No, this is not an academic lecture in some healthcare university semester.
This is about a letter I got from Sanquin, the Dutch blood donation authority.
Ferritin deficiency?
It turns out my serum ferritin is too low.
It is below the 30 µg/L threshold. The “normal” range sits somewhere between 30 and 250 µg/L.
Mine was 24 µg/L two weeks ago, at my 30th donation.
And after giving 500 ml of blood that day, chances are it’s even lower now.
Why does this “ferritin” even matter?
Well, it turns out ferritin is an important protein in your body’s energy and oxygen systems.
Ferritin (think ferro, iron) is basically your iron warehouse. Its contents are used to produce hemoglobin in your blood, which is responsible for transporting oxygen.
But that’s not all.
Ferritin is also involved in:
- energy production (ATP)
- recovery after training
- dopamine production
- and proper functioning of the nervous system
Basically:
Low ferritin doesn’t just show up in a lab result. It shows up in how you feel.
And guess which symptoms I’ve been dealing with for the past couple of months.
- Chronic fatigue. I’m tired all the time.
- Trouble concentrating. Hey brainfog, anyone?
- Restless legs. Yep, got those too.
So…..
Could a low ferritin level actually be the root cause?
Tests
To be sure, I went to the hospital to have my blood tested again.
The results should be in early next week.
After that, Ill have a meeting with my GP to discuss the next steps.
But yeah….
This ferritin issue might actually be the missing link.
Brain running low on iron. Shutting down. Out.