Hi Cheri,
Good that you at last are feeling better
!
It can really be very difficult to reduce iron overload. As far as I understand wheatgrass can reduce copper - I think other iron chelators can do that too - so patients who take wheatgrass during long periods should have the copper controlled.
When I started to take Thalidomide (very similar to Revlimid) my ferritin value had increased from 1500 to 5600 in a few months due to txs every week. I was getting Desferal and a low dose of Exjade (500 mg/day) at that time. Then Thalidomide started to work and after 3 months I didn't need txs.
I continued to take Exjade. My ferritin value decreased and was 1500 two month after the last tx. One year after I started to take Thalidomide the ferritin value was less than 1000 and I stopped taking Exjade. The ferritin value continues to decrease very slowly and is now about 860. I have hemolysis (my red blood cells burst too early) and I think the high ferritin value depends on that.
Most studied on effects of iron overload show results for patients with the inherited disease thalassemia. These patients start with txs at a very early age and they get liver and heart problems if they are not chelated. In fact the majority of heavily transfused MDS patients failed to demonstrate significant cardiac iron deposition on MRI examination.
http://asheducationbook.hematologyli...009/1/664.full
Before iron damage the heart the liver tests will increase. How are your liver tests?
Kind regards
Birgitta-A