3years post op with severe anemia

I am now about 3 and a half years post sleeve surgery and am severely anemic. I have been battling anemia for years, even prior to surgery. My question is, is there anyone else who has gone through this? My doctor wanted to give me 2 units of blood which I refused and agreed to up my iron for a week, before getting my labs done again. I am trying to get iron infusions a few times instead of the blood... Any suggestions????

Do they know what is causing it? Our your menstruations heavy? Is it dietary? Genetic?

Any chance you are on a PPI - they block absorption of iron. I was never told that and was not taking any iron and then my iron levels tanked. 

There are actually quite a few things that affect absorption of iron that ive had to learn on my own. Talk to your doc to see if absorption could be an issue. 

Do you log everything you eat Everyday to make sure you are getting in at least 60+ grams of protein per day.  I can only speak for an experience my sister had but when she first had surgery she was adamant about her protein intake....as time went on she stopped keeping track and 9 years post-op she ended up being anemic and needing 3 units of blood and iron infusions. She was lucky she didn't get any heart damage from her low blood count.  My best advice for someone who had problems with anemia pre op is to log your food intake EVERYDAY into something like MyFitnessPal to monitor Exactly how much protein you are taking in a day......a lot of times its not what you think.  If anemia was a problem pre op you need to be especially vigilant about the grams of protein you take in daily.  Be good to Yourself. Best Wishes!!

Why do you think protein is related to anemia? Ive never heard that. My doc wants me to eat more red meat since I eat practically none but..most protein (chicken, turkey, dairy etc) doesnt have iron in it. 

Red meat is definitely the highest in iron but poultry and fish have iron also....it is a protein thing.  Go to WebMD and type in "foods high in iron".  I lost half of my blood after giving birth to my second child and refused a blood transfusion....this was 13 years ago...the doctor told me to eat Liver..Yuck....but to build your blood back up, foods higher in protein are best....but spinach helps too.   Hope this information helps.

I am 3 years post- op and my ferritin is half of what it was last year. I am not in the danger range. To prevent further dropping, the Bariatric internist asked me to start taking iron. It is actually common with WLS surgeries due to a multitude of factors, including, decreased food intake and absorption issues. Just about everyone should be taking iron and needs to have labs drawn at least on a yearly basis. My protein intake is high, but like a previous poster mentioned, iron is contained in many foods that we eat very little of, plus there are absorption issues. In addition, many of us are on PPI's, which not only effect iron absorption, but also calcium.

I apologize if you feel my response is inaccurate.  There are 400 different types of anemia and I am not suggesting that the advice I gave will alleviate all of them....like another person said, some are genetic and there is not a lot one could expect to do for such a condition.  The main suggestion I am attempting to give, especially since this has been a problem since before your surgery, is that you keep track of the amount of protein (or iron) that you are taking in on a daily basis.  If you have a metabolic absorption problem.....the amount you take in want make a difference...your body can't absorb it.  I still have best wishes for you and hope that your problem is not metabolic.  Good Luck in the Future!

Thank you everyone for your replies. I lack iron which is causing the anemia. To be honest my hemoglobin was its highest right at surgery than its ever been in my life. I do have the possibility of genetics not being on my side as well. I dont log what I eat all though it is a great idea...

I have two copies of a gene mutation called hemachromatosis. It's an iron overload disorder. My iron is 21, my ferritin is 4 and my saturation level is 7% my hemoglobin is 10. I am also badly anemic, but there's nothing they can do to help me. I am 6+ years out of VSG I hope you get your iron under control soon. I can't have any sort of iron supplement

 

=)