Who's good at understanding labs??

So, I called and got phone results of my bloodwork from the week before last. I was suspecting that I was low on iron which was causing me a ton of dizziness, fatigue, and bruising, however, they called and said that everything looked good. They said that I was a little low on zinc (which I have been every time I have bloodwork), but it wasn't that significant.
She also said that my iron was an 8, and that the normal range is 9-30, so I am not so low that I should be feeling rotten all the time. She didn't suggest or question me about my regiment with iron supplements. Hy hemoglobin is 117 which she said was respectable and my iron stores are also good. I guess "good" could be relative to the person though. 1 below the normal range doesn't sound like much, but maybe for my body, it is? I have in the past been a 3 (after child birth), and it was a major hit on my body. I had serious trouble focusing on daily tasks.
So...my question is, is it possible that at an 8, I would feel this crummy? 9-30 sounds like quite a big range, and I am just below that range. Maybe 8 is not low for some people, but at 8, I feel the symptoms? Hmmmph.. I guess I will need to get copies of my labs to see what my levels from over the course of the year have been, be able to determine a trend.

I got a call from HRRH a week or so ago.  They said my iron is 9 and they put me on two iron pills a day....so I guess it depends on who is looking at your bloodwork!  Mind you, they also said my iron stores were low, so that could be the deciding factor.

Tracy

Interesting. When I reached my GP today, he said I should be on iron supplements, yet my WL clinic didn't even mention anything about supplementing. I am going with my GP's opinion. 

I really think it is important for us to be able to understand and read our own blood work.  I haven't educated myself enough in this area yet, because besides a few blips, I have never really had any problems.  However, I definitely recognize the need to be able to understand what I am looking at, so my goal is to get copies of my last year's bloodwork from both my GP and from my WL clinic, to be able to track and compare my results. 

Now that I am more than a year out, I won't be going for follow-ups at the barriatric clinic every couple of months, and I will need to take things into my own hands.  We have to be our own advocates, right?  They say that I am not anemic, but looking at the numbers, and knowing the way I am feeling, I don't think they are entirely correct.   

 Are you taking Iron Supplements?  If so, are you making sure not to take them within 4 hours of your calcium?  It sounds like your hemoglobin is on the low end of normal as well.  I have taken iron since 2 months post op, and although it has taken a long time to get it up (and it still isn't great), it is on its way.  I would think your doctor would want you to be at a higher level.

I have been supplementing iron since surgery as well.  I had been taking Proferrin 3 times a day, and then ran out about 2 weeks ago, neglected to replace them, and am now back on supplements.  I do wait 4 hours min. between doses.   Thanks for the advice.  :)

I think it is a great idea to get copies of your labs and see if there is a trend. Many people will keep them in a spread sheet which makes it wasy to keep track of.

If you haven't been supplementing iron (meaning, more than what is in your multivit), given that you're at the very bottom of all the ranges (the bottom of the normal range for hemoglobin is 115), it wouldn't seem as though you have anything to lose by supplementing or that you're in any danger of your levels getting too high. I can't speak to whether it is 'normal' to experience symptoms at your levels, but I know that for me (and I've been anemic several times), I start to feel very fatigued at the low side of the normal range. I've recently started supplementing more again as my numbers have dropped and I want to get them up before surgery. I'm not comfortable scraping by with the bare minimum of the 'normal' range which is basically where you are.

Proferrin is a great iron for RNYers, as the other poster suggested.

What about your sodium, potassium, etc?

I have actually been taking Proferrin for months.  I switched over from ferrous gluconate about 3 months ago.  When I left a message for the nurse, I asked for her to call back and let me know if anything was "off", and in her message she didn't say anything about sodium or potassium.  I will ask for copies of everything when I go on the 16th.  It is hard to play phone tag and when I call, I always get the answering machine.  It will be easier I think, to talk face to face.  I think I should arm myself with a bit of knowledge though, before going in.  :)
 

Hi Marny,

PM'd you.

You may want to read the link in my tag line

Yes def get a copy of your labs. My dietician gave a copy and wrote out everything I needed to know. As for Iron at an 8 is low. my doctor told me that even a 10 is low. Low end of normal but still low. Make sure you take iron with vitamin c as it helps absorption too. Take your [ill with oj.