Long Term Vitamins and Minerals deficiency

I have decided to proceed with my surgery, I am afraid of long term Vitamins and minerals deficiency. I read some scary stories about people taking their Vitamins and minerals but their body is not absorbing them. I was wondering if any of Long term Sleevers are going through the same thing?

I weight 270 5'7" 31 years old male BMI 43

My stats were very much like yours: Male, highest weight 278, 5'7". Started the whole WLS journey at 47 weighing 268. I have not been deficient in anything (except a little low in copper, but all the docs believe I was low in copper prior to VSG, so it's not really relevant). What did happen to me was that I had to reduce my vitamin intake because I was absorbing too much B1 and A. I'm 4 years out and am in far better health than I was in my 30s. 

If you take your vitamins daily, have regular lab work done, and track your numbers on a spread sheet, you can correct upward or downward trends before they cause health issues. You must be proactive and know exactly what your lab results say.  You can not trust your doctor to keep track of the trends.  A doctor will look at the number and tell you that it's great if it falls within the "normal" range.  You have to track the trends yourself.

What Rocky said!!

It is your job to make sure you don't get deficiencies.  There was one year when I did not have insurance coverage for labs and paid out of pocket. 

In eight years I had one time with too much zinc, several times with not enough vitamin D and one time with low iron.  I adjust as soon as I see my labs.  It is like maintaining a car, if you put the oil in on time, you will not ruin the engine by driving without lubrication.

Hi Gettingfit,

First, Welcome to the board you will get alot of questions answered here.  I am getting a revision from the band to the sleeve and correct me if i am wrong(other members) but the band and the sleeve do not have malabsorbtion issues.   Just take your vitamins the way you usually take them if you do.  i started taking mine since my first visit for the revision January 11  im loading on womens vitamins vitamin b12 vitamin d (was always low for me) calcium and biotin  as a back up  my surgery date is March 1 and i will see the results of my blood work when i do my preop testing in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

when is your surgery date and have you had the blood workup done yet? and have you been keeping track of your blood work up (annual physicals ect) to compare?.  You will be fine .

Good Luck and Welcome again

I have no idea why my computer is typing like this .

rblain

Thank you Yes everyone is helpful and nice here. I am doing my blood work Tomorrow. I didn't get my surgery date yet but i think it's going to happened first week of march. They are getting Insurance authorization. I have already talked to the phyc and nutrition doctor. I haven't been taking any Vitamins but I always eat good quality foods. I started to take multivitamin daily after my talk with nutritionist its been a week. Hopefully that won't make my blood work show wrong results. 

Congratulations!! I had a lapband to sleeve in July , you are going to love it!!! So happy to have that band out of me, in my opinion the sleeve works like the band should have! 

Keep us posted, this forum has been invaluable for me.

Thanks Michele. You sound so happy thank you for taking time to answer I love hearing lol reading these great experiences I like to hear the not so good only to be aware of possible problems ..thanks alot  and congratulations on your weight loss I will continue to follow so keep posting

My labs are better now beyond a shadow of a doubt compared to where they were preop. Preop, low in a bunch of different areas. Now, in range on everything (bordeline low for D3). I use the multivitamin patch from PatchMd and it works awesome for me- just once a day. 4 years out and also dealing with cancer issues, so I would imagine I would be a prime candidate if malabsoption was going to be an issue. 

Unlike RNY-ers, VSG-ers do not malabsorb intestinally.  Aside from malabsorption, there are a few nutrients that might be required as a supplement, however:

• If labs show you need B12, you should take it in the form of a patch or sublingually, because taking it orally won't work very well - the portion of the stomach that produces Intrinsic Factor (which B12 needs to bind with when taken orally) is removed, or most of it anyway.  I suppose this could be considered a malabsorption problem.
• Many VSG-ers (myself included) experience GERD after surgery and take a PPI to control it.  As a consequence, the low stomach acid will affect absorption of calcium and iron, both of which require an acidic environment.  Again depending on your labs, you may need to supplement these.

That said, the amount of food we eat is so little, and is overbalanced on the protein side, especially in the early years, that we aren't getting the vitamins and minerals we need from food, so a program of supplementation is usually recommended.  As you move further and further out, your ongoing labs will dictate whether you need to tinker with your regimen.

Congratulations on your decision, and good luck!  My surgery and post-op period went extremely smoothly, and it was the best thing, by far, I've ever done for myself!