Thursday Morning Mumbling

Good morning everyone,

I know it's just barely morning, but I'm still up and I wanted to post now in case I miss it tomorrow morning.

I went to a nephrologist about my kidneys recently.  He thinks there are a lot of reasons my kidneys are not functioning up to par.  Most of them have nothing to do with my surgery.  He noted that my numbers are actually improving since I've had surgery so he expects that to continue.  My calcium is high and he thinks that contributed to my bad numbers.  He asked me to not take any for a week and then begin taking 1 - 500mg a day.

Today I had my 3 month check up with Dr. Carlin.  (He is such a great doctor.)  He feels my Vitamin D levels are high and that may be pushing my calcium up.  As it ended up, I am to take B12 every other day, 2 - 500 mg calcium a day, and 1 - 50,000 Vitamin D once a month.  I will have my blood checked at six months and see how I'm doing.

On a different subject..... my son, who is 37, has moved back home with us.   I mentioned earlier he's had a difficult time finding a job.  After his divorce, his wife took the kids and moved back to Pennsylvania.  My husband told him we would pay for schooling although I don't know what we'll pay for it with......     I wish I could see an end in sight.

QOTD - Do the 'should haves' ever end?  Before surgery, I was constantly down on myself thinking I should have been able to stick to a diet,  should have been able to exercise and take better care of myself.  Well, now I feel I'm on the right road, but I still think, oh my gosh I should be drinking more water, I should have more protein... and on and on.....  So what do you think?  Does it every end?

Have a happy Thursday.    Sandi

Good morning! I am awake early for work today.

My 3 month  visit with Dr. Schneider is next Tuesday.  I am anxious to see what he says about my blood work results.

QOTD- I feel like I am stuck in the "should haves" with protein and water, I know eventually I will get there.

Hi Sandi,
Bright and early morning post for you! Hope you are sleeping well. Best to you with your kidney problems. May they straighten up and work better!!!
QOTD-I try to stay away from the "should of, "would of," and "could have" thinking. I can't undo what is done already. I know I've done a lot of mistakes, weight loss and likewise; but that kind of personal berating is self-defeating to what is going on now. I have to think to change myself today because that is the only thig I can deal with. It's a hard habit to break as our self negatives are always louder than our self-positives. Try to focus on what you are doing right for yourself!!!
Have a good Thursday!
Deb

Good morning Sandi and everyone,

I hope they are able to figure out what is going on with your kidneys and all your labs come back normal after adjusting your vitamins.

I can relate to your statement "I wish I could see an end in sight".  I'm sure your son appreciates you and your husband helping him out!  For me, the end in sight always seems to be financial.  I've been paying the orthodontist a monthly payment (bigger than my car payment!) for my son's braces and now have to come up with over $5,000 out
of pocket for his jaw surgery.  I was looking so forward to having his ortho paid off in June, but now I'll be paying on the out of pocket we have to pay for his surgery.  Seems like it is always something! 

QOTD:  I'm not stuck in the 'should have's' for WLS but I do sometimes let myself think that way about other things in my life.  Should have taught my kids healthier eating habits as kids, should have saved more money in my 401k, etc.......  but I totally agree with Deb, you have to stay focused on the positive and try not to indulge in negative self talk because it can bring you down.  I also agree that it is hard to do some times!  I try and stop myself when I recognize I'm doing it.

Have a great day everyone!
Nan

Gee... and I get all bent out of shape over a $100 vet bill.  Guess I'm glad I have a cat instead of a kid with braces.  :-D

Hi Nan,

My son (yes the one who's here now) had jaw surgery the summer after graduating from high school.  Our insurance paid for most of it, but the surgeon wanted to do a little extra something with his chin which was quite an out of pocket cost.   We did it though because we thought he needed it.  Well, I must say he is very handsome now.  (of course I thought he was before too)

He had his jaw wired shut for several weeks and I really felt sorry for him.  He's always been very slim and it wasn't easy getting in calories from a shake and a straw!

I wish your son well.

Sandi

Good Morning Everyone!

Just having my second cup of strong black coffee, already busy working also.  It seems winter is coming back to us, *sigh*.  DH got caught out in the storm last night, he went golfing and when the lightning struck they were as far away from the clubhouse as you can get.  He got soaked, of course no rain jacket with him.  He did say he saw the most beautiful rainbow afterwards.  I stayed home and had a nice virtual conversation with my SIL. 

