TAH please help if you know anything about iron levels

this time last year i went to the dr complaining of hair loss, fatigue and many other symptoms. bloodwork was done and i was told that i was anemic due to very heavy periods. i was told that my hemoglobin was 64. i was put on high doses of iron for a month and had my blood work done again. this time my hemoglobin was 63. within the week i had a blood transfusion (end of november), and had a tah early in the new year. my hemoglobin level at surgery was 105. i've been told that normal is between 100-140.
i finally saw my dr this week because i'm still experiencing some tenderness at my incision site. my dr ordered more bloodwork. i just received a call from the secretary saying that my iron levels are low - a 4. she said that normal is at least a 7. was told to take 300mg of iron per day and see her in a month.
does anyone know why these levels are different? why were my tests last year in the double and triple digits and was told that normal range is in the triple digits, but now i'm getting single digits for these results? this 4 result kinda scares me, especially since i thought that no more period (the cause for my anemia) meant no more declining iron levels.
please help!

i just got off the phone with the nurse. apparently the 100-140 normal range is for hemoglobin. the 7+ normal range is for ferritin. my hemoglobin is 115 and ferritin is 4. so the iron supplement is to build up iron stores. hope this helps anyone else with concerns!

Hi kimmyh! I think you are missing decimals in your hemoglobin results your 64 should be 6.4, 6.3, 10.5 and 10.0-14.0 respectively. Your iron levels are different numbers from you Hemoglobin.

My suggestion to you if you have any concerns about results call and speak to your Dr. to clarify them.

I was going to ask the same thing, if perhaps you meant those hemoglobin numbers to be decimals instead. 10.0 is still usually considered low for a hemoglobin level, though, although I know every lab/facility can have different standards for 'normal'.

But definitely, don't hesitate to call your doctor for clarification if you have any further concerns! Best wishes!

Normal hemoglobin for women is between 12 and 16. 10 -11.9 would be moderate anemia, and below that you would be eligible for transfusion. One month of oral iron therapy coupled with heavy bleeding isn't going to result in much progress. Also, some forms of iron supplements are more difficult to absorb than others.

I had my SAH seven weeks ago because of a large fibroid that was causing heavy bleeding and iron deficiency anemia. In June my hemoglobin was at 9.4, which was when they diagnosed the anemia and started me on iron pills. Six weeks later, in spite of the iron pills, hemoglobin had dropped to 7.5. I had to do daily IV iron infusions for two weeks leading up to surgery in order to get my blood counts up enough so that they could do the surgery without giving me a blood transfusion. After surgery, I was right back at 7.6 due to blood loss during the procedure.

I've been told by several medical professionals that oral iron supplements take MONTHS to make a difference. The IV infusions work much faster. I had 11 more infusions post-op and when last checked my hemoglobin was at 13.6, which was almost exactly what a "normal" level was for me a few years back, before the fibroid and the anemia.

If the iron defiency is causing significant symptoms, it might be worth asking your doctor about either an IV or injectable iron treatment.

I was told by my Dr that It takes awhile for the iron level to get up there, He has me on 325mg 2 x aday for 3months then he will recheck blood work..