I am a 23 year old female and was recently diagnosed with iron-deficient anemia. My blood count was 11. I am sure I have had it since childhood. I was taking iron supplements as suggested, but nearly have myself iron toxicity.. So I refuse to take more supplements. I've always had the usual cold, fatigue, and brittle nails symptoms. However, last week at work i was on ladder and almost fainted, my heart beat was irregular so i checked my blood pressure it was 140/107 and that was 30 mins after my incident. I've never had high bp ever! I could not take a deep breath until i layed down. It was scary and that was only incident. Also as a child i would have random chest pains rarely that would occur when i took a breath & a sore tongue. Right now the corner of my mouth is cracked. How severe is my anemia?