Is this serious?

[littlekiddo]

I'm 17 year old kiddo, 5'7" tall, weighing 175 pounds. I'm anemic (Low RBC count) but I was asked by my doctor to drink Ferrous as a maintenance.

I'm not into exercising but I play Volleyball as a hobby. I'm a late sleeper though I also wake up late (During vacation) Lately, I've been experiencing dizziness and fainting.

I'm not really sure how to ask this question so I'll just perhaps throw it to you guys. Each time I try to do strenuous activities (activities that are vigorously active), even for just a little time, my heart starts to pump fast, I get pale (Well, paler, I must say.) Like, paper-pale, I feel very dizzy, like I'm being thrown, my ears feel like they're both going to explode, burst, or something, then I faint for several minutes (2 mins. max, I guess). This had happened to me four times already. First was when I was in the bath room (Didn't know what really happened) I remember peeing  and bam, Second was when I was training for volleyball, Third was when I was in the Kitchen, and Fourth was today when I was just starting waxing the floor.

What may be the cause of these things?

Thank you in advance and may God bless you and this site! :)

[caregiver222]

The guidelines in the Merck manual, which represents the standard of car in the United States (and in most other countries) suggests there may be a number of reasons for anemia, and best medical practice is to positively identify the cause of the anemia before simply prescribing iron. That is not to say that iron supplements are necessarily improper.

[littlekiddo]

Thank you for taking your time to answer this. One more thing, my menstruation cycle is very irregular. It comes perhaps twice or thrice a year. And my lowerback always hurt. I've check with a Doctor, after Xray, they didn't really find anything causing it. Can it, maybe, be caused by my lack of iron as well?

[anigail82]

Yeah, you just gave the textbook definition of anemia.  Do you have heavy periods?  Because anemia is concerning in a young person if there is no evident blood loss or lack of dietary intake (are you vegan??).  If the iron supplements are not working, you should go back to your doctor and try to figure out what is causing this.  

[caregiver222]

It's simple. You, in all liklihood have a low hematocrit. The reason is most likely lack of iron. Thus the amount of oxygen your blood can transport per unit volume is lower than normal.  Proper iron levels are necessary for the body to product oxygen carrying cells. Thus you may feel weak, collapse and become pale. Even lose consciousness.  The heart compensates for the low oxygen carrying capacity of a unit volume of blood by speeding up, and even causing palpitations.  Assuming that lack of iron is the reason, taking supplements should bring your red blood cell could up to normal. This is very common with women, who generally have a lowered hematcrit because of the menstrual cycle. You must try to keep well hydrated with electrolytes and follow your physician's instructions. You might also consider swicthing cooking to use of an iron frying pan.