Update

Well, my INR is finally above 2.0, so that step is now close to control.  I can't tell you much of a difference, mentally or physically.  

What I can tell is the Iron levels.  I sleep soundly and am less lethargic when the iron level is up.  As a reminder, in all of this, I was diagnosed with anemia, but no one ever explained to me the seriousness of this iron disorder.  Everyone was focusing on the blood clots in both lungs and one leg.  I was never told by a physician nor came across any educational materials alerting me to the dangers of untreated anemia – for example, the genuine chance of having a heart attack.  I look back now and realize that many of the things that I have suffered the past few years – fatigue, foggy thinking, poor memory, joint pain, headaches – can be attributed to anemia.  I have even visited a heart specialist three times, and they found little issues.

My understanding of anemia was limited.  It might cause fatigue and prevent me from donating blood.  The thing that finally clicked was my strong desire to chew ice.  I stumbled upon this information because I was curious about why I wanted to crunch ice.  It was an annoying habit to some, and I had adopted it almost full-time.  I had become practically obsessed with eating ice.  I kept an iced beverage in my hand at all times.  I even started thinking about where I could find the best ice!

After my diagnosis, I read that "eating" ice could be a sign of severe Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA).  I learned about the other symptoms and have been experiencing almost all of them.  Along with the ice, I consumed a large Monster Energy Drink each morning.  I was hooked on caffeine, and in retrospect, I now know it was the only thing that enabled me to get going in the morning and keep moving throughout the day.  I also learned that dairy products, calcium supplements, and some fibers make it hard to digest iron!  I had never heard of this, so I was completely unaware.  I only discovered it when I kicked my caffeine habit, thinking it was causing my heart to race, and found that without it, I couldn't make it through mid-morning, much less through the day.  My energy level was zero, and I felt like I was dying.  Little did I know that I actually was.

In my search, I found www.IronDisorders.org.  This is the website of the Iron Disorders Institute (IDI), and it provides some answers.  If I had read this before, I would have been to the Doctor much sooner and not the result of the near-fatal blood clots.  Yep, it was the blood clots that started my medical treatment journey.  I learned low hemoglobin alone indicates a problem, but you MUST also know your ferritin level before beginning iron supplementation.  I learned certain conditions and infections can cause your hemoglobin to drop, but iron stores could, in fact, still be very high.  Taking iron when you already have iron overload can be extremely dangerous and even fatal.

Overall, my iron level has increased from the low of 6.1 to just above nearly 10 after the most recent infusion and pill-popping the past four weeks.  

As a bit of fun, I recently found a 37-year-old picture from my early college tennis days.  Wow, how things change!

Carry on ...