The doctor said im maybe anemic?

Question

im 15 and i went to the doctor yesterday and he said that i might be anemic..! is it a disease or what, is it serious? i dont know why i didnt ask the doctor himself at my appointment, but can anyone here tell me please?

i have a blood test on monday next week.

Answer 1

It means you have low iron in your blood. Here is a web site that explains symptoms and ways to cure it. It is a disease and it can be very serious...You need to eat more red meat just boost your iron and this website will help you.

Answer 2

Don't worry - it's really common esp. in young woman - it just means that you don't have enough iron in your blood which can make you feel tired and dizzy. It can be caused by many things including really simple things like diet. I get a bit anaemic just before my period and take iron tablets you can buy in a chemist for it (always follow the instructions as an overdose of iron can be v dangerous or even fatal), but a little while ago I had severe anaemia because of some tablets I was taking for headaches and my dr prescribed me some stronger iron tablets. Anyway, nothing to worry about and as your dr already knows about it I'd hope he/she's already considered the possibility of other causes. Don't worry that you didn't ask your dr everything you wanted to at your appointment - I don't think anyone ever does! If you're going back after a blood test and find out that you are anaemic then you could try to think of questions you want to ask before you go (I still forget when I'm actually there!) - eg. what's caused it? and how will it be treated? Try not to worry - if you are anaemic you won't beleve how good you feel when you get treated! Good luck xx

Answer 3

Don't panic!

While the commonest CAUSE of anaemia is iron deficiency, anaemia does not mean iron deficiency it means you have a LOW HAEMAGLOBIN COUNT. Your doctor can check this with a blood test.
Then, if the count is low they can also check your iron stores.

Anaemia or a low blood count is caused by not making enough red blood cells (you need iron to do this so if iron stores are low you become anaemic but there are other reasons too) or because you are losing red cells, bleeding will do this. Rarely the body can break down cells too fast. (haemolysis)

Your doctor will tell you if you really are anaemic and if it is caused by iron deficiency.
IRON DEFICIENCY is cause because you do not eat enough iron or because you do not absorb it properly.

iron is found in red meat (mostly) and green vegetables like broccoli and cabbage and in cherries.

Dont panic- you will be fine until you see your doctor again and find out what the problem is and get the right treatment, if you need any.

:-)

Answer 4

Right firstly theres no need to panic at all ! All that Aneamia is, is a lack of iron in the body or Iron Deficiency as the doctors would probably say! Either go back to the docs and ask to be prescribed Iron Supplements or just go to a chemist or somewhere like Holland and Barratts and buy yourself a load! You can also help yourself by simply finding food/s that you like that are high in iron content! Spinach is one but you need to find one that YOU like! Once you do this then your symptoms will ease up big time and more than likely disappear but keep taking the supplements and the foods with the high content of iron because your body needs them! You ll be fine!

Answer 5

Chill out there lass, its nothing to serious.
Anaemia is a deficiency of iron in the blood. a blood cell contains a substance called haemoglobin which carries the oxygen around the body.
iron is one of the main parts of haemoglobin. so if you have a deficiency or lack of iron your body will make less haemoglobin. therefore your red blood cells cant carry as much oxygen as is desired. this result of this may be a pale complexion and most noticeable is an increased feeling of lethargy, (tiredness, like you have no energy, you cant be bothered.) which in turn can affect your mood.
for the type i think your describing your doctor will have probably advised you to eat more foods with high iron content. and if this doesn't help your doctor will most likely prescribe you some iron tablets to boost your body's levels. these are called ferrous sulphate tablets.
I'm sure you'll be fine
ah yeah a side effect of these tablets Of that your poo turns black, but that's normal. its because the amount of iron in the tablet normally exceeds what your body requires. so what your body doesn't use it gets rid of.

Answer 6

Anemia means your red blood cells are low. It can be caused by bleeding somewhere or sometimes they are not sure of the cause. If you are anemic the doctor will monitor it with routine blood tests to check your red blood cells aka RBC's and suggest iron supplements if you need them. Do not take iron supplements without your docs ok. Be sure the mulitvitamin you already take is one that is well absorbed by your body. If at any time a person's red blood cells get too low the doc will order a blood transfusion for that person. That is not something that routinely happens in younger people but does happen with people who have a known cause of bleeding that is causing their anemia.

Answer 7

It's not a disease but anaemia is a condition that can become serious. It means that you haven't got enough iron in your diet, or possibly that your body has trouble absorbing iron for some reason. It's not uncommon in girls your age because of factors like blood loss during periods.
One of the easiest ways to deal with anaemia is to include iron-rich foods in the diet, like red meat. Your doctor can advise you about iron supplements as well.
Don't be afraid to ask your doctor questions, though. It's what he's there for.

Answer 8

We eat much less red meat than perhaps we were originally designed to these days. It is therefore common for menstruating females to develop iron deficiency. There are other types of anaemia, B12 and folic acid and a few rarer types, but iron is by far the commonest lack in females of your age. It develops because your periods may loose you more iron than you are eating. Check with your GP that your anaemia is of the low iron type. If it is a change in diet or a simple iron supplement with solve the problem which is not generally serious

Answer 9

Anemia is simply low iron - that means you need to improve your diet. Eat more iron rich foods like Shell fish, spinach, legumes, etc. It is easy to increase your intake but be sure to balance these foods with citrus, tomato, and other foods that aid in iron absorption or it doesn't help as much. Anemia can lead to fatigue, lack of concentration and a feeling of overall malaise, so it is important to improve your diet to prevent this from becoming a life long burden. You are young enough to make simple changes that have a huge impact. I put some good sites below to help. My sister is anemic so I know allot about it. Good Luck!

Answer 10

It means you don't have enough iron in your blood.Iron is responsible for carrying oxygen in your bloodstream.Some symptoms of anemia are bruising easily,fatigue,dizziness,etc.You should take a multivitamin specifically for women,or just an iron supplement(Floradix is excellent),or if you are not vegetarian eat meat a couple times a week(ask your doctor about all these).It is probably not very serious yet,but an on going problem could be dangerous.Just take supplements and eat healthy and you should be fine.