got vitamin lab results

well i posted about what vitamins you take cause i was feeling really tired and bad well here it is my hemoglobin, hemocrit, are low and my ferritin is very low so im anemic, have low vitamin d  and for some reason my folate is very high not sure why that is. my b-12 was slightly high  does anyone know what Hct is my lab on that is darkened but doesnt say where it should be? so time to up my vitamins any suggestions on a really good iron supplement she suggested slow FE iron but Ive heard not to take that cause it doesnt have enough time to absorb into our system cause of WLS. any help or suggestions would be great.

 I was having a lot of problems with my iron, couldn't seem to get it up until the dr prescribed  Repliva.  It's a prescription iron supplement.  My internist approved it with my wls and my labs have been great since then.  I've heard others on this board say they are having good results with it as well.  It's a 21/7 prescription.  Ask your dr about it.

Hi Wildrose,  If I were you, I would run, don't walk, to the nearest vitamin supplement store (Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, Vitamin World, etc) and talk to an employee who is well versed in nutrition for WLS patients. I would even take my lab results with me.   You need iron. A lot of it. I take an Heme iron (which is made directly from a food source, such as liver, meat, blood- you get the idea) It is the kind of iron we absorb easily. The kind you do NOT want, is a non-heme iron, which is made from plant sources. Read the labels and find the source of the iron. It is on the label usually. Ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate are ones to avoid. The brand I use is Hematinic Formula by Solgar. You can get it at Vitamin Shoppe and they do have a website, where you could get it on-line.  www.vitaminshoppe.com.           My Ferritin levels are also bottomed out. I fight the anemia on a daily basis. I wasn't storing any iron. So far the ferritin level is slowly raising, so I must be on the correct iron. Just try and avoid any supplement, especially iron, that says slow release, timed release and such. You are correct, Slow FE is not for us.  I don't want any iron transfusions in the future, what a pain they must be!! No thanks!  As for the Vitamin D, get DRY Vitamin D. It is in a dry form, not a oil, and we absorb it better. I supplement with 400IU, twice a day, taken with my calicium. But your dosage should come from your DR's orders and your lab results.   I wouldn't worry about your folate and B12 levels. These are both B vitamins and they are water soluble, meaning the human body does NOT store these, so what you don't need, your body will pass right thru you, as urine.  According to Vitalady, (the queen of all supplement knowledge, she is AWESOME!!) our HCT levels should be at least 36.  I hope this helps you out!

Hct is your hematocrit, or percentage of your blood that is red blood cells. Hemoglobin measures indirectly the number of red blood cells and tells, also, how anemic you are and isn't affected by how well hydrated you are. There are other ways of looking at your blood values and determining what kind of anemia you have -- the size of your cells, how dark they are, etc -- but it sounds like from what you're saying that you're anemic from iron deficiency, which is common for us.

Your hematocrit, if you're a still menstruating woman, should be as close to 40% as you can possibly get it.  Where I work (with pregnant women) we're happy if we can get it over 36%. When I started treating my anemia (successfully) it was 22%. Now it's 38% - just by switching the type, and timing, of my oral iron supplement.

I really really really really really really really like Chromagen. It comes in two formulations that I was taking -- Chromagen and Chromagen Forte. I'd take one of each, twice a day, with orange juice and before (or way after) meals; you don't have to use orange juice, any type of acidic drink or even chewable Vitamin C works but it does help with absorption. Doing that brought my 'crit up significantly, very quickly. It's only available by prescription and is spendy, but for me it worked really well. The Chromagen has dessicated stomach substance which helps our bodies utilize the iron in them and while it doesn't have high levels of iron, what it does have is highly absorbable which is one the biggest problems with iron -- we absorb so little of it.

Good luck with everything. You'll feel sooo much better once you treat your anemia. I didn't realize how tired I was but I feel great now. Much warmer, more energy, and less apt to snack on carbs to get my energy level up.

Hope this helps,

Vickie

I take Tender Iron from vitalady.com and I love it.  It is meant to be swallowed but I chew it and it tastes good.  I am trying to get my ferritin above 50 and closer to 100.  I try to keep my B-12 above 1000.

I'm a fan of Tender iron, because it doesn't hurt my tummy. Iron & ferritin levels are not just ok, but fabulous.

IF you were MINE, I'[d suggest 50,000 vit D3 (dry form) per day and test 30-60 days after you start. Hopefully, that would not be your maintenance dose, but something like 10-20K might be.

B12 is never high. But I know some labs show it to be "high" when it is actually into the new ranges that have 800 as a LOW. be your own advocate on that one.

Did they test vit A, zinc? PTH? Calcium? I'm guessing if you D is low, PTH is high and calcium could be high or low. Bearing in mind that lab range is < to > and my personal range is more like < to >

Can you but tender iron in the store, cant order online, she did not test any of that last time i had vit A it also was low but they didnt seem to concerned and my  new physician would not test it, I plan on going to a new baratric nurse, hopefully that will work out better then my reg physician,

Some where I found this link , I think someone posted it. This may help. Lab Tests