u/SupeerFranzi

Hello. I am female, German, 29 years old and donated for the fourth time in April. I like the idea of doing good, I like the company and the food haha. However, I am also a person who has been suffering from tiredness, exhaustion and frequent colds for years. I have been to the doctor several times because of this and I was repeatedly diagnosed with "stress" and told that everything was fine. That's why I went to donate and there was also hemoglobin tested every time.

After the last donation, my tiredness reached an unprecedented high and I went to the doctor again. After a lot of arguing that I should try antidepressants or that I might have fibromyalgia....My blood was finally fully tested and my ferritin was at 9.

Since my doctor is apparently incompetent and continues to say that you can't get tired of it because my hemoglobin was 12, I did my own research and of course (it took 3 minutes) found out directly that such a low ferritin value could (!) explain absolutely all my symptoms.

I don't know, but I assume that my values were generally not good and that my values have now become worse and worse due to the donation. Even if I had taken the 50mg iron tablets that were given to me on the spot.

But does all this mean, That I can never donate again? I am now getting infusions to increase my values (different doctor, of course)

I'm kinda Relieved that I now have an approach to what's going on with me, but also sad at the thought that I can no longer donate. Is that so?

Thank you :)

​Hey everyone,

​First of all, thank you so much for all the helpful comments and support on my last post. It really helped me navigate all of this. (older post)

​I went back to the doctor because I couldn't tolerate the oral iron supplements (severe nausea, diarrhea, and splitting headaches). His "brilliant" solution? Tell me to buy some over-the-counter liquid iron (which only has 35mg and does basically nothing for a severe deficiency). When I asked about iron infusions, he completely shut me down, saying he "doesn't like them because of the risk of anaphylactic shock."

​I tried to advocate for myself, telling him I literally do nothing but sleep, have headaches, and that my heart rate spikes to 120+ bpm at the slightest movement. His response? He didn't even think my symptoms were from the iron deficiency because my hemoglobin was "fine." When I called him out and said my Ferritin could have been in the gutter for years without anyone checking, he literally looked at me and said: "Do you know what Fibromyalgia is?"

​I was shocked. First of all, Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion. Second of all, combined with the fact that he already tried to push antidepressants on me, it was clear he just wanted to push my physical symptoms into the psychosomatic box because he was clueless.

​I felt incredibly dismissed and lonely, but I decided I’d had enough. I changed doctors.

​The new doctor took me seriously, and agreed that we needed to act fast. Since I can't take pills, they started me on iron infusions right away. I already had my first one and my next appointment is tomorrow. They are smaller doses (100mg per infusion), but I tolerated the first one perfectly fine. No side effects at all.

​Physically, I don’t feel any better yet. I'm still exhausted and dealing with the high heart rate, but I know it takes a few weeks for the body to process the iron. I'm also drinking Floradix (Kräuterblut) to support the process.

​Mentally? Honestly, I still feel so incredibly screwed over and angry at my old doctor. That feeling of being gaslit doesn't disappear overnight. But I wanted to share this story to encourage anyone else out there who is being dismissed: trust your gut and change doctors if you can. You are not crazy, your symptoms are real, and you deserve proper care.

Hi. My boyfriend found MECCG Cards while Decluttering a house for work. Now we are wondering if there is a market for those. We both love Lotr but won't use them. The cards are German and in a binder.

​Hey guys,

​For years, I’ve been struggling with feeling cold all the time, extreme fatigue, exhaustion, and the constant feeling of being right on the verge of getting the flu. I’ve been seeing my doctor regularly since 2023, but I was always told it’s just stress or that I’m dragging out a cold. They did some blood work, but only the basic stuff. The doctors also know that I’ve been dealing with unexplained diarrhea for years, but they haven't found a cause for that either.

​Last year, they finally tested my Vitamin D levels, and the result was a catastrophic 7. I was told I just had a "deficiency" (even though 7 is actually insane) and that I should take my supplements. So far, so good. I felt a bit better after a while, but still not great. I went back to the doctor several times only to be told it’s stress and probably still the Vitamin D deficiency, and that it wasn't anything special.

​Last week, I’d finally had enough and told them they needed to give me a proper check-up. Their response was to prescribe me antidepressants. Yes, I’m serious. Because, and I quote, "my levels have always been good except for the Vitamin D, so it’s nothing physical." But out of some kind of pity, they took my blood again and, for the first time ever, checked all my iron levels.

​Yesterday I got the call: I should come in and pick up a prescription. I have an iron deficiency. That was the only information I got, and they didn't explain anything further when I picked up the script. They did give me my lab results, though, and my ferritin level is 9. Is that a "normal" deficiency? Or could this, combined with my Vitamin D deficiency, have caused my issues over all these years? Until yesterday, I didn't even know ferritin existed, and unfortunately, nothing was explained to me.

​Anyway, I’m supposed to take 100mg of iron (Ferro Sanol) once a day now. I haven't tolerated it well yesterday or today. Nausea, diarrhea, extreme tiredness, and a headache. Is that normal when you first start taking it? I keep reading about GI issues, but what about the rest?

​I’d really appreciate it if some fellow sufferers could shed some light on this. I prefer hearing about personal experiences rather than Google or AI info... especially since the doctor isn't saying anything. 😅

Sorry for the long text... 😅 ​Best regards :)