Your blog post is my life word for word minus the gluetin free stuff. I was just told I may have a mild case of Crohn’s. If you haven’t had a colonoscopy I rec’ one. It’s not fun but it can tell you if you have celiac’s or anything else that could be causing the iron absorbtion issues. I just finished my venifur and feel a little better. Kinda feel like I’m running out again. GOOD luck and if you got my private message and would like to chat more (i’d love to hear about emmiting food) my email was on the message
Meagan
I think I’ve seen a comment or two from you on Matt Stones website 180 degree health. Have you ever considered RRARFing? It sounds like you might just need a different direction to try instead of mastering the one you’ve been on for a while. Consults can even be free from him….I think it is definitely worth looking into. I know once I stopped doing restrictive diets and allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted, a huge load of stress was lifted off of me and my symptoms lessened and/or diminished.
Kimi Harris
You know, I am actually surprised that this would
be suggested for someone in my situation ( but then again, you don’t know how I eat normally nor have you seen my labwork). As interesting as some of his ever changing ideas are, I think following some of his advice the last two years has hindered rather then helped me. And I have certainly not been following a restrictive diet the last two years! I enjoy lots of good food and plenty of it! But leaving out foods like dairy and gluten aren’t necessarily stressful, especially since I can say with certainty that taking out dairy made a world of difference in how I felt. I am pretty sure, unfortunately, that Matt stone doesn’t have the tools need to get better. I am glad he helped you though!
Meagan
I hope this solution works for you. I know you can face gluten free a lot easier than me. Can’t wait to hear updates!
Jenny
I have been monitoring my iron for a while. I got the results from my last bloodwork on Monday and in the last month my level dropped from 14 to 7. My doctor wants to send me for iron infusions at this point but she is concerned also because I have multiple chemical sensitivities and there are some things that could cause problems for me in the infusions.
I did some research and found that the Gerson therapy recommends avoiding nuts, seeds and legumes because the phytic acid can inhibit the absorption of iron and other minerals. At this point, I am going to avoid all of those as well and I have upped the dosage of liquid iron that I have been taking, which has not caused any problems with constipation. I am also going to start incorporating beets in my smoothies.
Praying that all of us that are suffering from low iron stores find the solutions that work best for our needs. <3
Stacy
Beet-Banana-Orange-ice smoothie = best ever!!! I love beets in smoothies!
Anna
What kind of doctor do I go to get iron infusions? And can anyone recommend a doctor in Los Angeles?
KimiHarris
Conventional doctors as well as some ND’s would probably recommend this type of treatment. 🙂