Rick is “one of the lucky ones”

Posted January 23rd, 2018 by Canadian Hemochromatosis Society

By Rick Laswick

Move over Robert Downey Jr, I am the real Iron Man!

It all started back in 2002 after repeated trips to my family doctor asking “Why am I so tired? Why is my skin grey? Why do my two fingers and knuckles hurt so much if I touch them?”

After getting the regular rolling-the-eyes routine and “What are you here for this time, Rick?” questions, I decided enough was enough and asked to see someone else. After a few months of waiting and being put on iron pills, I met with a doctor who took one look at me and said, “I’m pretty sure I know what’s wrong with you, Rick.” After a bunch of blood work and a DNA test, I was called back in about a week or so later. The doctor’s hunch was dead on: I have hereditary hemochromatosis. He informed me that my ferritin levels were off the charts at 20,000 ng/mL!  Read more…