QOTD:  It is easy to get stuck in the should of stages of things, I avoid them.  If I get into that mood it is always about my late husband and our children. 

Try to stay warm today, spring is still springing !

Sandi -- I'm going to post my morning coffee stuff in a different post, but I wanted to ask you about your blood work a bit. 

Do you know what your actual lab results are?  Can you share those numbers with me? 

The reason I ask is because typically high serum calcium levels is a direct indicator that you're NOT absorbing the calcium you're taking.  And that's usually a result of high PTH Intact readings.  If your Vitamin D is "high" (we want lab results to be 80-100 for ideal health benefits) then your PTH Intact isn't going to be high because of the lack of Vitamin D ... but could be a more serious issue related to parathyroid disease.  Have you had your parathyroid checked? What's your lab result on that test? 

We know we're not properly absorbing calcium when our Vitamin D is low - and remains low for a long period of time.  Even the normal range of 30, is considered low in many people.  And if we see high PTH Intact alongside the low Vitamin D - we know that you're not absorbing calcium, so you'll see high calcium levels in blood and/or urine.   So unless your Vitamin D levels are over 100, I have not seen any research in my extensive reading that suggests high D levels cause calcium to be less absorbed.

EDITED TO ADD:  Just found this website on high calcium levels. Notice point #4 near the middle of the page about high D causing high calcium.  Looks like it "never" happens.  Also see point #5 - are you taking "HCTZ (hydrochlorothyazide) which is a "water pill" used for blood pressure" ?? -- but I like what this author says - even if you are on that drug, blaming high calcium levels on that drug is "90% BS".  LOL  ---- ok, end of edit.

I would actually argue that you need more calcium, not less.  Calcium citrate has been shown not to distress kidneys (calcium carbonate does).  And I suspect that when you drop your dose down to that low dose that you'll probably see another spike in your blood calcium level.

Ok, so Vitamin D --- what is your lab result there?  Like I said above, we want that to be 80-100, which is actually above the normal range.  But new science shows with levels over 80 we see reduced risks of cancers (breast, cervical, prostate, colon, etc.) and reduced risk of developing MS.  In fact, our bodies don't even begin to store Vitamin D until our levels are 50 or higher.  At levels of 30 (still in normal range) we're simply cycling Vitamin D - using it as fast as we put it in.  What kind of 50,000IU does the doctor have you on?  Is it the Rx?  The little green gelcap?  If so, that's not what we want - that's Vitamin D2 suspended in oil.  We malabsorb fats, so we don't get the full benefit of any medication/supplement in oil and also it's D2... but D3 is better used by the body (in everyone, not just WLS folks). 

Last but not least.  B12.  What is your lab results for that?  We want to see numbers at 1000 to 1500 even though the normal range only goes up to 911.  In fact, permanent nerve damage can occur when levels get as low as 450 - even though normal range is as low as 200.  Because our stomachs can no longer produce intrinsic factor we are at a much higher risk of deficiency of B12, which is usually rare in most people.  So we need our numbers to be on the high end to give us a bigger cushion for our malabsorption. 

Ok. I think that's all.  LOL!  I don't mean to sound preachy or anything... just want to make sure you're getting the best advice based on your surgery.  Some doctors who do not typically work with bariatric patients don't fully understand our antaomy and special needs.

HTH
Pam

I'm so glad you live in Michigan!

Edie

Pam,

I really appreciate your interest and concern.  I do not mind in the least.

Here are the numbers you asked about:

Calcium, serum                        11.2
Vitamin B12                                1379
PTH, Intact                                   58
Vitamin D                                     43

I mis-spoke when I said the doctor thought my Vitamin D was high.  I believe what he said was I may be taking in too much so the body converted it to active Vitamin D which pushes calcium up.

I am taking dry Vitamin D3.

I have had my parathyroid checked in the last couple of years.  I don't remember what the numbers were, but they were okay at the time.  (pre-RNY)

I looked up the web site you mentioned.  I do have sarcoidosis which can elevate calcium levels.  In fact, since I read that, I can remember my PCP writing on my blood tests that my high calcium was due to sarcoidosis.

I would be interested to see what you think of my numbers.  If you need anything else, let me know.

One thing is do know is that no one knows or remembers as much about ourselves as we do so we all have to police our own lab results regardless of suggestions made.


Thanks,  Sandi