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low on iron

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User

Posted 09 Sep 2016 at 15:59

hi,just got my blood test results ,have to make appointment to see gp,they said i was low on iron i thought i was looking too pale,could that be also the reason i have lost weight on zoladex,dont know if they have told me everything before i see gp on monday,anyone else have this problem.cheers.

User

Posted 09 Sep 2016 at 19:46

Hi Michael,

Zoladex, or at least the lack of hormones it induces, does effect the way in which the digestive system works, and amongst other things is linked with increased risk of diabetes.

I recommend the late Dr Jane Plant's diet books, she goes into lots of detail about how we need a whole range of vitamins and minerals to sort our bodies out and fight cancer. For example it seems that eating lots of calcium won't help our bones if we live in a cave, we need the Vitamin D from sunshine to allow our bodies to convert the calcium in our diet into bone.

She is of course famous for recommending a dairy free diet, and her book 'Understand, Prevent and Overcome Prostate Cancer' emphasises the problem for babies becoming anaemic due to cow's milk interfering with the absorption of iron from other foods.

Worth a read, I have been following her dietary advice to a greater or lesser extent for the last 9 years since being diagnosed with G9T3 and my PSA was 0.2 at the last test.

Dave

User

Posted 09 Sep 2016 at 20:14

thanks,i take vitamin 5000 vit d3&k2 daily,i try and avoid dairy as much as i can,but the ready meals i eat most have milk in so its hard,i use alpro unsweetened dairy free milk,regarding jane plants book i live on my own and im no gordon ramsey,i will probably be given iron tablets,and from what i have read pc is not keen on iron.

User

Posted 10 Sep 2016 at 10:07

does anyone know if low iron can make you lose weight,its hard to take in that i have lost weight with zoladex.

User

Posted 10 Sep 2016 at 10:49

Hi Michael,

'...I live on my own and I'm no Gordon Ramsey...'

When my first marriage hit the rocks, my wife and I went to see a marriage guidance counsellor, my wife was worried about how I would cope if she left me, because she did all the cooking.

The marriage guidance counsellor said 'He can read, and he can tell the time, so he can cook'. Go on give it a go, cooking a Jane Plant recipe is easy, I recommend potato and spinach curry.

The sequel to this tale, is that the day she left me, my first wife went out shopping and bought me a ready made Lasagne for one, so I had something in the fridge when I got home from work. Now there's feminine logic for you.

Dave

User

Posted 10 Sep 2016 at 16:16

thanks,lasagne do you eat them with beef in them,how can people avoid dairy its in nearly everything,its hard work.

User

Posted 11 Sep 2016 at 09:36

i am anaemic how am i supposed to absorb iron if calcium which i need for my bones interferes with absorbtion of iron.there is calcium in nearly everything.

User

Posted 12 Sep 2016 at 17:10

thanks,just recently got back from gp to query my blood results because 2 days ago i phoned in for results and receptionist said contact your gp asap because you are low on iron,anyway my gp showed me my results on his computer ,my iron levels are ok it is my haemaglobin red blood cells a bit low,and everything else is ok,what was that receptionist on about makes you wonder,he weighed me and i only weigh 9st now,was nearly 11st when started out in 2014,i said to him it must be the zoladex and he said i will have to discuss it with my urologist at my next meeting in november,i do feel ok what i want to know now which are the best healthy weight gainers i can take,or i will just have to eat anything that moves,is there guys on here just eat anything they want.cheers.

User

Posted 12 Sep 2016 at 18:34

radar
I eat and drink anything I want, just in moderation.

Ray

User

Posted 12 Sep 2016 at 21:17

thanks,i now know that i am anaemic with low red blood cells and low haemaglobin,anyone else with this.cheers.

User

Posted 14 Sep 2016 at 23:33

Radar, why not ask your GP to refer you to the dietitian - I am wondering whether in your attempt to cut out dairy and meat, you are failing to get enough nutrients. In your case it seems there is more risk of you starving than of your PSA going up a little and the dietitian will be able to advise you on how to eat healthily.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 15 Sep 2016 at 07:01

Radar

I am really surprised that your GP seems to be somewhat dsmissive of your low Hb and weight loss. Also that anyone would just say you were low in iron.

It is fair to say that anaemia is commonly associated with low iron levels, if that is the cause then being treated with iron supplements or a diet rich on iron with dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale or spring greens will normally correct things. However, from what you have said, your anaemia is not due to lack of iron. It could be related to your PCa but as Lyn has said that is more common in advanced disease or as a side effect of treatments like chemo.

Low Hb can be caused by many illnesses a common cause is blood loss from a trauma, or slow internal bleeding from an ulcer or a chronic condition such as Colitis. If it is low end of the scale as in within the acceptable range (for an adult male 13.0 to 17.0 g/dl sometimes expressed as 130 to 170 although different trusts use a slightly varied scale) then its unlikely treatment would be necessary or offered, but if it is lower than that or accompanied by another change such as weight loss, and yours is quite quick and high, then finding the underlying cause would be,in my untrained view, more important.

If this is a worry for you then I would return to your GP or call your consultant's secretary and ask if you can speak to one of the specialist team about it.

In any event any dramatic or prolonged unplanned weight loss needs investigating.

I hope you can get some help with this and some answers/action asap.

Best wishes

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