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When you say "vitamin B" was normal? Which vitamin B are you referring to? Typically, physicians will only check for B12 deficiency because it can connect to iron deficiency via something called "pernicious anemia". But all the B vitamins work together in a synergistic fashion. That's why we recommend a high potency B-complex. And D3 is turning out to be much more important than we ever realized. In many ways, it is a "master vitamin". And in the modern world where we spend much more time indoors than our ancestors did, we often don't get enough of it, especially if we live in northern latitudes. And it's also true that "normal" levels may not be the same as optimum levels.  Ferritin is an iron storage protein. The body can rob from storage in order to maintain immediate blood levels of iron so, yes, ferritin can take longer to rebuild than hemoglobin counts. Your ferritin levels are low end of normal.

Hi celiac community. Reaching out for some help. I am traveling to Mallorca in May for a cycling trip and would like some recommendations on gluten free safe eats and if there are things in the stores to buy. Let me know what works 

Hi @trents Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I have been on an iron supplement for 4 years. (Started at Ferratin at 6) and has always sat around 20-30s. I also have been a high level athlete so I’m sure that doesn’t help. I will sometimes get readings around 50 but haven’t stopped my supplement so assuming it can be from taking it the day before.  Also get muscle twitches too which maybe is pointing to some other deficiency.    My magnesium vitamin B and D were all normal right before going gluten free but I’m also reading more about zinc and the different types of b vitamins that may affect some symptoms as well. So will have to look into that. When can iron stores expect to replenish? Does it take awhile? 

@trents - THANK YOU, that is a really helpful and interesting post. I have had fairly extreme symptoms. Being a veteran hypochondriac I've been imagining all sorts and what you say makes me think I've probably been up to my usual catastrophizing!    That said, I foresee another colonoscopy appointment if things don't settle down soon., and if I have got diverticulosis I guess that is how they will find out. I've just checked some statistics and I had no idea until I googled the condition that such a large percentage of the UK population has diverticulosis, i.e. 50 per cent by the age of 50, and that diverticulitis itself - i.e.  inflammation of the diverticular - affects 5-25 per cent of the population.  Oddly enough I knew a young woman with it and she told me years ago that it felt like there was a baby's foot wedged into her stomach at times, just like when she was expecting a baby, and this is exactly how it feels to me at times (although I realise as a man you will not be familiar with this sensation!)   I also do have an umbilical hernia which I think plays me up. On your other earlier points - I have read elsewhere that sudden intake of fibre can cause a lot of discomfort.  It reminds me of the time I swapped a chocolate bar with a muesli bar with apricots in an effort to be healthy, and there was a stone in it which broke my tooth!  No pain no gain I suppose!  And re: new intolerances, that too is very likely.   I will start keeping a food diary and my husband has today bought me some peppermint tea, hopefully that might help disperse some of the bloating! Thank you.    

Welcome to the celiac.com community, @hjayne19! Because of the damage done to the villous lining of the small bowel by celiac disease's inflammatory process, absorption of nutrients from our diet is generally compromised and over time it is typical for those with celiac disease to develop nutritional deficiencies. Your low ferritin is evidence of that. We generally advise those who have been newly diagnosed to invest in some high quality and high potency gluten-free vitamin and mineral supplements to address this. We're talking about more than a multivitamin. We usually advise B-complex, D3 (5-10k IU daily), zinc, and magnesium glycinate. In particular, magnesium can be helpful for sleep issues and the glycinate form is important as it is assimilates much better than a lot of common forms you see on supermarket shelves which are formulated more for shelf-life than the are for assimilation. Has your ferritin rebounded yet? You may also need an iron supplement if you aren't on one already. Do you have Costco stores near you? Costco's Kirkland Signature brand and Nature Made brand of vitamins and supplements are good quality, economical choices and will be labeled gluten-free on the packaging if they are.