Thal minor and Iron deficient??

Hi everyone!  I have been reading through this forum and have found it very helpful.  I am glad I am not alone.  i have been doing a lot of research on this because I believe my symptoms are related.  I was told I had thalessemia minor at a very young age.  My mother said it was Mediterranean anemia.  I found out the medical term for it as I grew older.  I am 39 years old, and have been experiencing fatigue for over 4 years!  Because of this fatigue, I had stopped living my active lifestyle and have gained 40 pounds, I feel weak, and recently been feeling dizzy.  Last night, I had heart palpitations that I even felt in my neck!  I have been to my doctor several times, and he knows about my thal.  He had taken blood, said I was fine and sent me home.  I believe I told him I can't have iron, I don't remember, but nothing has been done to help how I feel.  I decided to go to a hematologist.  I had all my blood work from 2011 sent over and went to my appointment on Friday.  The hematologist went into detail about thal, and also stated that from my previous tests, he saw that I was iron deficient.  I told him I can't have iron, but he said it is still possible to be iron deficient and have thal.  I am still feeling confused, because "dont take iron" has been drilled in my head for so many years, but he said if certain levels in my iron were under 100, I will need to take iron.  I told him of the side effects iron gave me when I was pregnant years before, but he said having injections would have less of these side effects.  He seemed to be highly educated about thal.  I told him i do not know if I am Beta or Alpha, and he told me that Alpha cant be found in a test, but beta can, and he went into detail about each.  He said it does not matter which I have.  he told me not to worry, he will get my hemoglobin levels up.  Anyway, he had my blood drawn to check my hemoglobin, iron levels, thyroid, and I forget what else.  I am just waiting on these results.  He said it would take a week, but these dizzy spells and heart palpitations are making me a bit nervous. Anyone else have these symptoms, and has anyone had to take iron for a deficiency?  Has it made you more tired?  Sorry for such a long post, I just need some advice.  My mom said iron made her more tired, which had discouraged me. 
  Thank you in advance.

I have started taking vitamins also about 3 weeks now.  I'm taking 400IU vitamin D, 500 mg Magnesium,800 mcg Folic Acid, a Hair Skin and Nails supplement, Super B-Complex, and a probiotic.  I feel a little better, but energy levels are not that high.  The only time I have a lot of energy, is when I'm at work, and I've already drank a pot of coffee.  ( I work 2nd shift ).

Hi angelkar,

Iron deficiency and thal minor can co-exist. If you have the results of your iron panel, I can take a look and see if it looks like IDA.

Thanks Andy! 
I do not have the results yet, but once I get them, I will post them.  In the past, I've never actually got a read out of my results.  Hopefully I can get ahold of them this time.   

Hi Andy,
I went to my regular doctor today for a check up and broke down crying because of this fatigue for the last 4 years and the significant weight gain.  I told him I feel like I am a waste of life because of the lack of energy.  I told him that I saw a hematologist and that he said that I looked Iron deficient in 2011.  My regular doc said from what he could see, by iron levels were normal then.  I am so confused.  He said to wait and see what my hematologist says, and he thinks I am stressed out because I have alot on my plate, etc.  Anyway, I had asked him for my lab results from 2011, so I can give you something to go on.
I am still waiting on the lab work from Friday, but here is what I have for 2011.
I have no idea how to read this, so I am writing it down exactly as it is.

Iron:
FE       53 (50-170 UG/DL)

Ferritin    
FER     7.1 (10-291 NG/ML) L

HGB Electrophoresis results are as follows:

Hemoglobin A      94.0 (95.8-98.0 %) A
Hemoglobin A2    4.2 (2.0-3.3 %) A
Hemoglobin F      1.3 (0.0-0.9%) A

Can you please help me figure this out, so I can get an idea of what all this means?
And can you tell if I am Beta or Alpha?
Thanks in advance.

Also, I have other results attached to what I have, but just gave what I thought was needed.  Please let me know what other areas of my lab work you may need in addition to this.
Thanks.

It looks like beta minor, as the HbA2 is elevated and there is a measurable level of fetal hemoglobin. Neither of these would be seen with alpha minor.

Both your serum iron and your ferritin were low. This indicates iron deficiency in addition to thal minor. If your levels are still in this range, you will need to get your iron level up. I would like to emphasize the importance of normal vitamin D levels. Since correcting my own, I found everything else to be much easier. I have lost weight and even my allergies are not as severe. I think D is the single most important nutrient and that it affects almost all bodily processes. It's easy to correct with high doses and should be done ASAP if you are low. It also does wonders on an emotional level, making everything else easier to deal with.

Thank you so much Andy!  I've made an appointment for my first iron injection on Monday.  I will receive all of my labs then, but the nurse I had talked to said my ferritin is extremely low!  I am down to a 3!  She even suggested I stay home from work to avoid fainting because I've felt dizzy, but that is not an option for me.  I have been taking vitamin D supplements for about 3 weeks now.  I have read in some of your posts how important it is.  Can you tell me if my ferritin level being at a 3 is dangerous?
Thanks in advance

Ferritin is not the most accurate measure. A low serum iron would also indicate your iron is low. Your previous serum iron measurement was low, but not dangerously. There is a long term effect on your overall health if it is not addressed. I would suggest that you also concentrate on eating foods that are naturally rich in iron, as you really don't want to be supplementing with iron long term.

Thanks Andy!
I go for my first Iron/Ferritin infusion tomorrow morning, and I am very nervous about it because I've read that these infusions make you feel more tired, and I can't be any more tired than I already am because I have an 8-year-old daughter, school, and a job to go to.  I have also heard that I may experience flu like symptoms from it.
I have my mother-in-law staying with me to help me out for a few days, and I told her if I feel up to it on tuesday, we can go to Whole Foods, so I can get some grass fed beef and more organic foods. 
I thought about it yesterday, and I came to the realization that without thinking much about it, I've stopped cooking red meat.  I make my husband steak, but I do not like steak, so I eat ground turkey and chicken.  I do not eat many leafy green veggies either.  I believe my low iron may be because of lack of red meat.  I am thinking about adding the leafy greens into a smoothie in order to get the natural vitimans from that as well.  Maybe that will help maintain my iron/ferritin levels long term.