I was aware that bowel surgery to the caecum (the junction where the small intestine meets the large intestine) can result in malabsorption of Vitamin B12 and hence a general deficiency throughout the body. However, I wasn’t aware that the surgery can also lead to a deficiency of iron (ferritin) and hence symptoms of anaemia. Feeling constantly exhausted and wondering why my next door neighbour’s car kept looking appetising I decided to get some blood tests to find out the cause.
My GP rang me a few days later to explain that my Ferritin level had dropped to a rather alarming level of 9ug/L whereas the normal range is 22-275. I immediately did two things;
- Contacted British Supplements
- Rang my herbalist, the wonderful Lucy at The Herbary.
British Supplements were fantastic. Within a few hours I had a detailed email with masses of information about anaemia and a link to one of their ‘Stacks’ from which I chose Nettle and Spirulina. Lucy meanwhile recommended a liquid iron supplement called ‘Floradix‘ with instructions to take twice daily.
Repeat blood tests were carried out 6 weeks later which showed Ferritin had increased to 14ug/L, a good increase but still some way short of the normal range. My GP was happy to see the increase and encouraged me to continue using natural remedies.
7 weeks later, at the end of September 2025, further blood tests revealed Ferritin has now reached 25ug/L, a figure comfortably above the bottom of the normal range, and thankfully the extreme tiredness, the main symptom of anaemia I experienced, has dissipated.
This was done without iron injections, radical changes of diet or any form of medication. Just simple natural solutions and a generous helping of patience.