What Does Low Transferritin Sat Mean?

[Sarah4444]

On my most recent bloodwork my transferritin was normal, my hemoglobin normal, my ferritin low normal (10) like always, but my transferriting saturation was low. I tried googling this but still am not clear what it may mean - does anyone know? Thanks in advance!

[juliegee]

I just googled it and a low value could be caused by anemia, pregnancy, or the use of hormonal contraception. Do you think any could apply to you?

Julie

[Ashelton80]

The other forum I read always talks about ferritin and it's role in conditions such as POTS. A Ferritin of 10 is low even though it may be in range. If it is in the range your doctor uses the bottom number is likely 10 and the top is up somewhere around 200 I think. Either way, it's worth addresssing. The lady at the other site basically is in remission of her POTS by treating her low ferritin, b12 and vit d along with some other things like exercise, etc. It's worth a shot maybe 5 % better here and 5 % better there and more functional. I need to get some stuff like that checked on me.

[kayjay]

For me low ferritin ( 8), low vitamin d, and low B12 ended up being from problems with gluten.

I still have POTs but am doing much better.

Could you have trouble with gluten?

My labs never made sense to me before because I eat well and take vitamins. Now I know I wasn't able to properly absorb what what my body needed.

[sue1234]

From my reading over the years, I have always run into a ferritin level of around "70" as what some doctors want your ferretin to be around. I really feel that a ferritin of "10" is really signaling iron deficiency anemia.

The saturation has something to do with(if I remember correctly!!) how well the proteins are able to bind and carry the hemoglobin around(I think, please don't take it as 100%). Thus, a low saturation means they're not being carried where they need to go.

[Sarah4444]

My new endocrinologist has had me taking iron supplements daily for at least a year and a half, but my ferritin doesn't seem to go over 15 or so. I'm not pregnant or using hormonal contraceptives, and it seems that my iron tanked around the same time that something did my thyroid in, and when the POTS started getting really bad. I don't know why iron supplements don't help much though. I have been cutting gluten out of my diet (and man do I miss it) but am still so unstable that I can't figure out what is causing what yet - for instance when we travelled recently I ate gluten and then had a really bad couple of days, but it could have just been exhaustion. Then I went off gluten, felt better and then felt worse again while still not eating gluten.

I really hope things settle to the point that I can start figuring some of this out. How do you know if gluten is causing anemia - how long did you have to avoid it before your iron absorption improved? It may be underlying mastocytosis that is causing all of it - anemia, hypothyroidism, POTS...does that make sense? Also, does being anemic pull transferrin down or is it the other way around? Thanks, guys.

[kayjay]

I know that for me I was on and off again with gluten. I finally went completely off for 4 months. I don't think you can just "cut down" and feel better.

Also I never got very sick right away. I became convinced that this was my problem after 3 months of GF when we went out to eat and long story short the waitress lied to me and I ate gluten.

2 days later I had many of my "old" problems back. pain, headache etc.

I am taking pretty large doses of vitamins ( Gluten Free) and doing WAY better. I have had a few days of "health" and I no longer take naps ( this is after 12 years of illness ).

I don't know how to answer your specific questions but I do know if you have a problem with gluten you can have the greatest diet in the world, take vitamins and still be deficient.

Might be worth considering but you have to be really careful. Gluten is in all kinds of things... soy sauce, condiments, some lunch meat etc.

[Ashelton80]

That's very interesting about the gluten sensitivity. I have tested negative for celiac, BUT I feel horrible basically on any type of grains. About a month ago I started eating organic steel cut oats (supposedly gf) everyday for 2 weeks. By the end of that two weeks my brain fog had probably tripled and I was really depressed! So, I cut that out and guess what it went back to my "normal POTS brain fog" and the "depression" is gone. I also ate a Subway sandwich on wheat bread the other day and about 15 minutes after I finished I had aching and shooting pains all over my body! So, even though I haven't tested positive for celiac my body is DEFINITELY responding to grains or gluten in a very negative way. It is so hard to stay away all the time though, but if it helps my health I am willing to do anything. Can you give me some ideas of what you eat for breakfast? That is probably the hardest meal for gf when you get burnt out on eggs.

[kayjay]

I also tested negative for celiac ( blood test)... so I had independent testing done myself - Anyway i don't think about breakfast in terms of traditional breakfast foods. I often eat leftovers from dinner

Checks has gluten free cereals.

Vans make GF waffles.

This morning I had eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese in a corn tortilla.

Fruit and yogurt are good. I have had leftover rice. or hash browns with cheese

Gluten free seems really hard at first but I have found pasta I love and I really try to think about what I can eat... not what I can't.

I cannot tell you how much better I am off of it. My doctor told me "you know your body... if you feel better without it don't eat it".

Tonight my family will be eating french bread that I bought for them at the bakery. I used to love it and now I just look at it and think about feeling sick.

Pizza has been hard. The only GF pizza I have liked has been from a resturant. It I can help anyone with specific suggestions... pm me. I can tell you some of what to buy and what to avoid. I do recommend buying a book to get started. It helped me "find" hidden gluten. My IBS, Fibro pain, and vertigo have mostly disappeared. Betty croker even makes gluten free cake cookie and brownie mixes. good luck I hope this helps you... it might be worth a try.

[Sarah4444]

Ashley, it's interesting that we're both struggling with the same issues - feeling like we need to avoid gluten, and yet it's so hard to do so. I'm the wrong person to ask about meal ideas - basically I eat a gluten free dry cereal with milk for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch and meat/veggies/rice or potatoes for dinner. Not much variety but I still can't stand up long enough to cook so I am grateful that others are feeding me and don't want to be too demanding. But with kids and while travelling it's so hard to avoid gluten, not to mention that it's in so many things that taste much better than what I have been eating. I keep wishing I had a personal chef like Oprah or something and could really test the gluten thing out properly. What tests do they do for celiac disease? Sorry to not be much help, just muddling along here. Hope you're managing ok.

[sue1234]

Ashley, it's interesting that we're both struggling with the same issues - feeling like we need to avoid gluten, and yet it's so hard to do so. I'm the wrong person to ask about meal ideas - basically I eat a gluten free dry cereal with milk for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch and meat/veggies/rice or potatoes for dinner. Not much variety but I still can't stand up long enough to cook so I am grateful that others are feeding me and don't want to be too demanding. But with kids and while travelling it's so hard to avoid gluten, not to mention that it's in so many things that taste much better than what I have been eating. I keep wishing I had a personal chef like Oprah or something and could really test the gluten thing out properly. What tests do they do for celiac disease? Sorry to not be much help, just muddling along here. Hope you're managing ok.

Wow, Sarah4, you sound like me! I eat basically as GF as possible, but I am like Ashley, in that it's not 100%. I cannot stand up long enough to fix meals(every once in a blue moon I'll stand and help my husband cook). So, I keep it simple in what I eat, and it is repetitious. It is very hard when you can't shop and cook to follow a GF diet. I would love a personal chef!

I forgot to add that even though my biopsy was negative, my IgA gliadin was 45.4(0-10), so SOMETHING is going on! I figure I might be gluten intolerant, and really need to avoid gluten. Sooo hard in this condition.

[Sarah4444]

Sue1234 - What is IgA Gliaden, why were you tested for it an by whom? (If you don't mind my asking...).

Everything is hard in this condition, isn't it.

[sue1234]

My GI doctor did all of the celiac testing. They did something like a "celiac panel" in labwork. I did ask about it--I'm never shy to ask a doctor to test me for something. Most times they will, occasionally not. They also did the upper scope to do the biopsy.