Make your voice heard by asking your local TD to raise issues facing many haemochromatosis patients in Ireland, including the unfair and inequitable €80 charge for venesections for patients without Medical Cards or private health insurance.
We continue to lobby the HSE and the Department of Health to waive the cost of treatment for venesections and request that more GPs are equipped to provide venesection services in their practices.
Haemochromatosis International Haemochromatosis International is a global alliance of haemochromatosis associations, established to advance the health of people with haemochromatosis across Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South African and South America. Haemochromatosis UK Haemochromatosis UK supports people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who live with genetic haemochromatosis. www.irishliverfoundation.ie The Irish Liver […]
I’m in a place where I feel healthy and energetic My own personal haemochromatosis journey has been an interesting one. My father was diagnosed with Haemochromatosis in 2002 after bouts of severe fatigue that actually culminated in him being diagnosed with terminal cancer. His passing was extremely sad and traumatic for us all, but it […]
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, […]
How a dive on the barrier reef uncovered a HH diagnosis In 2014, my wife and I had planned a visit to our daughter, Eimear, who lives in Brisbane, Australia. I decided that a chance to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef would be too good an opportunity to pass up. So I applied […]
My father and the ‘Celtic curse’ The ‘Celtic curse’ is the name popularly given to the condition haemochromatosis, a genetic disorder where excessive amounts of iron are absorbed from the diet, leading to organ and tissue damage and even death, if left untreated. It’s nicknamed the ‘Celtic curse’ because, while one-in-400 Europeans has the condition, […]
I feel extraordinarly lucky to have been diagnosed “I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than 18 years ago and a test for haemochromatosis was one of the initial tests that the GP carried out. It showed up quickly that I had seriously high ferritin levels. I was not in good health at the time. […]
Fall from a horse leads to haemochromatosis diagnosis After a horse riding incident, Sean Carter suffered with backache and chest pain. He went to see his doctor after the fall, who enquired about his colouring. Confused, Sean asked the doctor if his colour was abnormal. The doctor told him that he had a bronze/grey pallor […]
Shout it from the mountains! ‘I was 59 when I was diagnosed with haemochromatosis and for the previous five years, I had been on medication for gout, pseudo gout, high cholesterol and eventually, rheumatoid arthritis. But when my GP checked my ferrtins levels, they came back as 1400, whereas the normal level in men ranges […]
It was a red letter day when I was diagnosed! Michael originally trained and worked as a teacher but has been an IT consultant for over 25 years. He was diagnosed with Haemochromatosis (HH) in August 2008. He says it was a red letter day for him as he finally knew what was wrong with him! […]
