My Iron Reports & Further Questions.

I guess I got an idea as to why this reduction happened at double rate.

Exactly when I got my last FE report done on 22nd September, I in a day or two after it had a sore throat. And I could not eat anything, because all used to get stuck, even full apple. I'm a great apple lover and consume around 5-6 apples daily. So from around 23rd Septmeber to this latest report on November 4, my mom used to peel/reap the skin of apple, and I used to eat them without the skin.

I guess we can easily say that if I am eating 5-6 apples a day, it should be increasing my iron daily by 9-10 units?

So we all know that the skin of apple holds most of the iron and during these 42 days, I was eating them without skin, so calculating daily apple iron by 10 x 40, we get around 400 units for 40-42 days.

Now, my iron always used to lower by 400 units, as per my calculation, but it was more than twice, this time.

So I very much feel this was all due to my not eating apple's skin along with the apple.

If so, I would be consuming them without the skin only.

What you all have to say? Andy, anyone?

-P.

The amount of iron in an apple is not high. It is less with the skin removed, but either way, you're not getting a lot of iron from apples. Keep in mind that non-heme iron from vegetable food is poorly absorbed. One medium apple with skin has about .22 mg iron. Without the skin is .11 mg. Even eating 6 a day won't give you much iron. I think the reason your ferritin is dropping quickly is because of your own efforts to be fully compliant with chelation. The only foods I think should be limited are red meats because they have a high heme iron content, and this is most readily absorbed. There is one reason that the skin of apples might want to be avoided, and this is in the case of apples being treated with high amounts of pesticides. Otherwise, eat up. Fruit in general is recommended because they have high amounts of vitamins and antioxidants.

What has been learned with chelation is that the closer you get to 24/7 chelation, the better it works. Rust never sleeps and neither does the iron-caused oxidation in the bodies of those with an iron load. Chelation as close to constant and diet and supplements high in antioxidants are recognized as the best way to counter this and keep thals healthy.

To check nutritional content of foods, go to http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list

Great, thank you Andy.

And I'm a vegetarian, so meat and all is not an option for me.

-P.

I'm veg too, Pratik.    The only suggestions I have for diet in vegetarians is to make sure your diet is well balanced and that you avoid empty calories as much as possible. Excess iron absorption from food should not be a concern for vegetarians, so eat what you like as long as it's healthy food. You will get plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants on a good veg diet.

Great to hear that we share something in common he he. 

And yes, why kill animals when I can get something from natural source which is delicious?

-P.

My Doc always do tell me that "If you are chelating don't worry about iron absorbtion from diet, veg food"
i was also taking methi / bhaji/ palak all kind of leafy vegetables daily twice...
So Cheers dear
but five apples daily are very high it replaces your diet like wheat , roti, rice etc.
means it should not replace regular diet.
it should be in addition to regular diet.
Because our diet is very well balanced like wheat, rice , protein etc.

I hardly eat any rice, not because that I've diabetes, but I don't like it.

-P.

It is very sad to say that this Ferritin report is not so good.

It's 5800. The last 41 days ago, it was 4546. So an increase of 1200 or so.

It is also important to note that I'm cutting out Exjade since past 2 weeks due to pain issues. Meanwhile, since 26th November 2012, I've been taking IP6.

Andy,

Could it be that these reports might be wrong (although I am being skeptical) because the iron might have entered blood stream meanwhile my blood work was taken? Not sure but I feel these reports would be possibly accurate.

Oh well, I've also seen my doc today and he gave me a medicine and also advised me to do Sonography, which I'll mostly get done tomorrow evening and that he'd advise furthermore after that.

Also Hep. C is negative and the doc also advised to do billirubin and so it's report will be heard tomorrow, let's hope for the best.

Iron results are little depressing though, I'm unable to take Asunra and my iron is packing up and transfusion is scheduled tomorrow, so I'm at stake of increase in iron again.

I worked so hard since May 2012 and made a good regime and iron plan, and when I see it defeating me, it's an issue that makes me upset.

