I’m lucky enough to work in several different hospitals with a lot of really wonderful providers, so I asked a couple of them for their input. One is a renal case manager. She was very helpful in telling me some things I should ask the nephrologist. She also said heart problems can cause kidney issues, as can liver problems, and that I should have those checked as well. She also told me that it was likely I would need to have a kidney biopsy. A nurse practitioner I spoke with asked me if I was taking folic acid and vitamin C with the iron. Nope, I said. “Your PCP didn’t tell you to take those with the iron?? What the hell! Both of those help the body absorb iron.” That was good information, and after work, I picked up both (she told me to take 1000 mcg of folic acid and 1000 mg of vitamin C, if you’re keeping score at home). She also said that my immune system was weakened due to the anemia and that it would be very likely that I would be sick a lot through the winter. Oh great. Luckily that did not pan out.
Low, Low, Low 