Friday Roll Call

Thanks Lisa.. I appreciate your support and glad to know people do understand what I'm going thru.  I'm working on getting into the doc.

Christina

Thanks Nancy for your support.  I have my lab report and CBC is listed.  When you say blood count, is that my red blood cells / white blood cells?  They are in the normal range.  My Ferritin is low, B12, Glucose low,

I'll get in to see the doc.
Christina

hmmm.. according to my lab results, my red blood cells is at 4.2 m/cu mm.  I have an appointment tomorrow at 1 w/ my surgeon so he can do a physical and determine what blood work he wants to run.

Christina

Dear Christina:

What iron pill are you taking?  Many doctors do not understand the malabsorption of the RNY, (even the surgeons).  It sounds like you may need an iron infusion to get that iron up to a respectable level.   I felt the same way when my iron was very low (my D too….).  I had an iron infusion about 9 months after my surgery.

At that time, the hematologist told me that an RNY patient “will never absorb iron.  You will need infusions 2-4 times per year from now on."  Well…..I proved him wrong.  I had that one infusion and it got my ferretin up.  Since then, I have been taking CHEWABLE iron in triple the recommended dose and my ferretin continues to climb and stay at a great level.  Ferretin is the number that you watch.

All these years, I had been taking “Carlson Labs Chew Iron" that I got at Vitacost.com (very inexpensively too).  About 5 months ago, they ran out and I got a huge bottle of “Tender Iron" from Vitalady.com.  I take 3 with a 500 mg chewable vitamin C every day at about 3:30 am. 

One thing to understand about iron it that it does not “work and play well with others".  It needs to be taken on its own at least an hour (2 is better) away from anything else, and before eating or drinking coffee, and NEVER anywhere near calcium citrate.  Calcium and iron kind of “cancel each other out".

Also, make sure that your vitamin D3 is in a DRY form.  You will not absorb the prescription D3 that they give in a gel cap, which is oil based.

I do not take B12 shots, but do a 5000 mg B12 bilingual (under the tongue) each day.  I get these at Trader Joe’s and they also have folic acid in them.  My B-12 is actually a bit high off the chart.

DO NOT allow your doctor to put you off.  You do not have to put up with feeling that bad.  I understand the driving thing.  Before I got my iron up, I almost fell asleep on the highway at 70 mph.  There were many times I had to pull of in a parking lot or forest preserve for a 20 minute nap so that I could continue home safely.  I also understand the “husband thing".  Sometimes, they just don’t get it.

I hope this info helps.  If you wish, I would be happy to send you my vitamin regimen.

Hi Dawn:

It's so frustrating but I'm glad to know I'm not alone and people do know that this is serious stuff and I'm not just making it up.  Calvin looked at my lab paperwork and said "Everything looks good except the Ferritin".  I wish he understood but I don't think that's gonna happen.  Oh well.
Do you know what your Ferritin was at?  Mine is at 6.3

They put me on Ferretts Ferrous Fumarate 325g, 106mg iron 2 x a day.

Bariatrics Fusion Vitamin & Mineral Supplement 4 x a day

Vit D 50000IU 1 x a week for 6 weeks but I've finished this med.

I will get in to see my surgeon and get the bottom of the way I'm feeling and also mention the things you mentioned.  It really stinks to feel this way.

Thanks for your support.
Christina

My last labs that I have here (2008) show a Ferritin of 234!

It was 11 I think when they sent me for the infusion!!!!  Yours is WAY worse!  No WONDER you feel like crap!

Even if you show that you are “low normal" in a particular test, that can still affect the way you feel.  I shoot for “mid to high normal" ranges in everything.

Like I said, I take WAY more than they prescribe (of most everything).  But I also feel pretty darn good most of the time!

Almost everything on my labs show either low or right on the low range of normal.  The only thing that was really good was my good & bad cholestrol,  & triglycerides.
 

Christina