TAKE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS Reminder
This is a copy/paste from the July 2004 forum that I post on. So keep that in mind when you read it, as I do believe I made reference to the time frame in there as I was directing it to them specifically. However, the overall reminder about taking your supplements applies to any post-op (specifically RNY or DS) and my experience is a good lesson about why we need to take our supplements and more than you think you do. 
===============================================================
Well, after months and months of all sorts of testing; the doctors thinking I had multiple sclerosis, or that I was having mini-strokes or some other horrid thing: it turns out I have severe nutrient deficiencies. Say WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I have been taking my supplements (thank-you-very-much!) and MORE than what my surgeon told me I should, because I did my online research and knew that what he told me wasn't enough so I was taking two Bariatric Advantage per day, plus 2 calcium citrate + D, plus 2 Bariatric Advantage iron per day, plus 2 chewable vitamin C per day, plus 2 protein bars per day and getting in about 1200 calories most days (usually a little under that, on some days a little more). So I'm thinkin' I'm all that and a bag of chips and doing really great. No weight gain and I'm good to go.
Then August of 2006, I get my mammogram and first ever bone scan. I'm not worried, I have drank my milk my whole life like a good girl, eat my cheese and my leafy green veggie and yes, I even LIKE liver!! Well, to my shock and disbelief - I now have osteoporosis. No way!! Yes way - and I have to start on IV Boniva treatments every 3 months. Ugh! Well, okay - so that's what I've been doing. No biggie - and I up my calcium and now take 3 calcium per day, and leave everything else as it was.
Now fast forward to April 2007. I am feeling like death warmed over. Truly I am not doing well. For the few months prior to this, I start noticing some numbness, tingling, dizzyness, brain fog and my memory is just shot. Then I get super bad and can't hardly speak - like the words are there, but I can't get my mouth to say them, then I start with tremors in my hands and then the leg cramps start. The fatigue is so bad, I can't live my daily life. I am literally in the bed, unable to care for my house, my children and my dogs (I had been a hobby/show breeder) - I had to sell all but three of my precious dogs. I could do very short periods of time on the computer, but even that wore me out. If I could be in the bed for 2-3 days straight at a time, I could muster up a little stored energy to do something around the house, or perhaps manage to go to the grocery store, but that would drain me and I would be back in the bed again for the next 2-3 days. This has been my life pretty much all of 2007 - up to now. We did a full WLS post-op blood work and it showed I was dangerously low in Vit D. So I increased my Calcium with D even more - but I did not take a separate Vit. D, as what I was taking said it was way over the RDA as it was. I thought this was enough. It wasn't.
When the tests over the summer were not showing lesions or any conclusive signs of MS, I was too tired to fight for more tests, to make more appointments or do much of anything. So I stayed home and in the bed. I didn't make it to church many Sundays. I was truly ill. I finally knew that I needed to make the call to my family doctor and that I wasn't going to accept that I had MS, and it had been 6 months since my blood work in April, it was time again. So I had my 6 month test done. This time, it showed I was dangerously anemic. My ferritin was only 9. I will be needing iron infusions. But apparently my Vit D deficiency is also not resolved and remember my numbness, tingling, dizzyness, tremors, cramping and fatigue I mentioned above: that's all a potentially life-threatening condition called tetany that is a direct result of severe calcium and/or Vitamin D deficiency!!!! Folks: potentially life-threatening!!!!!
Now listen to momma bear Traci for a minute (or two 
), you all are now three years post-op, just like me. Perhaps you had a different surgery type, different length segmented or whatever. Maybe your body is more efficient as absorbing than mine: but statistics have proven time and time again that we are entering the time frame when RNY post-ops start seeing problems with nutrient deficiencies. A couple chewable vitamins and the occasional calcium pill or two a day, and maybe some iron - isn't going to cut it. I'm in menopause, and I'm severely anemic, I can only imagine how much quickly those of you who are still menstruating each month can become so.
We need LOTS (as in boatloads) of calcium each and every day. We need plenty of iron taken with Vitamin C, a good multi-vitamin, magnesium, B-100 supplement, B12 supplement, dry form of Vitamin E and I highly recommend Coromega for Omega 3. It's in a form that we can actually absorb as post-ops. I do not sell vitamins and don't make a dime off of any of them. Order them or buy them wherever you want to - just please, get them and take them every single day for the rest of your life. PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Check out my web site to see my revised supplement schedule to know at least what supplements I'm taking. I don't have the amounts on there, because that may vary for you, based on your labs. If you want help in how much you should be taking, feel free to email me through my web site and I can help you or point you to someone who can.
I pray that none of you goes through what I've been through. I was being compliant - more than compliant, according to my surgeon's guidelines, and look what happened to me. I'm posting this to hopefully help prevent someone else from going through this same thing.
