NORMAL LABS
I only strive to be, the kind of person my dogs think I am! 
Of the choices we are given, it's no choice at all....
-Patty Griffin
It's always a good idea to get a copy of the lab report when you have labs done. Doctors will sometimes tell you your labs are good when they really aren't, plus if you see the numbers yourself you can track trends. Like if you get your iron tested today and it's still in the normal range but it's dropped a lot since you had labs done three months ago, you'd want to start taking more iron. Docs usually will not tell you if it's dropped, just that it's normal now.
I have a spreadsheet I use to track my results. I’d be happy to send anyone a copy if you want. Pam has one on her blog you can download too. Andrea sells a lab tracker workbook that includes all kinds of interesting info about labs and also has places to track your results. Of course you can devise your own system, as well.
So look at your lab report. They are really easy to read and you don't need any special medical knowledge to read them. Your lab report will list the normal ranges and on mine, if something is high or low, they have it in bold type and put a big H or L next to it so it's easy to spot.
The normal values they list will all be accurate except two. You want to pay close attention to those two.
It will say something like 211-911 for B12 and you really want your B12 to be about 900-1000, but it's OK up to 2000. Below 550, people get symptoms like depression and fatigue. Below 400, people get permanent nerve damage in their hands and feet. I have no clue why they list it normal below that.
It will say something like 30-80 for vitamin D but you really want your D about 80-100. Lower than that, we are at increased risk for things like osteoporosis, heart disease and some cancers.
Most other things, like iron and ferritin and protein, etc, you want near the top of the normal range.
Your PTH, you'd rather have near the bottom of the normal range.
This is all true for all people, not just those that had RNY.
And here is the list of labs I get done:
CMP
Lipid Profile
CBC with differential
B12
Bili-direct
Ferritin
Iron/TIBC
PTH
Magnesium
Folate
Thiamine (B1)
B6
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Uric Acid
Vitamin A
Vitamin D (25 hydroxy)
Zinc
Phosphorus
Copper
Selenium
Prealbumin
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
SOLDIERZGIRL
I think they often don't know much about vitamins and stuff. They only take one class in nutrition in med school.
I don't think people on OH are necessarily being really strict, but yes, many of us are going by different info than our docs. My doc goes by the lab values listed on my lab report. For instance, my lab says the normal range for vitamin D is 30-80. She goes by that. But I go by the research conducted at the Linus Pauling Institute that says if our D is below 80, we are at increased risk for stuff like osteoporosis and heart disease.
So no, I don't think my doc is lying to me when she sayd my D is normal at 51. I think she just hasn't read the more current research.
I would not always believe stuff people say on websites, even if they do have degrees. But I don't always believe what my doc says, either. I believe research. Scientific studies. Things like that.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Your doctor cares about you (if you have a good one) but he (or she) is only one person. The labs highlight out-of-range values, and the doc glances over the printout, looks for the highlighted items, uses what they know to tell you to make changes if there are any out of range values. This is them doing their part.
The thing is that the lab ranges are outdated and in some cases idiotic.
As much as your doc cares about you, YOU need to care about YOU more than your doc. Enough to get your labs, and look and see what is goign on, do research, or rely on research already done by others to advocate for yourself. NOBODY will care as much about YOU and YOUR health as you..... so we as people with altered guts and altered needs must be diligent.... not because our doctors don't care, but because we ought to care MORE and be willing to do what we can to make sure we stay healthy.
~Lady Lithia~ 200 lbs lost!
March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Doctors are not well schooled in nutrition and the particular needs of bariatric patients. Remember, your doctor is a SURGEON. Most of them out there are not trained in anything other than HOW TO DO THE SURGERY; they don't educate themselves on our nutritional needs, etc. THEY ARE SURGEONS. If the hospital printout tells them that our labs are WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE, they will believe it. But those ranges are for "average" folks; not folks with altered intestines and stomachs.
Do your own research; question your SURGEON and hey, maybe even show him the printouts from places like the ASBMS (American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeons) and ask him what he thinks. You may end up educating him and thus helping his patients.
Marilyn (now in NM)
RNY 10/2/01
262(HW)/150-155(GW)/159(CW)
(updated March 2012)
Iron 40-155
Chol 100-199
Trigly 0-149
HDL >39
VLDL 5-40
LDL 0-99
PTH 15-65
Vit D 32-100
Glucose 65-99
BUN 6-24
Creatinine 0.76-1.27
Sodium 135-145
Potas 3.5-5.2
Chlor 97-108
CO2 20-32
Ca 8.7-10.3
Protein 6.0 -8.5
Albumin 3.5-4.5
Glob 1.5-4.5
Bilirubin 0-1.3
Alk 25-150
AST 0-40
ALT 0-55
B12 211-946
Folate >3.0
Ferritin 30-400
Hematocrit 36-50
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
