Update on Iron Overload and Blood Donation

Good morning family,

I got extensive blood work done about a week ago, including an iron panel to confirm my suspicions of iron overload that I was experiencing. I am positive for H63D gene SNP (one of the known hereditary hemochromatosis SNPs), so I knew this was likely from the start with the range of symptoms I was experiencing that I listed in a previous update article.

This is where it gets tricky for most people. My serum ferritin came back as 98 (optimal range is below 100). This is pretty decent all things considered with ferritin being long term iron storage, it may have been influenced by the IP6 megadoses however. Could’ve likely been higher, but I will never know, not having tested prior to self experimentation. What gave the iron overload away in my own context was high transferrin saturation percentage at 55% (optimal range is 30-40%). Transferrin saturation is essentially short term iron storage and can be an indication for early stages of iron overload. As I had mentioned in the previous Unbound Iron Detox Protocol article, a blood iron panel does not measure iron stored in organs as Hemosiderin, this would require a liver biopsy and/or expensive Ferriscan equipment. Other iron markers like total iron and TIBC/UIBC were within range, though on the higher end of normal. Complete blood count markers were also within normal range.

My total and LDL cholesterol was slightly elevated (can be an indication of liver dysfunction), nothing concerning by any means and my lipid ratios were actually ideal when looking at it from a ratio perspective, but this was another giveaway for iron overload. The last giveaway was LOW vitamin D blood level, despite my daily sun exposure. It came back as 28ng/dl, so the dream I mentioned I had on Twitter about having low vitamin D was actually a premonition of sorts. Low vitamin D despite high sun exposure and dietary intake is typically an indication of inflammation, yet my HS-CRP level was below 0.3, essentially 0.

This is where it got a bit tricky to understand, but seems to be common in about 10% of those with the H63D gene SNP. Potentially a rare condition called H63D or Oslo syndrome where ferritin can be normal or actually low and transferrin saturation is high, concerningly high. It may be that I caught it early with my self awareness of my body and how I feel constantly, but this is not a good indication for longterm health for me. I will need to continue to donate blood periodically every 3 months when allowed to do so via Red Cross to begin to eliminate iron storage from organs.

This is the point where I turned to asking my mother what her recent blood markers were like… High iron markers, high cholesterol, low vitamin D. Well, there we go. That’s confirmation enough for me.

I scheduled a blood donation session for yesterday and about halfway through the pint bag, my vision began clearing up. I hadn’t even realized it started getting more blurry than usual, it was a very gradual decline. In total, I had a full pint and about 6 vials of blood drawn. Within the next hour or two, I noticed my head was extremely clear. Energy and mood went back up significantly. Tension in my upper back that I didn’t even realize was there dissipated and my joints felt MUCH more fluid. Waking up this morning, I feel much, much better, so I will continue with periodic iron panels and blood donation for the time being.

I have a couple things I need to address today and possibly tomorrow with a clear mind, and I have huge news that I will be sharing with you all soon. Very excited. Despite the iron overload, life is grand. I will finish up the GABAergic recovery protocol, and I think I’ll include a psychosis recovery protocol, a notes on autism management article, and a review on how to begin to learn how to read studies effectively (or how I learned myself). If you have any other suggestions for articles or protocols, please feel free to share them below in comments.

Grimhood feels back.

Love always,

Daniel aka Grimhood