The 7 signs that you may be anaemic, by someone who has lived with it all her life

Growing up, I was one of those kids that just seemed to have every possible medical condition.

I was anaemic, had vertigo, as well as low blood pressure. Summers were often spent in a cast of varying colour, after either tripping up stairs or slipping down fireman poles (yes, I once broke my arm that way). If I wasn’t dizzy and falling over, then I was too tired to even sit up. But I want to talk to you now about anaemia. The most common form of anaemia is caused by a lack of the mineral iron and vitamin B12 in our body. *now for the science part* Our bone marrow needs iron to make a protein called haemoglobin. If you remember your Junior Cert Science correctly you’ll know that haemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen around our bodies. Without enough iron, our bodies can’t produce enough haemoglobin for red blood cells and therefore we don’t get enough oxygen. Me and anaemia have been around the block a few times. It's one of those common conditions that rarely gets diagnosed because the warning signs are so innocuous. Here are the top seven symptoms that you may be anaemic.

Short of breath and dizzy spells:

As mentioned above, if your body isn’t getting enough oxygen then it’s only natural that you may experience shortness of breath and dizziness. Check it out next time you feel out of breath after doing a small menial task or feel really lightheaded when you sit up too fast. Most of us are quick to brush off these small signs and get on with our day, but it might be worth keeping track of how often and when these feelings occur.

Chronic fatigue:

FYI chronic fatigue and chronic laziness are two completely different things. Chronic fatigue refers to people who have their recommended 7 - 9 hours sleep a day and still struggle with exhaustion after waking up. Or people who can barely stay awake during physical activity. A chronic lazy person, on the other hand, is in a serious relationship with their bed and pretty busy being all about that sloth life. We respect that, but for the sake of science, we needed to clear it up.  

Really pale skin…like paler than normal:

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Yeah, we’re from the land of the living dead, so pale skin isn’t the easiest identifier of anaemia. To be honest, I wouldn’t even consider myself pale at full health. If I’m lucky I would be best described as transparent with hints of blue and red, but according to Readers Digest , “without iron or vitamin B12, there might not be enough blood supply to the skin, resulting in a paler and even yellow-looking, exterior".

Pain in your chest:

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This one can be a bit scary, and you really shouldn’t ignore this. It can feel like a tightness in your chest or like there is too much pressure. I find that if this occurs at work, the best thing to do is stand up, walk around and stretch a little. It’s important to breath and not to panic. This happens because "there are fewer healthy red blood cells circulating so the heart has to work even harder to move them through your body. As a result, the heart beats faster than normal and you may start to feel the strain as chest pain".

If you are pregnant:

Pregnant women are far more likely to suffer from anemia because the body needs a lot more iron to make another person. Therefore it is crucial that mums-to-be are getting enough iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid.

If you are vegan:

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If you are vegan, chances are everyone knows it. I was vegan for a year in 2014, and while I never had more energy in my whole entire life, I was actually really malnourished. By the end of the year I had lost a lot of my hair and stopped getting my periods. Sometimes people undergo a lifestyle change because it is trendy or they want lose weight without considering the long term health repercussions. If you are vegan or considering going vegan, it’s crucial that you remember your vitamin B-12 supplements.  

Tingling feelings in your legs, as well as headaches, and cold hands and feet:

Can you imagine if you had all three of these symptoms at once? You’d probably look like your being attacked by an invisible army of flying ants. While there are multifarious reasons for these pretty common bodily functions, again keep track of how often they occur and when, so you can better identity what is happening to your body. If you are experiencing some or all of these symptoms a good place to start would be an increase in your iron intake. Iron-rich foods include red meat, pork, seafood, dark leafy vegetables, dried fruit and beans. It also wouldn’t couldn’t hurt to schedule a doctor’s appointment, so you can get advice from a professional.