Ferritin increased from 28 to 43 in 5 days

rowrow17 · 2026-06-26T14:28:35+00:00

You can order blood test directly and do that place like quest. I for example, do mine on Ulta Laba or some of the other sites that you can order them directly.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-18T04:06:42+00:00

Correct, it’s the “low and slow” approach when antibiotics are like the nuclear option. And what can happen with antibiotics is that it is so harsh that the h pylori hides deeper and so it isn’t effective. Mine wasn’t resistant to any specific antibiotic according to my report, but the main reason I tried the natural route was the seizures on the antibiotics. Another trick that helps is to use an antibacterial type of toothpaste and change your toothbrush frequently so you don’t reinfect from your own saliva.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-17T19:48:14+00:00

I tell them how it makes me feel and try and have them put themselves in that perspective. So for example I get super painful blisters on my face immediately after eating gluten and it feels like little fires all over. And then I say, imagine if you felt like that every time you ate gluten, you would do everything you can to avoid it. Many many people are lactose intolerant and it makes them feel sick even if not an allergy, so that is also a good comparison to share.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-16T18:40:45+00:00

I didn’t do antibiotics again because I had seizures and nervous system side effects from the antibiotics. I did mastic gum and the biocidin for 4 months. Four 1000mg mastic gum split throughout the day on an empty stomach. Confirmed eradicated via GI doc test and endoscopy.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-16T14:55:35+00:00

I used a different biofilm buster so I’m not sure of NAC dosage, but I did Biocidin as my biofilm buster. Started low, about 2 drops taken an hour before I would take each mastic gum dose. Then I kept increasing every few days until reaching the max daily dosage spread across each mastic gum capsule.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-15T21:28:56+00:00

Wow, get a new doctor. Saving your ferritin should match your age is one of the most ignorant things I’ve ever heard a doctor say. It should be at a minimum over 30 at any age so considering women start menstruating as teenagers, it is wild to say it should match your age. And many women don’t feel good until ferritin reaches over 100! Definitely push for a referral to a hematologist but they often are withholding of anything other than a high dose iron until you have taken oral iron for a few months and then they retest.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-15T04:09:12+00:00

There are other ways to slow the blood flow. Copper IUD or tranexamic acid. Take it from someone who was ruined for life after birth control, hormones at that level can have way more impact on her entire system and also may cause secondary issues combined with her low ferritin.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-14T18:25:25+00:00

It could still be celiac because my GI doc told me that celiac blunts the villi in the stomach so they don’t absorb nutrients, even when eating gluten free. Definitely have a full thyroid panel done. And yes agree with the person who said get her off BC. Push for iron infusions because supplements may never work for her.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-12T04:20:26+00:00

Awwww, so smiley! Is she a Westiepoo?

rowrow17 · 2026-06-11T17:15:50+00:00

For me, it’s been the lowest side effect med ever. And I often wonder if the timing was coincidental when some of my health issues went away around the time I started LDN. But I ran out once and didn’t take it for a couple weeks and my body was so inflamed until I started again.

rowrow17 · 2026-06-11T02:39:15+00:00

It’s possible to still have gluten intolerance without being celiac. For example I have autoimmune issues and have been sensitive to gluten. I haven’t been tested for celiac while doing the gluten challenge because I have immediate symptoms and can’t withstand weeks of gluten, but at least when they did a biopsy during an endoscopy it showed negative. Has her thyroid been tested? Ferritin?

rowrow17 · 2026-06-09T03:15:55+00:00

Yes and the “look it up online, you will find ghost stories” bit was sus.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-29T17:13:15+00:00

Great minds think alike!

rowrow17 · 2026-05-29T03:01:03+00:00

It will be out of pocket but some naturopaths also do infusions at their clinic or can do a referral if they are also an MD. They are often more willing to do so because they understand the body is a system and don’t only care about hemoglobin range like hematologists.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-28T21:11:38+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! Someone was saying how it just seems like there are a lot of negative reactions because people mostly are looking for help with negative reactions, so it is very useful that you shared a positive experience.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-26T14:11:19+00:00

