I (15f) was diagnosed with iron deficiency (WITHOUT anemia) last August (2025) after feeling extremely exhausted all summer, to the point where standing up & walking up a single flight of stairs was too tiring. My ferritin was a 5. I was given iron supplements and denied a blood transfusion bc I wasn’t anemic, but I felt anemic, I passed out often, was short of breath after talking for short periods of time, tunnel vision, etc. I went from running ~4 miles 6 days per week from not being able to run down my street. I supplemented for months, on and off due to the gastrointestinal effects but since December 2025 I have been taking liquid iron 2ml 65mg daily, haven’t missed a day. In November 2025 my ferritin went up to 36. I got labs yesterday and my ferritin went back down to a 16 despite supplementing for months? I still feel extremely exhausted and since September-now I have developed many more symptoms
- chronic headaches / migraines (headaches EVERY day, migraines 3-4 days per week)
- nerve pain (shooting stabbing pains in my fingers that shoot up my arms, numbness in my legs)
- heart palpitations
- brain fog
- muscle twitching / spasms / locking joints (all temporary)
I have been to chronic fatigue, they said I was fine bc I still go to school (keep in mind I FORCE myself to go to school, it is extremely painful to write & remembering things is so hard). Cardiology did an EKG & said my heart is healthy. Neurology gave me amitriptyline for my headaches & it has done absolutely nothing (I’ve been on it since March). I got an MRI & all they found was a small cyst that they said I was likely born with & is not harmful. No one takes me seriously, I am crippling pain every single day and these doctors seem to think I’m just tired and have a little headache. If anyone sees any correlation between these symptoms or has any sort of input or advice, PLEASE tell me bc I am in so much pain and I have gotten almost zero answers. Everyone looks at me like I’m fine and there’s nothing wrong but there has to be something wrong, this is unbearable.