Decades of anemia. What don't I know about the other side?
I'm 40 years old and I've had extremely low iron for decades, pretty much as long as I can remember. My doctor has always recommended the usual treatment of iron supplements, but I didn't have the discipline to take them regularly and the constipation was super uncomfortable.
I think I haven't taken the risks of anemia seriously because I have felt "fine" my whole life. But I wonder how different I might feel if I get my levels up to healthy levels. I don't know what I don't know, y'know?
I'd love to hear from folks here who've been anemic all their life, never known a "before" baseline, and then had infusions or regular supplementation to get their levels up to a healthy level. Was it mindblowing? Did you feel significantly different? Were there things you felt/did before that you didn't realize were unhealthy, difficult, or abnormal that dissipated after your iron came up?
I recently switched to a new doctor after mine retired and she is taking my anemia more seriously. For the first time in my life, iron infusions have been suggested. I'm actually considering it now to see if this more immediate boost in iron will give me some eye-opening experience to life on the other side, which will in turn motivate me to majorly increase fibre intake and try taking Feramax regularly again.