Disappointed in my recent labs

I recently had my labs done and I already knew I was probably getting too much of my thyroid meds, so that wasn't a shocker, but these things were shockers:

My bad cholesterol is quite a bit higher than it was pre-surgery. My iron levels are at an all time low, although since my surgery, for the first time in my life, I've been religiously supplementing and my Vitamin D is low, again, taking my bariatric vitamins AND extra supplement of this.

I've switched my iron to Floradix to see if that helps, but I'm pretty disappointed in the cholesterol. I've looked at the things I eat daily and it either has no or very low fat/cholesterol. The foods I eat that are higher in fat, are the good fats.

Sigh. Seriously?

Don't get too down about it . This tends to happen. It's important to stay on top of your labs and make adjustments accordingly.

Pre surgery my labs were good except for my cholesterol was high.

After Surgery:

My first labs showed my Iron was low. I started taking Iron supplements.

My next lab showed my Iron was still low but my cholesterol level improved. My Dr. said I should take vitamin C with my iron supplement and make sure I don't have anything with calcium two hours before and after taking iron.

My next labs showed my Iron better and cholesterol even lower to the point I was taken off the cholesterol meds.

My next labs showed that my Vitamin D level was low. So I added Vitamin-d supplements.

With me it's a never ending battle. But it's all worth it.

By bad cholesterol, I assume you mean your LDL is up, right? Here's the thing: LDL actually comes in two forms. There are large "fluffy" particles that are actually harmless, and then there are smaller, more dangerous particles. When we lose weight and especially when we limit carb intake, LDL often increases, but if you get a VAP test, it will likely show that your LDL is mostly the harmless fluffy particles. Unfortunately, lots of docs don't go to that next step of the VAP test and just say LDL is bad, end of story...but that's not really the end of the story.

Also not the end of the story: consuming dietary cholesterol has almost nothing to do with your fasting blood cholesterol levels. Fat also won't have a negative impact, even saturated fat, if you're keeping your dietary intake of carbs low (I'm not sure if you are, as I don't know what your eating plan is).

If you want to switch your iron supplements, you might want to try a heme form. This is available online from Vitalady as Proferrin ES or with a prescription as PRoferrin Forte (depending on your prescription coverage, the prescription might be cheaper with just a copay, as Proferrin is NOT cheap stuff). With a reduced stomach size, we have less stomach acid (plus many are taking additional acid reducing medications - not sure if you are), and non-heme irons need an acidic environment to properly break down and be absorbed.

If you don't want to or can't afford to try Proferrin, make sure you are taking an additional Vitamin C supplement with your non-heme iron supplement, and make sure you are taking your iron at LEAST 2 hours away from all calcium since they are absorbed by the same receptors, and calcium will win over iron.

As for the D, what type of supplements are/have you been taking? A dry formulation of Vitamin D3 is going to be most easily absorbed for most folks. I know you can get dry D3 capsules (they're tiny) from Vitalady online because that's where I get mine, but if you Google, I'm sure there are other sources as well.

Don't despair! I know it can be frustrating, and there's a LOT to learn, and doctors generally aren't nutritional experts, so they sometimes unintentionally steer us int he wrong direction, but you will figure it out  :)

Hi Jill-

I'm thinking of switching iron (I just use BA chews now...def. not the best). I was wondering if I should spring for the Proferrin as I know heme is the best or if Vitalady's Tender Iron was good.

So far, my most recent labs from a couple of months ago are ok. Values were:
Hemoglobin: 15
Hematocrit: 43.8
Iron, serum: 112
TIBC: 375
Transferrin: 30

As an aside, I suffer from horrid constipation so that's another reason I was thinking of switching to a heme form of iron, hoping that might help things a bit. But I deal with constipation with MagOxide and colace so I can keep doing that too. I appreciate your input since I've noticed your helpful input in lab stuff before!

Thanks!

How's your ferritin level?

I can't speak from personal experience with the Tender Iron, but I know lots of folks (even DSers with lots of malabsorption) are successful with it, so it might be worth a shot. I went straight for the Proferrin because of my issues with constipation early out. Like you, I took some extra mag and some generic Colace daily for probably my first 6 months post-op. I also like the Proferrin because it's less picky, so it adds a bit of convenience to my supplement schedule - you don't have to separate heme iron from calcium, you don't have to take vit C with it, and you don't have to be as careful about what you're eating/drinking near the time you're taking it, and that all works out for me because I sometimes end up taking my last 2 vitamin doses closer together than I'd like, and one contains my iron while another contains calcium.

The only down side with the Proferrin, for me, is the price. I've never actually had low iron levels, so it would be a challenge to get a prescription for the Proferrin Forte without a diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia, so I just buy the Proferrin ES from Vitalady (I buy like 6 or 7 bottles at a time so I qualify for free shipping!).

Ferritin is 85.

I have had issues with anemia in the past and was prescribed something a couple of years ago (and I'm totally blanking on the name...), but lately I seem to be ok. Heck, my NUT doesn't even think I should supplement, but I, of course, don't listen to her. She also didn't mention the dangerously low B12 level pre-surgery (it was 250...). Thank goodness I get copies of my labs!

Seems like Proferrin might be worth it since it isn't so picky and it might help the stupid constipation. I feel like I'm always carefully timing the iron supplement and the added convenience is prob worth it. What's another $50? :)

Thanks much!

I need to reschedule my checkup ..this is helpful to know.