20 Month Follow Up Post Op DS Lactose Intolerant?!

There is a dry vitamin D3 that you can get from the pharmacy. It's called Replesta 50,000 IUs and it's a chewable wafer.

You definitely need Dry D.  You can order it from vitalady.com - I think your endocrinologist might not understand what you can and cannot absorb being a DS post-op.

 Just passing along some info Vitalady has provided. SO many times doctors and surgeons only look to see if you are in range. You can be in range at the low end of normal and it's easy to fall out of range by being there. Being high in B12 is a good thing. Have you had your PTH tested?

Anyway, here's her suggested ranges.

Also, as others have mentioned, your D is the wrong kind of D. You need dry D3 (cholecalciferol)

Vitamin Ranges from Vitalady

 

This is NOT medical advice, just my own targets for the main blood levels I watch. 

 

Protein:          7's

Albumin:      4's

Pre-Albumin: 20-30's

 

Iron:            80-100

Ferritin:        200-300

HGB:           12+

HCT:           36+

 

Vit A:          60- 80

Vit D:          80-120 

 

Calcium:      9.0-9.4

PTH:           20-40

 

Vit B1:                  Mid to top of range

Vit B6:          Mid to top of range

Magnesium: Mid range  (but also go by if we have leg/foot cramping)

Zinc:             Mid range

 

Vit B12:       1000 +

Folate:         Top of range

 

AST (sgot): Below 40

ALT (sgpt): Below 40

 

We usually want to "meet or beat" pre-op levels.  In some cases, higher is better, and in other cases (Cholesterol, PTH for example), lower is better.

 

The only things *I* don't mind being on the high end of out of range are Ferritin and B12.  But that applies to ME. 

 

My doctors don't show interest in any of these until I am out of range. *I* am interested when I begin heading that direction.

Thank you for posting the levels you go by.  I got a copy of my labs- couple questions if you don't mind helping:

What would the following items be under on my list cause I do not see them:
Pre-Albumin
Iron
Ferritin
Vit A
VIt D
Vit B1 (are these just listed as they are suppose to be, like Vit B1)
B6
Magnesium
Zinc
Folate

Thank you!

 My Pre-Albumin shows just as that

Iron on mine falls under the heading Iron & Iron Binding Capacity. It then lists iron serum, T.I.B.C., % satruration, UIBC and lastly Ferritin.

Vitamin A might have beside it (Retinol and Palmitate) but it should be listed as A.

Vitamin B1 is also known as Thiamine.
 Zinc, Magnesium and Folate all show up as is.

Your vitamin D is still considered low at 27. We should strive to get our number up close to 80 or over. Many of the labs are still using out of date ranges and new research is showing that optimal levels are much higher.

I found the Vitamin D-

Vit D 25 OH Level is L 27 ng/ml and according to my research:
The normal range is 30.0 to 74.0 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL)

B12 level needs to be around 1000+ to be optimal.

D, 25 needs to be 70+ to be optimal. "Just inside normal" is not advantageous to us. We only get the benefit on paper, not the full benefit as touted by modern studies. Ask, and I'll post my 3 faves.

The rx is D2, in oil, so doubly not useful to you.

Your darling Dr. A and I have discussed vit A and D more times than you are old! Mention my name and he'll roll his eyes. Really.

If you want to raise your D level, you'll need dry form (powder in a capsule) D3 because D3 is the only form your body can "see".

So if you take other D forms by mouth in food or supps, or try to get it via sun, your body HAS to convert it to D3 or it simply isn't there.

I was lactose intolerant before surgery, so 17 yrs w/o milk products or dairy that liquifies at room temp, like ice cream. But not cheeses of all kinds. Life is very doable this way. Honest.

Vit A is another with this same story. Body cannot see beta carotene, only retinol, not in oil. So, we take it dry, (powder in a capsule)

You can get A by the 25,000 per tiny cap

You can get D3 by the 50,000 per tiny cap

Both are OTC, and some find it cheaper to get them that way than Rx. For example, weekly D3-50 works out to less than $1/mo

Tell Dr. A hi, and I look forward to seeing him in June.

Hi- on my lab results I see- D 25 OH Level is L 27 ng/ml - -  what does that mean to you?

That means that are you not reaching levels that will give you the benefits of vit D. Not quite the same as "none", with cells dying, but what you do not get with levels below 70:
-bones
-teeth
-D + calcium, magnesium, potassium protects your heart
-joints
-brain help (encourages memory and serotonin)
-joins the antioxidant family when the level is high enough, which then means it qualifies as discouraging certain kinds of cancer

Want more?

I think Dr. A is way cool and has great compassion for his peeps. We've been arguing about A&D since at least 2005. He asks me why I continue to encourage testing it and I ask him why he doesn't. I think that makes us a pair of lovable mules, cuz I'm not giving on my position. I SEE all the labs across the country!

So, in answer to your question about what rx D2 in oil does for you with a level of 27, the answer is "nothing that D would do for you if you had some in your entire system".

Thanks a ton for your help.  I will be on your site tomorrow! :)