But I appear more fairer than before, so I wondered how I could get this, but a good thing is that my sugar levels were high these days and this still leaves me with hope that when my iron would decrease, I'll again have nice functional pancreas.

-P.

edit: Andy, it is also important to note that I'm since couple of days eating my most loved fruit Wood Apple (Kothu in Indian language):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonia_(plant)

It's biological name is also referred to Ferronia Limnonia. Could we take Ferronia as in an Ferritin/iron based term? On good days, I eat up to 3 of them a day. Is it a problem?

Pratik,

I wouldn't worry about the ferritin report. Since you are still having pain after 3 days off from taking supplements and Exjade, I think your problem may lie elsewhere. If you have any viral or bacterial infection or inflammation, your ferritin will rise, independent of iron load. I would suggest also stopping the wood apple for a few days and see if it has an effect. Wood apple is an astringent used to stop diarrhea and it may be having an intestinal effect that is causing pains. Only stopping it for a few days will tell you if it's involved.

Pratik,

I wouldn't worry about the ferritin report. Since you are still having pain after 3 days off from taking supplements and Exjade, I think your problem may lie elsewhere. If you have any viral or bacterial infection or inflammation, your ferritin will rise, independent of iron load. I would suggest also stopping the wood apple for a few days and see if it has an effect. Wood apple is an astringent used to stop diarrhea and it may be having an intestinal effect that is causing pains. Only stopping it for a few days will tell you if it's involved.

So I take that the actual ferritin might not be high but due to viral? So what to consider, is it real or just reports showing that it has rose? Confused here.

Billirubin is also normal, Hep. C is negative, so it's great that I'm not having any potential big problems. My family doc also prescribed a medicine since yesterday to bring SGPT levels down and improve liver health, so I can start exjade ASAP. I'm going to get Sonography done on Monday most probably.

Andy, also any possibility that IP6 might be extracted iron out of organs and it maybe shown in the blood stream while the blood work was done? Is it possible?

About Wood Apple, sure. I thought too today to take it off as I've already ate good amount of them for the season (I love them lol).

Thank you very much.

-P.

Got the ferritin done again today from the same sample as yesterday, tremendous variation.

It's not 1323 but 5100, right as I hoped. The lab tech said they did some dilute check yesterday or something like that and so results were altered. I was pretty sure something was wrong.

But nevermind, I'm happy either way. Because there is still a hope for my diabetes to be cured! Because this was winter and my sugar levels were pretty good than last winter (they spike a lot in winters) so I know I'll be a lot better when I'll get the levels under 3000 and below.

I also have started Exjade/Kelfar combination since last week. 5 days Exjade, 2 days Kelfar (on weekends, 3/day - low dose).

After last report of 5800 in December mid, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I had stopped Exjade and in January beginning started irregular doses of Kelfar. The actual chelation started again in February, so levels of 5100 are very good in my view!

I'll try to get the levels near 3000 or below by June. Gotta throw lot of IP6 and green tea extracts now. ;) 

-P.

Pratik

You are making progress, but I have been continually questioning ferritin reports from patients in India. I don't know why, but reports are making little to no sense. It is making it difficult to advise patients.

Ferritin would not drop during infections and inflammations. It would certainly rise as iron is sequestered in serum ferritin so that it is not available to any invading bacteria or viruses.

I now do ferritin reports at only one lab, and after split dose, they've been great without any variation.

But this time, the method of checking was somehow altered and hence this result.

Nonetheless, even going through hard times, I made progress. I'll try to get below 3000 by the end of May.

-P.

We misheard over the phone. Ferritin is not 5100 but 5417 as seen from the report I'm holding right now.

Nonetheless, still good considering I stopped chelating for about a month and this was outcome of only around a month's chelation.

I'll be upping IP6 dosage to 1500 today (3 caps) and see if I can adjust now to 1500 instead of 1000mg.

I think anyone whom IP6 is giving side effects like constipation could adopt my developed regimen. I started from small dose 500mg and took that for several days, then jumped onto 1000 and would jump to 1500 today and see if it can be adjusted to me. I'm glad that Puritan's products are complementing to me. I'll now look forward to order most of my vital supplements from them.

-P.