Pain & tingling in arm/fingers after pre-admission testing...

These are just my labs from the hospital that were drawn 20 days ago. I'm so glad that I showed them to you because they never told me about being anemic. I have been anemic in the past with the band. This would explain why I am so tired all the time.

I haven't had my labs done in awhile, but I'm having them drawn on Monday ( just got a lab slip ) I take 2500  mcg sub B-12 daily. ( I had stopped taking it briefly before I started talking with you ) but now I'm taking them again.

I'm not taking any iron, but I'm going to order the Tender irons today ( Thank you ) I am taking Prevacid to help with the acid.Because my surgery was a surprise surgery. I didn't go through all the mandatory pre-op classes,labs, and testing that one would usually go through before surgery, so I do not have a baseline for my labs.

My HMO kept denying me visits to the band doctor because they said I didn't need to be seen by him. The last time I saw him was January 2010. I guess after the multiple ER visits they thought it would be cost effective to approve my visit after all.

I actually had an appt to see the band doctor later this month on the 20th, but I was in so much pain that I called on Monday May 23 because I knew I was dehydrated from being in pain for so long that they let me come in right away and I was directly admitted to the hospital. Hence the " Surprise surgery " on the 25th of May.


I am doing this backwards hence the 3 hour pre-op class I just went to the other day with the nut.

Because I was a lap bander just 19 days ago I was not all that prepared for this surgery and it's needs as far as supplements go. The nut told the entire class that they should be taking a Flintstones chewable or Centrum chewable everyday. Now even I know better then that, but I still don't know what I should really be taking, so I am just taking a daily right now until I get the results of my labs back.

The only Vitamin D the nut is recomending is the D i get in the daily chewable which is 400 IU a day.

I am taking the Calicium citrate chews by Bariatric Advantage. I chew two chews ( 500 mg ) each at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is what the nut told me to do.

I have never had a DEXA scan, but I will try to get one in. My HMO loves to deny everything. Which is why I am changing ins. on July 1 st. Hopefully I can get the scan in before that, but it might have to be through the new ins so I won't know how long it will actually be before I can get it done.

Do you have any suggestions for me to help me get this test approved as soon as possible rather then later ?

Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate all the time you are taking with me.

Lisa

It is possible that since those are the labs that were done while you are in the hospital, we all tend to lose some blood while in surgery, I would make sure you get a copy of your new labs and see if you are still anemic.  When you get the copies, PM me with the results and I can advise you further.  I am glad that you ordered the Tender irons.

That is absolutely nuts that an insurance company that approved a weight loss surgery would then not let you get the follow up care that you needed.  You should have been able to see your surgeon and NUT atleast yearly and preferably 2 times per year for life.  Did you atleast see your primary care physician and get the necessary labs during the time you couldn't see the surgeon?  I dont' get my labs done by my surgeons office, I get them done by my Endocrinologists office.  I do see my surgeon/NUT but I like the lab that my Endo uses better and she does them more often and is local.

So, I am a little confused - I don't have your old posts at hand - I know you were a lap bander and now you are a VSG - if you had so much trouble with the band, I gather they had to remove it, but why didn't they let you heal before they revised you?  I would think with the damage from the band, it would need to heal before they could do another surgery.

I do hope you don't have a really hard time with acid reflux with the VSG - that is one major complication they have, where the gastric bypass, it usually goes away for us.  Make sure you take a PPI forever.

As far as supplements go, please NO FLINTSTONES!!!!!!!!!  Centrums are great, centrum silvers chewables are the best.  They have no iron which you dont' need in a multi, since you are taking it separately and the iron in a multi is the wrong type anyway.  Also, this way you can take your multi and calcium together.  As a VSG, some patients take the multi once per day and others take it twice. As a gastric bypass, we are required to take it twice.  You have the option.

For calcium - I have a question - which calcium citrate from bariatric advantage are you taking - the lozenges or the chewies?  The lozenges are 500mg and you can only take 1 at a time and the chewies, you need to take 2 at a time.  You can't absorb more than 600-650mg of calcium citrate at a time, so if you are taking 2 of the 500mg lozenges at a time, you aren't absorbing them.  If you are taking 2 of the chewies totally 500mg 3 times per day, then you need to take more calcium which is really rare for a lap band patient and now you are a VSG and it should still be enough but your labs are showing otherwise.  I would increase to 2000mg per day and see how your labs turn out in 3 months time but make sure you are taking it 500mg - 4 times per day or when you can swallow pills -you can get the citrical maximums which are 630mg for 2 tablets, so if you take 2 tablets 3 times per day, you would get 1890mg which would be close enough.

Unfortunately many NUTs dont' recommend vitamin D and I dont' understand why.  75% of the population is vitamin D deficiency and they dont' even know it and even more of the WLS population is deficient. From what I remember, your levels weren't bad but you don't want your levels to go down.  I know I gave you vitamin D advise in a past post.

As far as a DEXA scan goes, it is most popular with women that are post menopausal or with women that have a family history of osteoporosis.  But many of us after weight loss surgery we are put at higher risk due to low vitamin D levels, lack of calcium absorbtion or getting less from our foods and also being at a much lighter weight.  Believe it or not, a slender frame puts you at a higher risk than a heavier frame.  Things that also put you at higher risk are thyroid disease, use of steroids, pituitary disease - I can't remember the others.  I know I have like every risk factor and have been getting DEXA scans since I am 35 years old.

Once we have weight loss surgery, you doctor can usually get it approved for you.

My insurance company refused to let me see my surgeon because they said I was successful with my weight loss. I have always had my labs drawn through my PCP.

I am taking the chewies and I take a total of 6 per day, but now I'm going to up them. As soon as I get my lab results I will run them past you.

Thanks for all your help.

It can take up to a couple of weeks for the pain and tingling to go away completely, provided it was just a temporary injury.  It's very rare that there is permanent nerve damage from a blood gas stick.