Tuesday, January 30, 2012

On my way to the post office and the grocery store, I was pretty wobbly. I bent down to pick up the applesauce on the bottom shelf and almost passed out when I stood up (well, it felt like it!). New dizziness not experienced before.

I was forewarned about possible anemia. I’ve been eating chicken livers and red meat about 3 times a week. Seems I’ll have to get serious. I have blood test number two tomorrow and I want to pass!

I came home and cooked up the chicken livers I bought yesterday (grilled on the George Forman, mixed some catsup and Indian catsup to augment the taste, kinda). I actually felt better after eating a whole pound. Still one pound left; calves’ livers in the freezer. Remember rumaki, a favorite 70’s appetizer? Just one of those is 21.3 grams of fat –  the amount I need to take with my Incivek pills three times a day.

Here’s iron info at www.nih.gov (National Institute of Health).

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Function

The human body needs iron to make the oxygen-carrying proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin. Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and myoglobin is found in muscles.

Iron also makes up part of many proteins in the body.

Food Sources

The best sources of iron include:

• Dried beans
• Dried fruits
• Eggs (especially egg yolks)
• Iron-fortified cereals
• Liver
• Lean red meat (especially beef)
• Clams (#1),Oysters
• Poultry, dark red meat
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Whole grains

Reasonable amounts of iron are also found in lamb, pork, and shellfish.

Iron from vegetables, fruits, grains, and supplements is harder for the body to absorb. These sources include:

• Dried fruits
  • prunes
  • raisins
  • apricots
• Legumes
  • lima beans
  • soybeans
  • dried beans and peas
  • kidney beans
• Seeds
  • almonds
  • Brazil nuts
• Vegetables
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • kale
  • collards
  • asparagus
  • dandelion greens
• Whole grains
  • wheat
  • millet
  • oats
  • brown rice

If you mix some lean meat, fish, or poultry with beans or dark leafy greens at a meal, you can improve absorption of vegetable sources of iron up to three times. Foods rich in vitamin C also increase iron absorption.

Some foods reduce iron absorption. For example, commercial black or pekoe teas contain substances that bind to iron so it cannot be used by the body.

Side Effects

LOW IRON LEVELS

The human body stores some iron to replace any that is lost. However, low iron levels over a long period of time can lead to iron deficiency anemia. Symptoms include lack of energy, shortness of breath, headache, irritability, dizziness, or weight loss. For more details on this condition see iron deficiency anemia.

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The pharmacy called today to make delivery arrangements for the meds for my second four weeks. They FedEx it overnight because the Pegasys has to be refrigerated. The drugs arrive in a big styrofoam container with coolpaks inside.

We’re on a roll!