Iron help...

Hello!

I have some iron questions...hoping someone out there can help! I recently had a kidney infection and while I was at the doc, he ran some labs and knowing I had wls, he also ran B, D, and iron etc.

I just got the lab results yesterday and while my D and B look good (578 is good for B right?) I'm concerned about my iron levels.

Poet Kelly or maybe it was someone else had posted something somewhere about where to look and see what "normal" levels are for those who've had gbp, a link to some trusted source, and I can't remember where I saw it or who the source was so I'm lost! It was a medical site, related to vitamin levels specifically for wls patients. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Alternately, here are my iron test results, and I'm slightly confused by them. I thought 155 is a good ferritin level, but the lab marked LOW next to Iron % saturation as well as Iron binding capacity (total). I guess I don't know what the difference is. So which of these is important, and does anyone know what they mean? Is my iron good or bad and what do I look at?? I don't see my surgeon for a check up/his labs until next month, so any help would be great.

Ferritin Level, Serum: 155 ng/mL                               (this was 51 and 57 two years ago 6 mo apart)
Iron % Saturation: 6% LOW                                        (this was 29 and 31)
Iron Binding capacity, total: 260 mcg/dL LOW         (this was 293 and 277)
Iron Binding capacity, unbound: 245 mcg/dL            (?)
Iron total: 15 mcg/dL                                                    (?)

As I said, these were just done by a "regular" doc, so I'm not sure he ran all that my surgeon would, but I don't see anything else iron related as far as I can tell.

Anyway, any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

Oops.  You PM'd me and I meant to get back to you and didn't.  I'm sorry.

I don't have a single source for what our lab results should be.  I have sources for some results.  For the most part, the reference range on the lab report is the range it should be in for good health.

For vitamin D, it needs to be at least 80, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

For B12, it absolutely needs to be above 550, but I like mine at least 900 or 1000, so in your case I would increase my B12 a bit.

155 is good for ferritin.  Ferritin is like your iron storage.  It's like the money you have in the bank.

Your total iron is like the cash you have in your pocket, and yours is really low.  You want to get that up so you don't have to start digging into that savings account.  Make sense?

Hi Kelly,

Yes, thanks, I just figured you were busy no biggie. So my D is awesome for once (thanks to your tip on vitalady's dry D3) it's 96! Yay. Okay, I'll boost my B12 a bit too then (I forgot while the lab papers say one thing (ie normal or good) that "our" numbers might look different lol). I was doing weekly B shots when it was really low (low 400s) and then it shot up too high (over 1500) so I backed it down to about every 5-6 weeks, but I guess I backed it off a bit too much lol. Maybe I'll do every 3 weeks and see how that works.

As for the iron, that's what confused me, my ferritin was good, but toral iron etc was low and I was confused. Anyway, the iron I'm taking is keeping ferritin good but total iron low...hmmm? I was considering trying the proferrin (heme) from vitalady. Do you think that would help? Or is that over the top? I'm so confused lol.

As for the source I was asking about...maybe it was just a reference to an organization or something...but as long as someone can tell me something it's all good! You are quite helpful and I appreciate it!

I wasn't really too busy.  I mean, I was busy at the moment I read your PM so I told myself I'd answer it later on and then I totally forgot.  I can be forgetful sometimes.  I've had time to answer since then but just didn't recall that I was going to.

Yeah, your D is great.  I'd try the B12 shots every three or four weeks.

What kind of iron have you been using and how much?  You could try the Proferrin.  It's expensive, though.  So if the cost is a concern, you could try increasing the amount of iron you're taking and see how that goes.

Wait, you FORGOT?! WHAT?! Lol, so totally kidding...I'm a terrible forgetter...in fact, what were we talking about?

I've been using Hema-Plex. It's an iron complex "with 85 mg of elemental iron" in the form of "as amino acid chelate/complex" it has vitamin c (300 mg but I also take it with a 500 mg C), E, Bs, zinc, and then in the chelate/complex portion there's also selenium, copper, manganes, and hey lookie here calcium (25 mg as amino acid, is that the same thing?).  It was recommended by someone at my surgeons office, but obviously they are fallible, same ones who had me taking little green football Ds lol.

Considering my iron saturation has plumeted since taking it, (while ferritin has gone up...oh I'm still so confused about that!!) perhaps it's not best for me. Hmmm.

I know the Heme is spendy, but was thinking if I got one bottle, took it as prescribed until gone to boost my levels, and then switched to a good solid iron supplement.... what do ya think?

If I did that, I need some good iron brand suggestions...ones that are working well for gbp people. My doctor's prescription iron (which wasn't covered by my insurance, and I just lost my insurance anyway) is 97 bucks a month. WAY more spendy than the heme lol. So what are some other good brands out there? I was doing vita lady's chewable tender iron right after surgery, but my levels did not do well with it. But maybe I could try her capsules or something...Thoughts?

Her chewables are carbonyl, I think, which works well for most people.  If that didn't work well for you, I would go with the Proferrin.

The chelated iron doesn't work real well for us because it's mostly absorbed in the upper part of the small intestine which has been bypassed by us.

Oh yeah, that makes sense then! So I'll try the Proferrin for now, but after I get "boosted" (lol) do you know of any good iron brands that seem to work well for rny patients? 

Sundown Perfect iron or Feosol carbonyl iron.  But I'd keep a close eye on yours since that didn't work well for you in the beginning.  Some people just have a really hard time absorbing iron for some reason.

Okay thanks. I will keep an eye on it. I go for labs again before next months appointment, so it should be a good indicator on wether or not it works. And we'll go from there.

Thanks again (and again and again) for your help. You are an invaluable resource here!