Uh Oh!!

Hi all.

I haven't been feeling very well lately....tired and sluggish...not at all like the "new" me since surgery.   Well, I had my blood taken and am very low on iron (my reading was 6...down from 56 the last time....normal range is between 10 and 291) and something goofy is going on with low blood sugars.  Oh great.   I have to double my iron supplement.  Any tips from my peeps?  The vitamins make me so nauseated, but I take them.   And I am not complaining at all.   I love my decision to have surgery and the positive effect it has had on my life....just have to get this staightened out.   So, what are any of you other low iron folks doing to get the numbers up?   Any advice is much appreciated as always.

Amy

What are you taking for your iron? 

I take Vitron C (have to get from pharmacy - they always have it behind the counter) it is supposed to be easier on the belly cuz it is comboed with vitamin C. 

I also always eat at least a bite or two of food with my pills so they aren't sitting in pouchy all by themselves.  My multivitamin i switched to a liquid gel and seems to go better for me than those hard tablets.

Hope that helps.  Keep us posted. 

Linda

 

 

Linda - Where to you get/ what brand for the multi liquid gel? I think I'd prefer that even pre surg. I hate most multis, they gag me.

i get nature made multi for women liquid gel vitamin - i haven't had a problem swallowing them. 

i get them at cub or target 

 

Linda

 

I was told that women with their periods need to take  Iron ferrous sulfate 325 mg with vitamin c 500 mg daily. Vitron-C is a Ferrous Fumarate Iron so make sure you read the labels and double check with your nurse.

WHen my iron was that low I had IV iron infusion for 8 weeks in a row. This was like SPEED! I felt so much better, and I also doubled up on my iron after that ( I also use Vitron-C), to keep my numbers moving upward.

My iron was up for a year, but were on the lower side of normal. I had surgery last fall and found that my iron stores had dropped again (ferritin levels) so I had 6 weeks of iron infusions to get them back up.

My PCP believes that it may be something I need to do every couple of years due to malabsorption. Ilness and injury or surgeries can lower your iron stores, so I am working to stay healthy. I would ask about the iron infusions (make sure to request an IV push versus an IV drip, as it takes a lot less time each week.)

Good luck!

I hear ya Amy.....My iron was so low, I was near being admitted but now I'm doing better.  I have to take three a day now.  The suppliments I'd find at the drug stores or places like Target, would make me soooooo constipated and then my nurse clinician recommended the Bariatric Advantage chewables.  Great taste (wild berry), easy on the pipes!!  I don't mind taking them now.  They are a bit more expensive then what you'll find locally but oh so much more worth it!!!  I just go to there website and order now and then get the Vitamin C from the anywhere.

I wa**** w/this out of the blue sort of, in my last surro. pg. My iron is normally a bit low (hemoglobin typically ranges from 9.9-11 for me. Normaly is 12/13-17) , but I dropped to 7.6 which is hospitalization low. I did end up having to have a transfusion because the supplements just weren't helping....and I could recite to you most iron rich foods and the iron levels they contain on top of it! My body no longer is able to utilize iron pills (none are time released, coated, etc, so that wasn't the issue) at all, so I have to take liquid iron. I will tell you that it is nasty sh*t, but the pharmacy can flavor it for you. (watermelon masks it the best, followed by raspberry. I don't do sour, so don't know if those flavors help) There are certain flavors that they CAN'T do (coffee, chocolate and several others...those just stick out the most as those are my favs!)