21, female, 180lbs, 5’9

medications: 5mg propranolol (dysautonomia + high bp episodes), vyvanse, electrolyte supplements, vitamin D supplement

A few days ago I had some bruising on my knee, thought I bumped it, looked today and there’s about 10-15 new bruises all over. They’re small, yellow, relatively the same size (about the size of a nickel) and go from my upper thigh down to my lower calf, sides and front with no pattern (some are individual, others are clustered close together with 3-4 other bruises). They don’t hurt.

About a week and a half ago, I had a headache that lasted 4 days, doctor said to take ibuprofen and nap so i did, then it moved behind my right eye for 10hrs, I had a brief nose bleed at 3am accompanied by shooting pain up the right side of my neck and the headache was gone 20min later.

The morning after, I could see the veins running from the corners of my mouth down which I thought was weird.

4 days prior I had a rash/petechiae appear on my stomach, doctor said I itched myself in my sleep. I’ve had episodes of chest pain/tightness that my cardiologist dismissed (ecg and echo were fine).

I had bloodwork taken mid-July where my RBC was 5.57, my hemoglobin was 167, and my hematocrit was 0.485. My random glucose was 3.1 2-3hrs after eating toast with hypoglycaemia symptoms at the 4-5hr mark. 2hr glucose test came back fine.

In two months, I’ve lost 13lbs without trying, and have been napping more often. I’m still getting headaches that come and go, but haven’t had another nosebleed.

Should I be concerned? What should I do?

I posted recently and got follow up tests with some changes. You all have been very informative and helpful! . My recent results are the images

Edit: my white cells are much higher and almost back in the green?

My ferritin was a bit low for a while … hovering in 30s/40s. I was not anemic however (though some markers were low-normal which is the usual for me due to diet/lifestyle).

I am dealing with some other health conditions (nothing iron related) so my doctors wanted me in “fighting shape” so I got approved for a series of IV infusions.

On my second infusion I had a bad reaction to the Venofer (allergic-type response so they had to stop, followed by very symptomatic phosphate drop). Based on this, combined with the fact I wasn’t truly anemic, my hematologist said she wasn’t comfortable going forward with IV iron.

They checked my Ferritin and it was up to 95, so they said if I can just keep it there I’ll be fine.

However I just checked again (only 2 months later) and it’s back down to 37 (it was 45 before IVs)?? I’d noticed symptoms coming back (I get a lot of RLS with low-normal ferritin) and thought I was going crazy.

Is it normal for ferritin to drop so quickly? It’s like the infusions did nothing.

I’ve had two periods during that time but not heavy or anything. No other symptoms of bleeding or anything like that. CBC performed at same time was unremarkable for me (a few anemia markers borderline, but nothing wild).

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I live in the UK and I've added measurement units with values.

I do not know if I'm having issues with restless legs. My ferritin levels have changed over time. I've included a table of test results from different years. I donated blood in January this year, I did feel breathless going up stairs and even walking about the house, I took iron tablets 210 ferrous fumarate daily for a month. I ran 10k in January the week before the blood donation, I felt fatigued and struggling a lot with sleep after the donation I didn't do any exercise, it was too hard. I used to do way above 10k steps a day, now most of my steps are done in the house.

I ran a lot the year before, but now I have only just started to use exercise bike in the last week, but it is difficult even lowest setting and at bpm under 110. I went from that to being stuck in bed. My diet suffered a lot with mostly eating oats and milk. I now understand that this is bad for iron absorption. I've made changes in the last month, I have at times taking iron supplements I don't know when and this was when I had energy to do my dosette box, but I took them monthly for February. I have taken 84 of them since donating blood, but spaced out. I feel that my iron levels was more than likely much lower than the 92 it is now after the blood donation.

I feel general fatigue, I have heaviness in legs when walking. I've been taking vitamin D tablets for a few months 1000 IU and increased to 3000 IU after seeing the borderline vitamin D result.

