Good Morning. Some of my labs...

My labs are jumping around a bit..not sure why. I've even reduced doses on some of the ones that came back high this time. So, maybe I'm absorbing more because my intestines have adapted or Vitalady's Vita_Min multi capsule is much easier for me to absorb than the old Centrum-like multi I was taking. The Tender Iron (carbonyl) and Proferrin are an awesome combination!

Iron Markers:
Hemoglobin: 46.2 (range 35 - 45)
Hematocrit: 15 (range 11.7 - 15)
Iron serum: 59 (range 35 - 155)
Ferritin: 295 (range 10 - 291)  * cutting back on the Tender iron

Bone stuff:
Calcium: 9.4
D3: 93
Osteocalcin: 6 ( range 8 -32) * lower is supposed to be better, but what about too low?
PTH: 34 (12 - 65) * lower is a good thing!

Protein and nutrition:
Protein serum: 6.5 (range 6 - 8.5) * apparently normal for me
Albumin: 4.7 (range 3.5 - 5.5)
Prealbumin: 47 (range 17 - 34) * Too much of a good thing?
Transferrin: 208 (range 188 - 341)

Other stuff:
Vitamin A:  113 (range 38 - 98) * will cut this back from 5 days a week to 3 days a week
Vitamin K1: 716 (range 80 - 1160) * nice! Taking 1000mcg at night away from Vitamin A.
Potassium: 4.1 (range 3.5 - 5.5) *nice enough but would rather take 1 dose a week than 8 a day
B12: 1846 (range 200 - 1100) * nice. 5,000mcg sublingual 5 days a week
B6: 45 (range 2.1 - 21.7) * the B's in my multi may be enough to cover this. Maybe I can stop the once a week B-complex.

Thoughts?

--gina

You are our labs guru.  I don't have anything to add but hopefully someone will have more thoughts about it than I do.  Looks good to me.  Have you tried Ava's salt idea for potassuim?  I keep meaning to and forget.  I have some somewhere around here.

I have switched to Ava's recommendations of sea salt and Morton's Lite salt almost exclusively. HOOAH!

I get my one year labs back today.  If you don't mind, I'd like you to take a look when I get them.

Kay

Sure, no problem.

Gina, I had my one year check-in last week, and the bariatric internist recommended that I stop the B-100 that I was taking and just take the B1 (thiamine). Also, I had been taking a Trader Joes Sub-lingual combo of B-12, folic acid, and B6. She said to go to the straight B-12, because the multivitamin contains enough folic acid and B6. She said the B6 deficiencies are not common, but there are reports of toxicity, so they don't recommend supplementing with B6, since it is well absorbed throughout the intestinal tract.

My vitamin A was elevated, so she decreased me, from 2 multi-vits/day to one per day. I don't know why the A was elevated, since I don't supplement with it. I do drink a couple of skinny lattes/day, so maybe I am getting more A and D from the milk? I'm not sure.

Also, my Vit D was up to 119 and she wanted me to decrease my supplementation to 5,000/day, since I had been taking 10,000 u/day. Strange that it was higher than last time, since I haven't really changed anything, besides drinking more milk and being outside a bit more. My last value was 89, which she didn't blink an eye at.

I did ask her about the potassium issue. She said that it isn't an issue with sleeve and RNY patients and asked me why I was asking about this. She said that potassium and other electrolyte deficiencies come about from fluid imbalances, diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, etc. Anything that cause a loss of fluid from the body can cause problems. I told her that this had come up on OH and the questions came from a DS person. She said the people with a DS have several bowel movements/day and only have a 100 cm common channel, which can account for more malaborption and electrolyte imbalances, potassium is one of them. So, there you have it. You are correct about this being an issue for DS people, but the other surgeries don't have a problem with it, unless there is vomiting or other loss of fluid issues. I would work with a physician for keeping your potassium within normal range. The range is quite narrow and too much or too little can cause real problems

Gail

I think a lot changes as we age too. B12 is difficult for the elderly to absorb through the gut and A and ferritin can get too high as we age.

Yep, potassium issues are a concern for both RNY and DS. Ask Price about her issue and I can tell you about ValleyGirl's electrolyte issues too. I just worry that the DSrs on our FB group are being scared off from even watching it much less trying to safely supplement it.

--gina

I'm no help to you, I think I have a mental block about vitamins and labs!! 

Did you only do the B complex once a week?  I do it everyday - do you think that might be too much???

Linda

Yep, one B-complex a week. You'll need to get your B vitamins checked. For me, B1 would be too low on just a B-complex a week but the others are too high.

--g

That is probably why she asked me to take B1 daily, but to stop the B-100 that I was taking. There must be enough in the multi-vit that I take, and with the VSG, I am absorbing everything.