6month dr appointment - labs not good

So I had my 6m fu appointment with my dr and nut and while my weight loss was good to them my labs were not.  I also learned that I shouldn't take metamucil because it can stretch your stomach!!! erh, how could I have done that to myself?!!!  Anyways, she said don't worry about it, just don't use it anymore, just use benefiber (more fiber) and use laxatives sparingly (which Miralax is a laxative).

Onto the labs:
Calcium -- she said she would have thought I wasn't taking any calcium! I tried taking citrical petites but had a hard time swallowing them, so I bought chocolate sugar free calcium + D chews from costco.....but those aren't working as they are calcium carbonate, she said I have to have caclium citrate.  What are you using?  I don't like the pills anything chewable out there?

Vitamin D - just barely passing

Iron -- just barely passing.  I have always had low iron, not surprised here, but she said try to increase it because it will help with getting oxygen to my cells and give me more energy

Folate and B12 were good and my B1 results weren't in yet

Not sure if I am forgetting anything....I am surprised with the calcium, because I was taking stuff and I eat yogurt and cottage cheese! 

I take prenatal vitamins, have been since b4 my surgery. Chewable multivit and chewable calcium with vit D but it is calcium carbonate. I realized it once I got home of course. I know there are gummies out there that are calcium citrate. Did you hear about those? Are they okay? I am just 6 weeks post op and would like to hear from veterans.

My surgeon said that gummies were the one chewable we should NOT take!

I take the celebrate chewable calcium plus. I like the hot cocoa flavor.

People assume we dont need cali****upplementation but we DO!!

I take the Citrical, I take 4 a day (and this is fine according to my labs), I take 2 at a time, the first dose with vitamin d3 I get from walmart (my vitamin D from oil based products were fine).  If they are hard to swallow whole then break them up. I dont know about chewables.

Okay now, I am about to all cap and bold cuz this stuff is important!!

MAKE SURE YOUR MULTIVITES DONT HAVE CALCIUM AND IRON.

DONT TAKE YOUR CALCIUM WN 2 HOURS OF TEA/COFFEE/CAFFEINE PRODUCTS!!

DONT TAKE YOUR IRON WITHIN 2 HOURS OF CALCIUM, DAIRY, TEA, COFFEE, WHOLE GRAINS,  NUTS, BEANS, OR EGGS.  Take your iron with vitamin C or a c-rich food!!.  My ferritin was in the crapper at 1 year labs.  I use Hemaplex that I got from Vitamin Shoppe, and its 11 bucks for a 30 days supply. 

Taking your calicum and iron with things that fight for the places to absorb are going to make it so that you dont get all that you take, so its important to take them apart from things that fight for the same receptors.

Your protein was good?  What was your number?  Vitalady sells a dry D that is really important to folks who *officially* malabsorb, my numbers were fine and dandy on the D3 oil based that I get from Walmart.  I take 5,000 IU dly with my first dose of C (that I take 2 hours away from coffee/tea, things with iron, and my multivite).

I would suggest you get a sheet and track this stuff girlie!  Its WAY more important than is impressed on us, especially the further out you get.  I can link you to some lab excel sheets if you like.

I dont take anybody's "these numbers are fine" anymore after somebody TOTALLY dropped the ball regarding my protein. TOTALLY..so - be your own advocate! 

Take care of you!!

I use Wellesse Calcium & Vit D (it is citrate) liquid that I found at Wal-Mart but you can get at many places on line.  Here's a link:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=wellesse+calc ium+%26+vitamin+d&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=502170558745987 2367&sa=X&ei=7njaTa7nLojBtgfXirnoDg&ved=0CE8Q8wIwBA&biw=1659 &bih=820#

I like it - it is orange flavored and tastes like orange smoothie.  I take 1 Tbsp (500iu) twice a day, as your body will only absorb that much at one time. 

You can also get chewables at Bariatric Advantage but I tend to like those less.  They also have a new powder flavorless version that you can mix in water or another type of drink (I add it to my shakes).

Bariatric Advantage also has a yummy chewable strawberry flavored Iron. 

Hope this helps!

Listen to Brandilynn. Get a copy of your labs and keep track yourself. Often when your doctor or NUT tells you that things are "ok" they are NOT. For example, I was told that my B12 levels were fine pre-surgery, but when I got a copy, I discovered that my levels were ~250, which is dangerously low, like nerve damage low. Had I not seen the lab report, I would not know and would have some serious issues right now. Levels need to be ~1000.

Same goes with VitD. NUT thinks that my current level of 30 is perfectly acceptable, when in actuality, it needs to be closer to 80, so I continue extra supplementation with dry VitD from Vitalady.

For calcium, I take both Citracal petites and Bariatric Advantage Chews (I aim for 2000mg a day). I like the chews when I need something sweet/dessert-y. and yes, you need calcium CITRATE.

For iron, I currently use BA chews as well, but I suspect that it won't be enough to keep my levels up so I'll need to switch at some point. I've had a problem with anemia in the past...

Just because we don't have altered intestines doesn't mean we don't have problems absorbing vitamins/nutrients/protein. Our stomachs are way smaller and we eat a heck of a lot less.

For my calcium, I take Bariatric Advantage Chewy Bites... since I live in Canada, I order them via eBay but I'm sure in the States there must be many places that carry them.

this is the seller I deal with:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Bariatric-Advantage-Calcium-Chewy-Bite-Ca ramel-/170640669042?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&ha****em27baf9f97 2

I haven't actually tried the caramel ones yet, only the raspberry ones and the chocolate ones but they are both really good and I think I'll try the caramel ones next time.  Of course they are calcium citrate.  There is also lemon cream flavour that sounds good.

Wow, thanks for the responses.....I will try to take the calcium citrate pills again, but they were hard to swallow, but maybe I should try again, if I can't swallow them, I might try the Bariatric Advantage ones....I was super suprised at how low this was.

I didn't write the values down, but she showed me the values and the ranges, I will ask for a copy of them, for my records.  My protein was solid in the middle, which I didn't think it would be but was. 

I had not idea, I had to watch when or with what food I need to take this stuff..uhg, I am not that together!  This might be challenging for me.  I will make a pill box for Am/Pm and try to do that.  I am a coffee drinker, from 7-noon.....but after that I usually stop. 

I also need to drink more water, I probably am only getting 40oz and she wants 64oz.  Ugh.... I also have to call her in a week to find out about B1 results.

But, with all that said, it is super good to hear this and know where I am at and know that I need to get my rear in gear!

We arent told about the what to take/what not to take things by Dr. Shmoe!!  I learned by lurking every single "Please help with my labs" post that comes up and sadly most of the folks who know, know because they now get to live with issues the REST OF THEIR LIVES cuz nobody told them until the damage was PERMANANT!!!

I drink coffee until my 2ndish feeding which tends to be around 10:00

OH, NO NUTS OR BEANS WITH THE IRON TOO!!

So 12:00 is also my last "cheese/nut/egg/whole grain" meal and I take 2 calcium and 1 D then.

At 3 is my next feeding - So i havent had tea or any of the other things, here I take my iron with a chewable C and usually do something like have a chickeny salad, chicken with orange, bell peppers, balsamic vinegar sort of thing.

so 6 would be my next feeding and now I can take my other calcium (unless I have been having tea or something like that), or I might wait and have my other calcium with my protein shake when I come back from zumba. 

This is like the rest of this whole journey, some stuff its just easier to do when you get in the habit of the thing!! 

yuuuu cannn dooo thiiss!!!

You are doing it!  You just had a teachable moment and get to learn more facets to most excellent health!

YAAAY YOU!!