When The Iron is Running Low

Part A (Brief description of chief complaint):

Iron Deficiency Anemia: Iron is essential in making hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. Iron deficiency anemia is a condition in which blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells due to low level of iron. Common symptoms include fatigue, irregular heartbeat, pale or yellowish skin, and cold hands.

Part B (Poem):

When the iron is running low,

A shadow of fatigue begins to grow.

Pale echoes in each step I take,

Anemia’s weight, a heavy ache.

In veins, a river without its might,

Transferrin, the captain, lost in the night.

Cells, like soldiers, weary and dried,

Battling fatigue, a crimson tide.

When the iron is running low,

Hematocrit staggers below.

Heart’s rhythm stumbles in faltering beat,

A symphony of exhaustion, a silent defeat.

Blood cells fade in ghostly wail,

In the mirror, my complexion pale.

Cold fingertips where blood don’t flow,

When the iron is running low.

A labored sigh in every breath,

Iron’s death, my own Macbeth.

The world spins, a dizzying show,

When the iron is running low.

Iron returns in distant dreams,

In languor’s grip, a silent scream.

Yet hope lingers like a resilient ember,

For iron’s return, a strength to remember.