Iron Challenges

 I have been battling iron deficiencies even before my RNY.  Now that I have absorption issues seems it is ongoing.  I went to the doctor on Friday and we were discussing my nutrition.  He gave me my first B12 shot and wanted me to start the sublingual B12 for the first month in addition and then I should just need the sublingual ones in the future.  I was taking the Calcium Citrate 3 times a day but he says my iron is really low again and he wants me to stop that and double my iron for the next month or two.  He said my iron should be in the 70's and I am at 30.  Any suggestion where I can find what these numbers mean?  

AND I finally get to eat cottage cheese, scrambled eggs and foods I can mash up!  He said be cautious of moving too fast and chew really well!  So happy to eat a few new things!

What kind of iron are you taking?  Some kinds are absorbed better than others.  Do you take it with vitamin C?

 doctor has me on the Bariatrics Advantage chewable iron (chocolate raspberry truffel flavor) and I take it with my multiple vitamin only.  I don't take other supplements now other than the B12

Isn't that a combo of ferrous fumerate and carbonyl?  You m ight want to switch to all carbonyl, or even try heme iron, which is expensive but absorbed really well.

I would also take vitamin C with your iron - the amount of C in the BA iron is not enough to help with absorption.  You need 200 mg C for every 30 mg iron.

Why does your doc want you off calcium?  Taking calcium with iron blocks absorption of iron, yes.  But taken at least two hours apart, the calcium should not affect the iron.  I don't think it will hurt you to be off calcium for a little while, though I would not do it for long myself.  But I don't understand the purpose of it.