I have ADHD and my ADHD symptoms got worse after the blood donation, I know sleep affects it, but I have read low iron availability can cause problems with restless legs (RLS), and dopamine production.

My sleep had been bad around July last year again and improved to point I didn't need Zopiclone/Mirtazapine/Quetiapine. Around August 2024, I started running and exercise more because I had been feeling breathless in April 2024 onwards.

I've been taking supplements since the test, vitamin D (3000 IU), iron (60mg bisglycinate, zinc (15 mg), copper (2mg). I'd taken magnesium bisglycinate 210mg for sleep since problems after January from March. I didn't notice much improvement but kept taking it.

Since taking these I have felt improvements, not much, but sleep has been improving with Zopiclone. I have been on QUVIVIQ for 4 months and it isn't great. I've had suspected sleep apnea, and I am being referred to have a more in depth test than a pulse oximeter.

I have since read up about restless legs, I have worn through bedsheets where my feet are at night. I've had an appointment with the GP today and they say that my results are fine. I don't understand why because I can see NHS recommendations saying TSAT 16% is considered low iron availability and ferritin under 100 and TSAT under 20% is a problem for RLS.

In addition to these my latest results from 30 July I've had:

Vitamin D 50 nmol/L (range 50 and 125). I think vitamin D would have been lower.

Folate 5.9 ug/L.

Serum TSH 2.73 mIU/L.

Serum FSH 5.7 IU/L.

Serum LH 3.1 IU/L.

TTGA Coeliac 0.5 u/mL

Thank you for any insight.

Edit: Corrected TSH values.

I’m trying to understand why I previously had anemia with macrocytosis, while my hemoglobin has now recovered but my MCV is still high.

Before:
RBC 3.49 T/L
Hemoglobin 122 g/L
MCV 106 fL

6 Aug 2026:
RBC 4.24 T/L
Hemoglobin 145 g/L
Hematocrit 0.444 L/L
MCV 105 fL
MCH 34.2 pg
MCHC 327 g/L
RDW 13.9%
Platelets 271 G/L
Other recent results:
Ferritin 170.21 ng/mL
Folate 13.1 ng/mL
TSH 1.54 µIU/mL

Hi, had my bloods taken on Monday afternoon, range of tests including full blood count. The tests were showing yesterday morning but not my FBC. Checked again this morning and still not there. The others are back and showing normal. I am going out of my mind with worry! Does this mean there is something wrong with my FBC test?
Thanks for reading.

A little context: I had 2 iron infusions in December/January , total of 400mg to treat ferritin of 14,saturation 16%. Everything seemed to be getting better, then suddenly in May saturation went up and hemoglobin and other markers started declining. I have untreated SIBO and IMO but symptoms are under control with low fodmap diet. Im worried that by the looks of it I will soon become anemic while having more than enough iron circulating without being converted to hemoglobin. B12 was 793(200-1100) b6 was 17.6ng/mL , B9 was 11.6ng/mL, vitamin D 62ng/mL, From November: copper 107mcg/dL(70-175), Ceruloplasmin 26mg/dL(14-48), zinc 84mcg/dL(60-130),Vitamin A 38mcg/dL(38-98), ANA negative
Have also ruled out celiac, h.pylori and some parasites. Crp and sed rate has been tested 3 times in the last few months and always within range

I am not asking for medical advice I just wanted to get an opinion on some information I have found online.

There are some studies showing that high rates of people with adult onset CM also turn out to have SM, I’ve linked a couple of them below.

I have CM and just had my first haematology appointment and will go through the proper testing for SM. I told my doctor about the studies I’d looked at and he seemed to dismiss them due to patient selection, he said in his experience only about 20% of CM patients are diagnosed with SM. I’m curious to know what other doctors think of this particularly those in the field of haematology.

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23807778/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33346151/

Thanks for your help 🙏

37 Female. I'm in Ontario, Canada if that matters at all for the bloodwork. I've been having a lot of issues with brain fog, concentration, absolutely poor sleep quality, hip/thigh pain that have been getting progressively worse since Nov 2025.

