Early diagnosis of haemochromatosis is crucial

When I was about 40, I began to feel tired, lethargic and had low libido. I went to the doctor but as the GP didn’t know the cause of my problems, I stopped attending the surgery.  

As the years went by, things got worse. I was getting headaches, loss of concentration and poor memory. This made it very difficult to do my job and it was very stressful. Every night I went to bed exhausted and woke up just as tired after 8 hours sleep.

Something had to be done about this and I went back again to the GP. I insisted that he did a ‘Wellman” full medical examination. One of the blood tests was Serum Ferritin. My level was 2580ng where it should have been under 300ng. The Transferrin Saturation was 98% instead of 45-50%.  I was referred to a gastroenterologist who organised a genetic test, the results of which confirmed a diagnosis of haemochromatosis. I commenced weekly venesections for nine months until my level was normal. This was a slow process as it was often difficult to get blood from my veins.

I was 57 when I was diagnosed in 2007. I am now 68 and my life has greatly improved. I no longer have headaches or dizziness.

My wife is a carrier for Haemochromatosis which means that she has one mutated gene. We have 3 children, one son doesn’t have Haemochromatosis, our daughter is a carrier, our other son was diagnosed when he was 23. He has twice yearly phlebotomy but because he was diagnosed early he has none of the symptoms that I had. This is why I strongly believe that early diagnosis is so important.