Low Iron in your Bloodstream?

My mother 80 has lost 30 pounds in the last couple of months (not that she was trying too). She went to the doctor and he said her Iron was low. She now takes Iron pills and injections, but still the Iron content hasn't come up any and she continues to loose weight.

Hmm I would definitely get a second opinion and a full blood count done as soon as possible. This is a vital test that will point to any further investigations needed.

Iron is locked up in red cells and anything that affects them affects the iron level in the blood. The red cells carry oxygen around the body so if there are too few of them then she will be feeling very tired and with little energy. She needs to eat nutritious food of anything that she fancies- if it's rich in iron OK but it's better that she eats. When you are feeling low who wants to eat spinach?

I can tell you are worried and I guess she will be too. Lots of things can cause depletion of iron levels or red cells, and there are plenty of treatments that can help. Go with her to the appointments to make sure you get the information from her doctors- if necessary write stuff down. Take it one step at a time and don't get freaked by what you read on the Internet.

Good luck

Something else is going on - causing the low iron and weight loss. Take her to a different doctor.

Get a second opinion. I really doubt that an iron deficiency would result in weight dropped that quickly. It sounds like something way more serious.

I definatley agree that if her iron hasn't returned to normal, there is something causing her to be iron deficiant, and the weight loss is almost always an indication of a problem.
Get a second opinion for another doc

She needs to eat lots of red meat and leafy greens...seriously.

The weight loss can be related to her low iron if her dietary intake is the reason for both. For instance, if she only eats tea and toast, she will have both iron deficiency and weight loss (as well as other problems like vitamin deficiency and any number of problems related to malnutirion.)
However, low iron does not cause weight loss.
The point is, there are blood tests which can be done to determine the cause of her iron deficiency.
My impression of anyone over the age of 50 with weight loss and anemia has to be cancer until proven otherwise. Specifically, colon cancer. Colon cancer is a cause of intestinal bleeding which leads to anemia and iron deficiency. It is also a cause of weight loss.
If I were her doctor, I would order the blood tests and test her stool for the presence of blood. I would also set her up for a colonoscopy to look for colon cancer as soon as possible.

Iron is absorbed in the ilium also known as the small intestines. If she is have absorption problems then that could cause the low iron and the weight loss. I would take her to a gastro-interoligist as soon as possible to have her checked out.

Also, who is giving her the iron? her regular doctor? If that is so then you need to take her to an oncologist. She doesn't have to have cancer but they deal with the low iron all the time and they can give her larger doses of iron through an i.v. some types take an hour once a week at the office and others take 3-4 hours every 2-6 months.

My advice would be to get her a better family practitioner. He or she will get the rest of these things set up. But do it fast.

I think I can help, there are some all natural mineral supplements I know of that are much more easily absorbed into the blood stream than normal supplements. They will also help her retain a healthy weight with vitamins and minerals to improve digestion. Athletes use this to gain muscle weight without steroids/drugs and it increases the health of red blood cells, also helping them carry more oxygen with the use of iron your body will hold onto. The supplements are inexpensive, easy to take and have no negative side effects.

email me for more info, Id love to help!