Everything you need to know about Iron

http://www.irondisorders.org/ This is the most thorough site I have found about Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia. It really clears up a lot of questions...Helps you understand what to expect from infusions...It's just a wealth of information for anyone who wants to know more about iron.  I wish there was a WLS section...maybe one day...But for the basics...this is a great place to start... Anita

Thanks girl, I'm bookmarking this one.  I have been taking my iron faithfully again, no more excuses.

Good!  This is definitely a good site!  No more excuses for me either!  Never again! You don't make a mistake about taking vits and supps when it's this scary....I know I sure won't!  You can betcha I'll be seeing my doc yearly too! (at least yearly!)

I have a tendency to over-do things.  The part about getting too much iron interested me. Thanks Patricia 

Me too!!  That's why I picked a non toxic iron that is pure and highly absorbed by many, even WLS people!  Many people who get transfusions end up with excess "unbinded iron" in their blood and that is toxic...Sometimes they have to do the opposite of a transfusion and actually take a bag of blood from you to get rid of some of the iron...How insane is that???  It's common too! Who knew? When I first found out I was anemic, I was scared to death of iron because is the leading cause of lead poisoning death in children..Not that I am a child or child sized... but iron salt is toxic!!! That's enough for me....I won't take it.   Plus it's tricky for any doc to get the dosage correct for us with WLS because we all have different levels of malabsorption!  Since we can't absorb ferrous sulfate anymore it's even MORE common for WLS people to have iron deficiencies because all of our Iron Fortified foods are fortified with none-other-than Ferrous Sulfate!  Imagine that!?  Another reason scientists are pushing to change the formula in fortified foods from Ferrous Sulfate to Carbonyl Iron! (Which is the main Iron I am taking at the moment) Can't take too many either! 

What non toxic iron do you take?  I have some Tender-Iron and Bariiatic Advantage Passion Fruit.  The passion fruit has Vit Cand the Tender-iron does not.  My doc's PA recommended the Passion Fruit.  My Ferrintin in 20. Patricia 262/125/137 hi/lo/today 5-11-2005  RNY   

Tender Iron from Vitalday is carbonyl iron...That's what I am taking now along with chewable Ester-C and another typeof Iron as amino acid chelate chewable (has vitamin c in it already.) ...I did research on both and they are not toxic like many other iron formulas.  I'm just hoping to get my levels raised without the infusions or transfusion.  I'm getting panicky as my two months  of supplementation is over and my iron retest is next thursday!  Bariatric Advantage is also carbonyl Iron as is Tender Iron...So you can't overdose on what you are taking and that's a good thing!  Hopefully we can both get our Ferritin levels up. (And with the peace of mind that we are not poisoning our blood)  I'm taking 325 mg of Tender Iron and hoping to get my red blood counts back up to a safe level and my platelets down!!!  I'm more concerned about that than anything right now.  Good luck to you... Hugs

Waaaaaaaait. Ester C later in the day. Iron wants the cheap ascorbic acid vit C! It needs the acid. But also why I recommend taking with fruit or veggie--to make more saliva & more acid, espcially with the Tender.

Last I knew, BA was amino acid chelate, which is great on paper, just not quite as good IRL.

BTW, my dad ultimately died of anemia, as in low HGB & HCT. His iron and ferritin were "ok", not fabulous, but not anemic.

When you run out of iron, your heart stops. Or in his case, the actual cells. Giving him more iron didn't help, since it was the cells that haul the iron around that were failing. Yes, he did take ProCrit until he became too disoriented to know who that nice young man (the doc he never met before--after 5 yrs) and why he was getting shots. He had dementia. Then I stopped dragging him all over town for protcrit and let him go into hospice. when his heart hurt, they were able to make him comfy, without leaving him alone in ER when I couldn't get there! Much better.

I just had to add that in case someone wonders why I didn't fix his iron issue. It wasn't iron, it was the cells.

Anyway, now you know why I froth at the mouth over this stuff. It's more personal when you see it in action over the course of a few years.

BTW, it's important to note that you cannot "catch" hemachromatosis from iron pills. It is a genetic condition, clearly tested by blood markers. Iron overdose is something else all together. Don't confuse the two. I was tested for hemachromatsosis to protect my kids when my first ferritin test showed up at 800! I don't have it. And indeed it spent down. And then I had to rebuild it. LOL

Overload of iron is extremely rare in WLS ppl. Needing infusions is WAY more common.

Just remember, as magical as Tender iron is, it's still slllloooowwwww. I know you want your levels at 200 on your next test, but it wont' happen that fast. LOL

Oh I do take cheap absorbic C too...(didn't I put that in there? I meant to...I posted my daily vit intake before)  I take the two types of iron and the two types of vitamin C... I thought BA was amino acid chelate too It used to be...but I just did a search on ingredients and it was a para-carbonyl!  So I was a bit confused at that myself. I only take 108 mg of the amino acid chelate iron.  Here we go...Just had to double check....Yes!!!  There it is in red...(Taken from the BA website) You can get it in just ferronyl too...This one has fumerate also... Bariatric Advantage Chewable Iron (29mg) - Passion Fruit (90 Count) Serving Size: 1 Tablet Supplement Facts: (Per Serving/% Daily Value) Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid USP) 60 mg (100%) Iron (from Ferrous Fumarate USP, Ferronyl) 29 mg (161%) Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) 10 mg * I'm sorry about your father!  Your father and I have the same anemia...There are different kinds ...I have Blood Iron Anemia (My B 12 is great at 1127)...and that is why I have been on two months bed rest (yeah right...not this lady)...I am seriously restless after being told not to raise my heart rate for two months. Getting my red blood counts up is what I am hoping for more than anything.  I never even thought of a magic number to hope for...and 200 certainly is a fairy tale number to even begin to hope for after all the research I did...I wonder why you thought I was thinking that hopeful?  I like the iron I bought from you and just just put in a second order and I hope I see ANY budge in ANY numbers...But I gave up hope of escaping a blood transfusion (which is what I was told I would need if I didn't improve) to get my blood healthy enough to carry iron or oxygen... I have been very vocal about my understanding that I will probably NOT raise my ferritin or iron levels with supplementation...but I have to say that I do feel better with what I am taking. Everything always looks better on paper...but I'm realistic Michele...and you happen to have the product of my choice...and if it works at all...That would be even better! LOL

Thanks!  I was just diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia  The website is helpful. Wanda