Hello. I'm fairly new to this site. I have been reading the posts over the last few months and this site has been very helpful to me. A little background about me: I am a 42 year old female with beta thalassemia minor. My father had the trait and my brother also has the trait. When I was younger, I was always tired, however, did not have any of the symptoms I am experiencing now. I am pretty fatigued on most days and since I turned 40, have noticed that I get flu'ish type symptoms quite frequently. I used to have a pretty good tolerance to exercise. I used to run and lift weights 5 days a week. I still exercise, but my workouts mainly only consist of weight lifting these days. I am unable to tolerate too much cardio. I wonder if my symptoms could be due to the thalassemia or something else. It's frustrating not knowing what is wrong with me. My holistic doctor doesn't think that thalassemia could cause my symptoms. I disagree. Here are my latest labs:
Hemoglobin: 10.2
Ferritin: 57 NG/ML
Iron: 101
Over the past few years, my periods have gotten heavier, so I have been supplementing with iron. I still wonder if my ferritin levels are too low. I've read that ideal ferritin levels should be between 70 and 80. I started supplementing with all of the vitamins that Andy has suggested. I feel that they have helped, but I still don't feel all that great. I'm desperate for any advice, ideas, or suggestions. I've been very depressed lately. Thank you!!!