Debra Update

OK all, I need to get this out here to once again so everyone understands the importance of vitamins.....

Here is the latest.  She went to the Dr again today to have her neuro stuff looked at.  There is a possibility that there is a vertebrae that is causing the pain.  That, per the Dr would not effect the memory issue. 

The Dr was asked about the memory issue and was drilled pretty hard.  He stated that the lack of B vitamins can and will cause neuro damage if the levels are low for a long period of time.  Also that low B levels can even cause PERMANENT neurological damages.  I have a friend that has a friend that did not take his B vitamins and now is in an assisted living facility - NO JOKE!!!  To add insult to injury, the Dr stated that ALCOHOL drains the body of the needed B vitamins.  No one is saying DON'T drink alcohol, but if you are, take more b vitamins.

This is not a joke.  This is serious stuff here.  There is no way to take to much (from what my Dr has said) as the excess gets flushed out in your urine. 

YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR VITAMINS...................I DONT CARE WHAT SURGERY YOU HAD, HOW FAR OUT YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!

Please please please keep Debra in your prayers.  She needs that right now.  And take your vitamins......

Thanks so much for the update, Sean ..     That latest update from Debra really had me (and probably some other TMBers) worried and still in the dark as to what was going on with her medical problems .. 

Thanks Paul and trust me when i say you are not the only one in the dark!!

hi paul.... yeah i am still in the dark about what is going on.... i went to do a memory test yesterday proboblay about 5 hours or longer... i got very frustrated.... i couldnt remember 20 words only got like 5 or 7 of them... the lady showed me a puzzle and took the pic away and waited 10 seconds and asked me to do the puzzle and i couldnt remember....

it is very frustrating for me to rely on others to take care of me.... or drive me around i am not driving right now either.... and that is the tough part its like something has been taken away from me....

 Hi Debra ..   Good to hear from you again ..   

  One thing that puzzles (and frankly worries) me about your memory problem is that it seems, IIRC, that it came on rather suddenly ..  I would think that if it was a supplement-related deficiency it would instead be a gradual onset, over time, from what I've read about supplement-deficiency-related neurological damage on OH with other members before .   You might want to have a second set of MRI and CT scans done (and a PET-scan, if possible) for a "second opinion", to rule out a stroke as much as possible ..  

   Another thing you might consider doing, if your ins. will pay for it, is to have a full set of just about every possible WLS-related blood level checked, through a referral from your doc (or using U.S. Labs online to order it through them yourself) ..  I can forward you my Excel Spreadsheet that I "inherited" from another WLSer almost 3 years ago that I use to track my labs.   I know it was originally set up by a DS patient, but it includes a lot of RNY-type checks by overlap.  It presently has accumulated almost 90 different kinds of blood tests on it, with the normal ranges for each shown off to the side.      You might want to consider having almost all of those tests run (it will require a lot of blood samples, though! ) ..   That might finally show what it is you are deficient in, if that is in fact the culprit ..   

   btw, if you can get your results back within the next 3 weeks, Vitalady will be in Dallas for the annual A.S.M.B.S. conference here ..  Maybe she will sit down and go over the results with you to see what she thinks ..  

    Keeping you in my prayers .    

i have another iron infusion next week and blood work and believe me i probably get about 10 tubes of blood taken... if not more...

the hematologist has the list of blood work that rny people need and the levels....

believe me this was not all of the sudden.... i havent taken vitamins in a long time.... and now its catching up with me.... or it has caught up with me...

believe me i have had mri with dye and cat scans and injections in the heart with dye to make sure it wasnt a tear in theheart... now the doctor thinks it might be c6 & c7 disc in my neck.... having another test next week where they will inject more dye.... to check the neck.... believe me the neurologist doesnt want to believe its a vitamin defiency...... so he said after the injections he is going to test my bloodwork again....

i hope all this makes sense.... my thoughts are scattered right now....having some pain right now....

Amen on the vitamins, as I take my 3rd set of calcium today.  Sean, I don't believe we can EVER over discuss the importance of vitamins and how not being compliant can cause permanent, irreversable damage that can be life threatening and debilitating.

It's for life, not just while losing weight.  We'll NEVER absorb everything we need from food, our insides are NOT like the normal human being (specific to malabsorption surgeries).

PLEASE everyone take your vitamins, I don't want to have to hear someone I love dearly is suffering because of non-compliance.

I'm continuing to keep Debra in my thoughts and prayers and as I stated to her before if she needs anything that I can help with from afar don't hesitate to call me.

Dana -

I agree, we can not stress enough to get these vitamins in.  I know she appreciates the prayers...

After all the vitamin discussions the past few days,  I got out the copy of my lab results from Feb. and LOOKED at them.  They were all "Normal" BUT my B-12 was 475 which according to Dana is too low for US (and we all know Dana knows what she's talking about).  So starting today I'm doubling mine until my next set of labs is drawn.  Does anyone (DANA??) know what WE should have for Serum Iron and PTH results? Thanks again for the reminder and my prayers continue for OUR Debra.

These are the levels I'm shooting from based on information I've received from Vitalady and her knowledge and experience.  I'm terrifed of "what could happen" so I rather be extra safe than sorry.

Oh and YES get that B-12 number UP, UP, UP.  How much are you adding a day......I suggest 2000 mcg.

Protein:           7's
Albumin:         4's
Pre-Albumin: 20-30's  

Iron:                80-100
Ferritin:        200-300
HGB:              12+
HCT:               36+  

Vit A:               60- 80

Vit D:              80-12 0   

Calcium:        9.0-9.4
PTH:               20-40  

Vit B1:         Mid to top of range
Vit B6:             Mid to top of range
Magnesium: Mid range (but also go by if we have leg/foot cramping)
Zinc:                Mid range  
Vit B12:          1000 +
Folate:           Top of range  
AST (sgot):    Below 40 A
LT (sgpt):     Below 40

We usually want to "meet or beat" pre-op levels. In some cases, higher is better, and in other cases (Cholesterol, PTH for example), lower is better.   The only things *I* don't mind being on the high end of out of range are Ferritin and B12. But that applies to ME.   These are the levels I'm shooting for, working on tweaking right now.  Some of these are HIGHER than others maybe comfortable with.