===============================================================
Well, after months and months of all sorts of testing; the doctors thinking I had multiple sclerosis, or that I was having mini-strokes or some other horrid thing: it turns out I have severe nutrient deficiencies. Say WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been taking my supplements (thank-you-very-much!) and MORE than what my surgeon told me I should, because I did my online research and knew that what he told me wasn't enough so I was taking two Bariatric Advantage per day, plus 2 calcium citrate + D, plus 2 Bariatric Advantage iron per day, plus 2 chewable vitamin C per day, plus 2 protein bars per day and getting in about 1200 calories most days (usually a little under that, on some days a little more). So I'm thinkin' I'm all that and a bag of chips and doing really great. No weight gain and I'm good to go.
Then August of 2006, I get my mammogram and first ever bone scan. I'm not worried, I have drank my milk my whole life like a good girl, eat my cheese and my leafy green veggie and yes, I even LIKE liver!! Well, to my shock and disbelief - I now have osteoporosis. No way!! Yes way - and I have to start on IV Boniva treatments every 3 months. Ugh! Well, okay - so that's what I've been doing. No biggie - and I up my calcium and now take 3 calcium per day, and leave everything else as it was.
Now fast forward to April 2007. I am feeling like death warmed over. Truly I am not doing well. For the few months prior to this, I start noticing some numbness, tingling, dizzyness, brain fog and my memory is just shot. Then I get super bad and can't hardly speak - like the words are there, but I can't get my mouth to say them, then I start with tremors in my hands and then the leg cramps start. The fatigue is so bad, I can't live my daily life. I am literally in the bed, unable to care for my house, my children and my dogs (I had been a hobby/show breeder) - I had to sell all but three of my precious dogs. I could do very short periods of time on the computer, but even that wore me out. If I could be in the bed for 2-3 days straight at a time, I could muster up a little stored energy to do something around the house, or perhaps manage to go to the grocery store, but that would drain me and I would be back in the bed again for the next 2-3 days. This has been my life pretty much all of 2007 - up to now. We did a full WLS post-op blood work and it showed I was dangerously low in Vit D. So I increased my Calcium with D even more - but I did not take a separate Vit. D, as what I was taking said it was way over the RDA as it was. I thought this was enough. It wasn't.
When the tests over the summer were not showing lesions or any conclusive signs of MS, I was too tired to fight for more tests, to make more appointments or do much of anything. So I stayed home and in the bed. I didn't make it to church many Sundays. I was truly ill. I finally knew that I needed to make the call to my family doctor and that I wasn't going to accept that I had MS, and it had been 6 months since my blood work in April, it was time again. So I had my 6 month test done. This time, it showed I was dangerously anemic. My ferritin was only 9. I will be needing iron infusions. But apparently my Vit D deficiency is also not resolved and remember my numbness, tingling, dizzyness, tremors, cramping and fatigue I mentioned above: that's all a potentially life-threatening condition called tetany that is a direct result of severe calcium and/or Vitamin D deficiency!!!! Folks: potentially life-threatening!!!!!
Now listen to momma bear Traci for a minute (or two ), you all are now three years post-op, just like me. Perhaps you had a different surgery type, different length segmented or whatever. Maybe your body is more efficient as absorbing than mine: but statistics have proven time and time again that we are entering the time frame when RNY post-ops start seeing problems with nutrient deficiencies. A couple chewable vitamins and the occasional calcium pill or two a day, and maybe some iron - isn't going to cut it. I'm in menopause, and I'm severely anemic, I can only imagine how much quickly those of you who are still menstruating each month can become so.
We need LOTS (as in boatloads) of calcium each and every day. We need plenty of iron taken with Vitamin C, a good multi-vitamin, magnesium, B-100 supplement, B12 supplement, dry form of Vitamin E and I highly recommend Coromega for Omega 3. It's in a form that we can actually absorb as post-ops. I do not sell vitamins and don't make a dime off of any of them. Order them or buy them wherever you want to - just please, get them and take them every single day for the rest of your life. PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Check out my web site to see my revised supplement schedule to know at least what supplements I'm taking. I don't have the amounts on there, because that may vary for you, based on your labs. If you want help in how much you should be taking, feel free to email me through my web site and I can help you or point you to someone who can.
I pray that none of you goes through what I've been through. I was being compliant - more than compliant, according to my surgeon's guidelines, and look what happened to me. I'm posting this to hopefully help prevent someone else from going through this same thing. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Traci <*)))>< | Sullivan, MO
Join My WLS4Health OH Group
Lap RNY 7/27/04
My blog: http://wls4health.com
Traci <*)))>< | Sullivan, MO
Join My WLS4Health OH Group
Lap RNY 7/27/04
My blog: http://wls4health.com
Thanks for this. I have my 3 month post op check up in November and I think they do labs then. I do really well at taking my vitamins. 2 BA multis 1 am and 1 pm, daily BA iron, BA biotin, Subligual B12 daily, 2 calcium citrate daily. I started two weeks proir to surgery and stayed on them. Hopefully the labs will be good, if not, I will adjust.
I also wanted to say I am glad you post. I am encouraged by yours post everyday. I am not sure where you were before, But I am glad you came back.
Blessings and prayers,
Rebecca
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