Iron Supplement suggestions

My GP had general blood work done on me a couple weeks ago. He called me yesterday saying my hemoglobin is the worst he has seen on me in years. I am anemic and it runs in my moms family.

I already eat ALOT of iron rich foods now, I take a iron supplement, b12 , C supplement daily also with it along with a multivitamin. Pregvit w iron actually.

My doctor said he is gonna forward my blood work to Dr Hagen and tell him he is concerned about me having such a major surgery with such low levels and is questioning how safe it will be for me to have it done if I am not absorbing enough now will a full digestive system.

Yes, my iron dips very low. I am know to get to the shakes, faint, do the nod, become freezing and horrible memory, instant dumbness my mom calls it and well I do have the lovely Casper the ghost complexion also..
But joke aside

HELP!! I need suggestion on raising this damn level. Maybe a liquid iron will be better? Would this be something Dr Hagan would consider delaying booking surgery for?

Hi, I don't know Dr. Hagan as I am going through Guelph.  What i do know is that my iron is low and they wanted it up before surgery.  The internist recommended elemental iron. They put me on Ferrous Glouconate....300 mg tablet has 35 mg of iron.  Far more than you get from a multi vitamin.  They also told me that I  potentially I may need and iron infusion after surgery. Hope this info helps 

 

 

Yes they could delay your surgery until your iron levels are up.  

I have had low iron and B12 for years but I take supplements and have been able to keep my levels up. I know that when I was first was diagnosed with low iron I was having problems with absorbion and had to take liquid iron which is horrible bit it was the only way my body could absorb the iron. 

Another good thing to do is not take your vitamins all together take iron and vitamin C together , then 2 hours later take mutlivitamin and B12 this way your body can absorb them better.

I'm no expert on iron, but I've been taking one that someone who hasn't posted here in a while (PatXYZ - hope she's doing well!) recommended from Vitalady.  It will take a while to ship to you from the US, but the price is very cheap (even with shipping) compared to Feramax which is the same type of iron.  I'm taking a polysaccharide capsule called "Cypress brand" from Vitalady.  Just google "Vitalady" and you'll find the website.

Haven't had my labs done since starting to take it, but I wanted to be proactive on the iron thing because I've heard of so many WLS folks who have had depleted iron since surgery.  So I'm just taking one per day before bed. 

One thing you should be careful of is taking iron with anything that has calcium, because calcium blocks the absorption of iron.  So, for instance, if your multivitamin has both iron and calcium in it, you might want to take a separate iron supplement, and ensure that you don't have anything with calcium in it (including food) two hours before or after taking the iron.  This is why I take my iron supplement just before bed, and ensure that I haven't eaten anything with calcium for at least two hours before that.  This is the advice I've been seeing here and elsewhere.  And I also have a Vitamin C tablet with my iron because Vitamin C apparently helps with the iron absorption.

check out this informaion from Leona Dove (OKNEE), she's an RN, who specializes in anemia. Look her up on here, she'd be happy to provide you with info.

JUST READ THE LINK.....THE IRON SALTS (gluconate) ARE PRETTY MUCH WORTHLESS.

 

iron salts

i think i'll stick with her advice, it is her job.

Hi, i just had surgery and before i left the hospital they told me i have to go on Ferius cant remember the spelling. I am picking it up today. I have to take it with vit C  because he said that helps it absorb .. And my surgeon was  Dr Hagan , i do believe it was Dr Glazer who gave gave me this script...I would call Glazers office if thats the internist you seen..Good luck.. Krista..

Check out the link i put in my earlier response, from Leona OKNEE. She knows a lot about this stuff, its her job.

Thanks Ladies

I am shoveling the cream of wheat in , mixing liquid iron supplements in with my low acid orange juice. 

Gonna work on uping my iron rich food the next week and take the new liquid supplement. Gonna take my multi vit at night time and iron in the morning. 

I heard after surgery alot of ppl are depleted, if Im already depleted Im gonna be in trouble. So gonna up it, I have till Sept to get it up and stable. Gonna go back to GP in two weeks to get it retested.

Isnt all this a big balancing act huh...  How I took for granted being healthy and active when I was a teen.