Iron

What helped you get numbers up , My ferritin number is 33?What do you take? I heard Carbonyl Iron is best.

I use carbonyl iron with vitamin C that I order from VitaLady.com  I was taking 150 mg daily with my labs increasing nicely.  About 2 years post-op, the levels began dropping and I increased my dose with every 6 month lab.   Now I'm taking 300 mg a day.  Some people require iron infusions to keep their levels in normal range.

Have you discussed this with your doctor?  They should guide you with how much to take.

Doctors often have no idea how much iron, or what type, RNY folks need, unfortunately.  My doctor recommended I take ferrous sulfate, which is not absorbed well in a low-acid environment like our pouch and which tends to cause serious constipation.

I take the same iron you do, the same amount.  My doctor thinks a much lower dose of ferrous sulfate would be sufficient, though (even though my labs indicate what I'm taking is working).

I see my Dr Monday but  I usually never see her they always have someone else see me. I see my Nutritionist to but she will say my Iron is fine because it is in range at 33 and she told me last month to stop taking Iron just take my Mult that should be enough, I never stopped though because that worried me. I know she will ask why am I still taking them.

I buy a brand of Carbonyl iron called Sundown Naturals. It's called Perfect Iron. I buy mine at Publix, so maybe your local grocery stores or drug stores carry it. ( I prefer  not buying stuff like that online if I can avoid it. ) It comes in a orange tinted clear bottle. 

My ferritin was heading south at a year out because I had relied on the iron in my multi. I thought since I don't have my periods anymore, I'd be fine not taking extra iron. Wow, was I wrong! I switched to a multi with no iron, and started taking the Perfect Iron. I seem to absorb it with no problems because my 18 month ferritin and iron levels are where they should be. I buy a chewable Vit C tablet to take with the iron. 

I have a bottle of Sundown high potency Perfect Iron it says 200 tablets. The back says take 2 which is 50mg carbonyl iron. Is this what you take and same amount and how much Vitamin C ?

How many Perfect Iron pills can I take at one time for them to absorb? can I take 4 that would be 100mg and how do you determine how much Vitamin C to take?

I'm so sorry I'm just now getting back to you on this. 

I take 150 mg, and take it with 1000 mg of Vit C. ( My levels were not as low as yours. ) 

For every 30 mg of iron, you take 200 mg of vitamin C. 

If you do a search on it here, you'll find many threads pertaining to this very subject, which may give you more thorough info than I could give you.( I'm just a 19 month post op, and definitely not the best person for info...lol. )

Where should the ferritin level be ?

I have been using Hema-Plex for years now and my iron is always normal. It is fast-acting, gentle on the stomach and I love it!