At what age did you get diagnosed with iron overload / hemochromatosis?
45
At what age did you start feeling symptoms?
40
What were your symptoms?
- Knuckle pain in fingers
- Pain in joints like hips or knees
- Arthritis
- Abdominal pain
- Weight gain
- Shortness of breath / difficulty breathing
- Muscle weakness
- Brain fog
- Memory problems
- Skin discoloration
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Heart flutters / abnormal heart rhythm
- Low sex drive
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Bloat
- Fatigue / feeling tired
- Insomnia
- Over-sleeping
- Abnormal liver enzyme levels
- Burning pain, especially in hands and arms
Which symptoms affected you the most?
Joint and abdominal pain.
How did your symptoms affect your daily life?
I had to stop working.
How did you discover you had iron overload / hemochromatosis?
My sister started getting sick and had some tests done. The doctor told her I needed to be checked to see if I had it, and we both found out we had double mutated jeans (two copies of the C282Y gene).
When you got diagnosed, what was the treatment plan your doctor gave you?
Phlebotomy, no alcohol, no red meat, low iron intake.
How did people react when you told them you had hemochromatosis?
Thy had never heard of it.
How do you feel today?
I'm still in a lot of pain in my body. Trying to stay healthy. It's hard to find help with good recipes and food. I get tired of eating the same things.
Tips or advice for others struggling with iron overload?
I try to take fresh turmeric and ginger every day...I think it helps.
And I take a hemp collagen supplement for my joints - I was out of it for a week and I started hurting bad - as soon as I started taking it again I could tell a difference.
Tell us a little bit about you.
I'm from Texas and love doing crafts, but this past year my hands have gotten so bad it's hard for me to make my bows anymore, so I need a new hobby. I think just loving my grandbaby is go to be it.
Anything else you want to say?
Please stay as healthy as you can. I lost my baby sister this past year to the disease.