How can you tell if you're anaemic? If you are do you go to the doctors or can you just start eating more iron

Question

i don't know if I am anaemic
I'm naturally pale and I can never sleep so I am always tired anyway so how would I know?
And I eat cereal but the only meat I eat are chicken and sausages coz I never liked fish or red meat so I am probably not getting enough iron but I don't know?? Would that be enough?

Answer 1

Eating iron can be dangerous, all my teeth are broken.

Answer 2

I was in hospital and told I was severly anaemic and had to have a blood transfusiuon, some of my symptoms were feeling cold, tired, dizzy spells and looking very pale, I still get these but iron tablets don't agree with me and I don't eat meat, you should go to your doctor and a simple blood test will tell you, try eating iron rich foods.

Answer 3

One of the best ways to see for yourself if you are anaemic is one pull down the bottom lid of your eyes. The flesh bit should be red and rich in colour if it is very pail it may be a sign of anaemia. Extreme tiredness and looking pail is another sign.
If you think you are anaemic there is a simple blood test you can get done by nurse at doctor to tell this.
DO NOT go buying iron tablets for the sake of it as this can be dangerous increase the iron content in your food green cabbage is good for this liver and many other foods contain iron natural.

Answer 4

If you are anaemic due to iron insufficiency, you could just eat more iron. Make sure you eat extra fibre though - iron, at least in tablet form, tends to have a drastic effect on your bowels (ie constipation).

If you fold down your bottom eyelid, it should be quite red. If it's very pale, that is a sign of anaemia. So are things like tiredness, and being pale.

If you have these symptoms for more than a week or so, you should check with your doctor, to make sure you don't have a different form of anaemia, some of which are very serious.

Answer 5

Red blood cells are coloured red because of the iron content. This enables them to carry oxygen around the body and they are manufactured in the marrow of bones. They last for around 120 days before they die. New ones are being made everyday and old ones die every day. The old ones are stored in the spleen ready for waste disposal.
With anaemia the amount of red blood cells is seriously diminished. Health Professionals refer to red blood cells as (RBC) or haemaglobin levels (Hb). You can have a low Hb and not be anaemic.
The signs of low Hb are breathlessness, excessive tiredness, pale pasty complexion and if you pull the lower eyelid down and look in a mirror, the redness here is a good inidcator. In extreme cases of anaemia a rash can develop anywhere on the body called purpura.
The only way to know for sure what level your Hb is, is to have a simple blood test known as Full Blood Count (FBC) and your practice nurse could do this for you.
Iron is rich in leafy green vegetables and predominantly in liver. Also your GP could prescribe a simple course of iron tablets (Ferrous sulphate)
This will make your poo black but that is just a general side affect and nothing to worry about.
I used to be a trained nurse on a blood ward.
Hope this helps and good luck.
Dawn.

Answer 6

if you were anaemic you would be very pale with darkness under your eyes and you would constantly feel tired and lethargic doctors would do a blood test and give you some iron tablets although you can buy them over the counter natural forms off iron are liver very high in iron all dark green vegetable

Answer 7

The symptoms of anemia are a pale complexion, you sometimes feel faint, especially if you haven't eaten in a while, and I call them fireflies but they look like fireflies that swim before your eyes. You're always tired and over exerting makes you feel weak or nauseated. You can supplement your diet with iron and eat a lot of small meals all day long. Your best advice though is to seek medical attention because it could be a heart problem. See the doctor.

Answer 8

Go get a blood test from the doc. Or for the cheap way, try to donate blood, they will tell you if your iron is low, and probably refuse you. Try eating more red meat, or taking vitamins to help out. What other symptoms are you having that are making you think you are anemic? Maybe you have something else going on, and should just go straight to the doc!

Answer 9

Only a doctr can tell if your anaemic through a blood test. If you are you need special tablets which have high concentrations of iron. Iron in food is just to low at this stage im afraid.

Answer 10

I am anemic, I bruise easily, my wounds take a lot longer to heal than a normally healthy person would take. Going to the doctor will not make anything different, only a cost to the clinic.

I passed this trait onto my children, somewhat. They bruise easily, heal slowly, etc. Iron seems to help, I try to make them eat cereals that are high in iron, but the bruising comes naturally. It is not debillitating, in that we can't function normally, it just means we hurt more easily than (I would guess,) normally.

Answer 11

There are several physiological possible reasons for anemia. Therefore you should see a doctor who will send you to a simple blood test, that measures the amount of your Red Blood Cell. And their different characteristics.

Based on the results there are several treatment options raging from changing your diet a little to prescription pills.

You can read more at wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemia