Help with nutritional deficiencies - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

keywizard · 09-18-2009, 03:19 PM

I had a Gastric Bypass (BPB) in 1991. I started at 267lbs and dropped to 193lbs over the next year. Then the problems started. Now I am 230lbs and am on the Adkins Diet to try to lose the weight. Here is what I have gone through... (Please note I have just discovered bariatric vitamins recently...)

Anemia...When I went for checkups, the Doctor would ask me if I knew I was anemic and did nothing about it. I moved to KY and one day thought I would collapse in my yard. Hospitalized. Hematocrit was 7. Medical people know that's pretty low. Non medical people..."when there's no gas in the engine, the engine stops." Iron infusions. Then B-12 shots. Gee, someone noticed after 15 years!

Skin problems-Dry Dry Dry thickening skin.

Hypothyroidism- Taking medicine.

Diagnosed with Lupus. Not true.

All of the while over the years I have asked Doctors if this has anything to do with the surgery. I received an answer of no.

Night Blindness has been here for the last 2 years. Thick dry eyes.

Tired Tired Tired. Still nothing from the medical community.

Tingling in the arms, legs and face.

"Doctor, could I be suffering from vitamin deficiencies?" "No, we don't see that in this country". I'm ready to scream!

My husband is a Doctor, but not in that field. I went to him and cried (not normal for me...). He brought me vitamin A last night. Good man. Today, I have found you. I need help and paperwork that I can take to my Doctors to swat them in the head with. My chest aches but it's not my heart. Muscle soreness, etc.

I have had some improvement from the bariatric vitamins, then they changed the formula. I had to wait for them to send the right ones. I now have ordered some recommended on this site.

I would appreciate any professional or otherwise stories and help locating anyone who takes care of these problems around the Louisville, KY area. Thanks.

poet_kelly · 09-18-2009, 04:31 PM

I'm sorry you've been having these problems. It seems like back in the early 1990's, they didn't know what vitamins WLS patients needed. But now we do know that vitamin deficiencies can be quite common in WLS patients. I'm sorry your doctor didn't realize that.

Have you had labs done lately? That's the first thing I would do, get checked for deficiencies, so you know what supplements you need to be taking, beyond just the basics.

Kelly

Corrine · 09-18-2009, 07:18 PM

I'm with Kelly, you need to get a full set of lab work done a.s.a.p. to determine exactly what you're deficient in.

Do you get an adequate amount of protein in each day? Are you drinking enough?

John · 09-18-2009, 07:41 PM

Welcome, Key. I'm sorry you're having trouble

Josephine · 09-19-2009, 06:48 AM

Please get complete bloodwork done, including all these, as well as a bone density scan. Also, make sure you're taking sublingual b12, vitd3, calcium citrate 500mg 3x a day, iron, and a multivitamin for bariatric patients 2x per day... and that's just til we figure out which nutrients you're deficient in. I'm so so sorry you're going thru all of this dear.

CMP
Lipid Profile
CBC with differential
B12
Bili-direct
Ferritin
Iron/TIBC
Magnesium
RBC Folate
Thiamine (B1)
Uric Acid
Vitamin D, 25-OH
PTH
Zinc
Phosphorus
Copper

Jobu · 09-19-2009, 07:57 AM

Wow, I agree with the ladies... get some doctor, ANY doctor to do some blood work.. get EVERYTHING checked...

and in the meantime, get those vitamins and start taking them..

LOL, this post just made me remember to take mine this morning...

Good luck

keywizard · 09-23-2009, 06:44 PM

Thanks to all. I feel justified and less alone at last. I ordered bypass vitamins and a B-12 patch...Who knew!? My first dose of B-12 has me feeling better already. Thanks for the test list I need to have done. I have found the name of a good Doctor in Louisville and will be making an appointment with him. My personal physician is good, but he is not a specialist in this particular problem. He has given me B-12 in the past, but the other deficiencies, he did not think would be happening. Not his fault. Just not his field. I appreciate being here, and will take the advice given so far. I am currently on the Atkins diet, and that has helped with the added protein. I've also lost 15 pounds so far! I would recommend this high protein diet to anyone that has had this surgery.

I would LOVE to have a list of just how much of a vitamin and mineral bypass patients need. Anyone know where I could get that?

Laureate · 09-23-2009, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jobu

LOL, this post just made me remember to take mine this morning...

I thought Kelly's "box" took care of that issue. <grin>

poet_kelly · 09-23-2009, 06:49 PM

Check out this link. http://www.asbs.org/Newsite07/resources/bgs_final.pdf

Basically, we need 200% of the recommended daily allowance of most vitamins and minerals. The easiest way to get that is with a bariatric vitamin like Celebrate or Bariatric Advantage. The usually dose is two multivitamins a day.

Then we need 1500 - 2000 mg of calcium citrate. It needs to be calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. We don't absorb calcium carbonate well at all.

We need B12.

We probably need iron. My surgeon actually said he did not recommend iron unless my labs showed I was low, but I'm not sure he was right about that.

Kelly