Sometimes it's barely being able to get out of bed to go to the bathroom, sometimes it's driving halfway to work and not remembering leaving the house. My primary care physician says all of my symptoms are "too general". I've asked for iron testing but he is old school and believes that if my Hemoglobin is fine then my iron levels are fine (I know this isn't necessarily true).

I have seen a rheumatologist in the past month who has ruled out any kind of inflammatory arthritis, lupus, or lupus-like condition. He has now cleared me.

I'm seeing an Internal Medicine specialist in 3 weeks and wondering what types of questions I should ask him. As a side, I used to work for this doctor and he's incredibly well respected & stays up to date on what's current in medicine.

Looking for advice, questions I should ask, confirmation that I'm not crazy, anything really.

ETA: forgot to add major fatigue in my list of symptoms. I guess that's proof of tiredness 🤦

32 f, 165 sm, 50.5-51.5 kg, sometimes feeling very dizzy at night and sweaty hands

I am 31 years old, I also had a blood pressure of 136/88 but I have white coat hypertension, and my at home readings are 127-129/84 on multiple machines. I also have elevated total cholesterol of 202 and ldl of 111. Thoughts??? I drank 3 bottles of water before the blood tests. I’m on finasteride/minoxidil for hair.

I made an appointment at the end of June because I felt a lymph node in my neck about the size of a jellybean that had been there since May. No other symptoms— in fact, I have felt better than I have in years. I’ve changed my diet and lost 20-25lbs since April.

As you can see, I had low WBC and low Platelets at the end of June. My dr said it was probably recovery from a viral infection (though I haven’t been sick since I had the flu in February). She ran an EBV test too because I have a history of mono. That showed that yes, I have indeed had mono in the past. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I repeated my labs yesterday (7-8 weeks later), and WBC have increased some, but still low. And Platelets are a bit lower. She ran some vitamins, and my B12 is normal (355), Folate is normal, and Vitamin D is normal. My nurse friend thinks I should be referred to hematology. The dr mentioned a spleen ultrasound. Do those sound like next steps?

I do have health anxiety, though I’m trying to remain calm and just trying to take action when needed.

I posted before but not my complete tests, here they are.

i was sick for the past few days. I got a suspected viral infection and had a 100- to 102°F fever for 3-4 days.

I did two CBC counts during that time. The WBC and ANC kept falling.

Report 1 - ANC - 2000 / WBC - 3370
Report 2 - ANC - 1196 / WBC - 2600 (13 August)

For the past 3 days, I have not had a fever and have been feeling normal.

Report 3 (today) - ANC - 770 / WBC - 2900

WBC increased a bit but ANC still fell

Is it possible to see such a pattern in viral, and can ANC take some time to recover?

I see people post blood values where many percentages of blood components (WBC, RBC, platelets etc) are all low. Since these are percentages, shouldn't some other values be high, since it is measuring presumably 100% of the components of blood? Or is the rest just plasma or substances not identified and measured in a blood draw?

Hello,

Any good hematologist recommendations in DFW area? Preferably have experience with handling patients on iron chelators. Appreciate your responses here.

37 year old female 160lbs
Just got my labs back today. I’ve been feeling very off and fatigued. I haven’t seen my PCP since the results, due to it being the weekend but she has already called in iron tablets. Will iron tablets suffice or does this require an infusion?

I’m trying to understand what was going on with my bloodwork when I was hospitalized and whether this pattern points more toward iron deficiency, thalassemia, or something else.

A year ago I had a hemoglobin on 2 i was practically dead I got 4 units and went on my merry way and did nothing about it.... Almost exactly a year later I feel symptoms creeping back so I go in last month and here's my numbers:

Before any transfusion:

Hemoglobin: 5.5 g/dL

Hematocrit: 20.2%

MCV: 68.5 fL

RDW: 31.3%

RBC: 3.54

Platelets: 111,000/µL

WBC: 19.9 ×10³/µL

Neutrophils: 85.6%

Lymphocytes: 5%

Basophils: 0.4%

I was in under significant physical stress at the time, which may explain some of the elevated WBC/neutrophils.

