3 Month Lab Results - Some good, some bad

I wrote this same thing in my blog, but in the interest of sharing with those yet to come, I decided to post it on the forums too.

Yesterday I met with my Nutritionist, Nicole.  She had my 3 month lab information.  (Yes, I'm now 3 1/2 months, but close enough!)  Some good, but lots of not-so-good too.

Positives:  
-Calcium is good, but she said it wouldn't hurt to take a calcium supplement.  The ironic thing is that I asked her about that at my 4 week appointment, and she said no, I should wait until the 3 months.  So, here we are and now I'll start taking the supplements.
-B-12 is good.  I expected that because I've been taking a sublinqual B-12 for a month and a half now.
-Hydration, Blood sugar and Kidney function are all good.  

Negatives: 
-Protein is low.  What?  How did that happen?  I feel like I've done well with getting the recommended 70 grams of protein, but apparently that's not cutting it.  My NUT did some calculations and decided that I should bump in up to 80 grams a day.  OK.  I can do that.  I'm up to 77 grams today, so 3 more and I'm golden.  She really believes that this will help with my hair loss too.   
-Iron is low-normal.  Apparently normal levels are 40-140 (approx).  My iron level was right at 40.  She's leaving it up to the nurse whether she prescribes an iron supplement or not.  :(  I hate, hate, hate taking iron!!!  Wondering if maybe I should just focus a little more on iron-rich foods?  We'll see what Jasmine (the nurse) has to say about that.
-Cholesterol is off.  Bad cholesterol is high, good cholesterol is low.  :(  Unfortunately, no Dr had taken cholesterol levels prior to my surgery.  How crazy is that?  I was a morbidly obese 35 year-old and nobody thought to check my cholesterol?  I'm a little angry now that I didn't demand it...because now, I have nothing to compare to!  Since that is the case, I'm assuming that these #s are an improvement over the pre-op #s.  :)  We'll check them again in another 3 months, and then we'll have something to compare them to, right?

So, how do I feel about all of this?  It was kind of a kick in the pants, because I feel like I've done really well with my protein and vitamins.  But, my NUT assurred me that these kinds of things are "normal" issues for 3 months out.  I guess...that's why they check you, right?  Otherwise I wouldn't know to make changes.  I was kind of down on myself, but my DH was so supportive about it.  He assured me that it's good to know, now I just make the changes and move on.  
On the bright side of things, my NUT is thrilled that I'm eating a wide variety of foods, and my exercise is great too.  Again with the variety.  I told her I can't imagine eating the same thing day in and day out.  Too boring!  Heck, with the small amount of foods we get to eat, we darn well ought to be able to enjoy them!!! All in all, I'm feeling much better about it today than I was yesterday.  Heck, if these are the biggest issues I have after surgery...I should be praising the Lord! 

TOO Weird to just come here and see your post!  I JUST hung up the phone from calling to get my last labs faxed to me from 2 weeks ago from my 3 month visit!  The fax release form is coming over as I type this. They tell me not to worry unless they call, but I've had too many tests from various docs over the years "fall through the cracks" and not get called, so I'm being proactive now. Anxious to see what mine say!

I know what you mean about things falling through the cracks.  As concientious as they may be, no one will ever pay as much attention to your own info as you will!  :)  It certainly doesn't hurt to be proactive! Good luck Wendy!  I hope your results are all fabulous!!!

Well, y'all inspired me to call SS and see what my labs are. I'm just over 3 months out also and like what Wendy said, they don't call you unless there is a problem. So I just talked to Bobbi Lou and she said I'm ALL GOOD!!! B12 is right in the middle (normal), CBC normal, Liver panel, etc - normal and I specifically asked about protein and she said NORMAL.  YAY!!!!! I told her it is so nice to hear that confirmation!!!!!!  Anyway, didn't mean to hyjack your post, but wanted to share. So it sounds like you got some really GOOD news in with a little bad news. At least you have a plan of attack now and can get it straight. I am no doctor by any means, but it does seem like the items that need work aren't that bad... I'm sure you can get it under control very shortly. Congrats on making it to ALMOST 4 months and good luck as we continue on the losing side... :)

Thanks for the positive words Mindy, and congrats on your great news!  & you didn't hijack my post!  That's what this is for...for us to share our news!  :)