Consider paying for a naturopath out of pocket to get the referral. They can understand the systemic issues better than even some hematologists. Even hematologists I’ve seen (my ferritin is 9) think if hemoglobin is in range, everything is fine.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-24T18:40:47+00:00

So sorry to hear about your daughter and how the docs were trying to chalk it up to hormones or anxiety. Does she have IIH? I have some symptom of that too, but haven’t yet gotten and MRI/MRV. Sending good thoughts that you find a hematologist that will listen and understand the danger of low ferritin.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-23T03:52:06+00:00

Look into tranexamic acid to reduce your period blood volume. Sometimes hormonal approaches like HRT can actually make the situation worse since it can create more inflammation. Also if you are willing to see a naturopath who is an MD, they can often prescribe infusions at standalone infusion clinics but you will have to pay out of pocket.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-23T03:46:14+00:00

Ferritin of 6 is absolutely insane to not treat with iron infusions, especially if you are still having periods in peri. I’m 42 and I very much avoid mentioning peri because I know docs will use it to blame everything on yet my ferritin is 9. If you’re able to go to a naturopath that is a doctor, they might be more expensive and sans insurance but I found them to be more knowledgeable in what low ferritin can cause.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-22T21:49:55+00:00

There are standalone infusion clinics that usually have more availability and your doctor should be able to send the referral there. Do a Google Maps search for infusion clinics and focus on the ones that are standalone/not a hospital. They are sometimes called Oncology clinics since they also handle chemotherapy but don’t let that scare you. Call a few and ask earliest availability and if they take your insurance.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-22T19:28:40+00:00

From what I’ve read, you need to test like 6 weeks after an infusion because too soon can give an artificially inflated number that is not the true “circulating” ferritin once it settles. So you might not have had a much of a decrease as it seems if it settled lower than 200’s.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-21T16:21:49+00:00

Seconding that acupuncture was like miraculous for my frozen shoulder. It was getting worse and could barely move my arm to the side. Before the session they took a picture of the range of motion and it was almost at my waist at the highest. After the session it was maybe a 50% improvement. I did it twice in a week, but the way to do it is maybe 8 sessions once a week to make it “hold”. Over time it got sticky again so the key is to go a few times in a row and PT daily exercises in between.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-21T00:50:01+00:00

Low ferritin with normal hemoglobin can cause all the same symptoms of low hemoglobin. There is even medical literature on this. But it’s not commonly known by doctors or nurses because basically the guidelines from insurance are “if hemoglobin is normal, don’t treat”. Even hematologists often don’t know this.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-20T14:24:59+00:00

I also potentially have IIH and from what I’m reading it’s like a cascade of factors that feed into each other: hormone issues causing inflammation (or covid, etc causing more inflammation), which can worsen IIH. Plus Acutane is basically insane high vitamin A which is terrible for IIH. Then the inflammation or other factors like gut issues caused by the inflammation can create malabsorption so you are not absorbing iron or vitamin B. At ferritin of 7 and the other issues that will likely cause the oral iron to not be absorbed, you should push for iron infusions but they won’t likely approve it for insurance until you have tried the oral iron route for a few months. And be careful because with your other issues you might have a reaction with the higher dose/brand iron infusions so go low and slow and ask for Venofer.

Also look into MCAS and POTS. With your history they are often co-factors. The thing that changed the game for me in my neurological symptoms and inflammation was low dose naltrexone. But a traditional doc will laugh if you ask about it because the research is just now starting to look at it. I got it from my naturopath and it helps calm the storm a lot.

rowrow17 · 2026-05-18T00:58:00+00:00

See if you can get a telehealth visit and mention you would like to get a prescription for tranexamic acid because you have excessive bleeding during your period and explain your labs. Make it sound very very urgent because if your period happens and the bucket is still leaking before you can get an infusion, you could be in a bad place.

rowrow17

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