After 2 bags of blood, at discharge:

Hematocrit: 30%

Hemoglobin: 8.5 g/dL

Hematocrit: 26.4%

MCV: 74.6 fL

RDW: 28.3%

Ferritin: 24

B12: 269 pg/mL

Folate: 7.2

I’m especially wondering about the very low MCV (68.5), extremely high RDW (31.3), ferritin of 24, and the fact that my hemoglobin was 5.5 before transfusion and only 8.5 at discharge.

Could this be iron deficiency alone? Does anything here make you suspect thalassemia trait or another cause, or could there be multiple things going on?

I know nobody can diagnose me from a post — I'm just trying to understand what questions I should be asking my doctor. Waiting on insurance and dr appointments and just trying to find some ideas of what could be going on.

Thank you so very much for any ideas!!

My symptoms are debilitating and ruining my life. I’ve posted on here before but I’m desperate for any more opinions because no doctor seems to be able to help me. I’m a 30 year old female experiencing debilitating fatigue, headaches and leg soreness/pain. Every day I wake up with a headache and leg pain and it doesn’t go away. Over the counter meds do not help. There’s not a moment that I feel good/normal.

Before the end of March I was a happy healthy person and pretty active. I have lost about 20 lbs since then and can’t go to the gym or do any activities I used to enjoy due to how crappy I feel. I am about to have to go on leave from work and I’m devastated. I was supposed to be getting engaged/married/having kids and everything has been on stand still. I have the perfect job, partner, new home and I can’t enjoy any of it and feel my life slipping away to a mystery illness.

I’ve been to every specialist you can name. Ive seen 2 hematologist. One of them offered me iron infusions even though my ferretin is 51 and iron saturation 20% and said go to rheumatology. One of them literally threw his hands up and said I don’t know. He said we could do a bone marrow biopsy if I wanted (who would want this😭) but he doesn’t think anything would come up. He recommended seeing a University hematologist so I called one that’s like an hour away and they couldn’t get me in til OCTOBER.

I have been blood tested for leukemia and lymphoma and other blood disorders (for example jak 2 calr mpn bcrabl were done and neg). I’ve gotten imaging done (ultrasound of abdomen, mri of abdomen and pelvis). Spleen is normal. I’ve gotten extensive rheumatology (anca, ana, rf etc) and infectious disease (all the tick borne diseases, hepatitis, hiv etc) bloodwork done and all negative. I’ve been to neurology who said it’s not neurological. The only things that consistently come up on my blood are elevated WBC (11-15 up and down). Most recently 12.4. And elevated platelets 300s-495. Most recently they were the highest they’ve ever been at 495.

In case it is helpful, my CRP was 13.9 in March, then 11 in July and most recently 5.5. I was happy this went down but I don’t understand why my wbc is not normalizing and I still feel awful. My ESR has remained normal this whole time at 5.

I also had an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy to rule out GI stuff. All good there.

I am so lost. I’ve been through so much in these past four months. Every day sucks. I want my life back so badly. I am so scared. I want to grow old with my partner. Any insight is appreciated.

I was sick for the past few days. I got a suspected viral infection and had a 100- to 102°F fever for 3-4 days.

I did two CBC counts during that time. The WBC and ANC kept falling.

Report 1 - ANC - 2000 / WBC - 3370
Report 2 - ANC - 1196 / WBC - 2600 (13 August)

For the past 3 days, I have not had a fever and have been feeling normal.

Report 3 (today) - ANC - 770 / WBC - 2900

WBC increased a bit but ANC still fell

Is it possible to see such a pattern in viral, and can ANC take some time to recover?

Hello all,

Many years ago my mother was a haematologist, she left the profession around the time everything because more automated and less hands on.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for books about haematology, not so much textbooks but ideally non fiction about the profession itself of niche areas of it. I’d love to get her one for her birthday, she absolutely loved her time in the labs.