B12 and Folate Deficiencies in VSG

Slacking for a couple weeks won't hurt you (unless, you know, it's a couple weeks followed by a couple more weeks followed by a couple more weeks...). Your body can store most of what it needs to keep you in the sufficient ranges for probably a good 6 months to a year (unless you were already low in something to begin with). Deficiencies won't happen overnight. Some even suggest you stop taking certain supplements for a few days before having labs drawn so as not to artificially inflate your blood levels with supplements - they want to see what's really there without the supps (I don't do this because I don't plan on STOPPING my supplements so I want to know what the levels are WITH them). So you may have done a good thing  :)

I have never understood the stopping your supplements for having blood drawn for labs. 

It's to make sure they are testing the real values and your values aren't artificially high due just having taken some vitamins and they aren't fully utilized yet.

With many vites, you could go for a long time without taking them before you'd see deficiencies.  But I assure you, eventually you would see them.  I mean, with calcium, it could take months and months before you develop osteoporosis.  But you would, eventually.  I'd bet you anything.

Kelly

exactly! that's the whole point especially with my type of surgery where MANY folks feel that vitamins are not necessarily that important. I personally have issues in my family among the healthy, normal bmi women & osteoporosis. We need these wake up calls especially since the studies for the VSG & vitamins are not very plentiful and not very long term, as is the case with RNY.

In my last set of labs everything was fine except vitamin D.  I take a multivitamin, D3, and potassium. I also take B12 injections once a month.  Just want to warn you on the injections.  My Bariatric PCP recommends doing the injections in your stomach because we've lost or impaired our intrinsic factor with the VSG. 

their numbers are "perfect."

I have to say that this whole "perfect" lab results is a BIG pet peeve of mine.

In order for something to be perfect it has to be optimal and correct in every respect. Well, lab numbers don't work like that. They have ranges on those numbers for a reason and even then just being in the range doesn't necessarily mean you are at the right level for you.

As for deficiencies, ANYONE can have a vitamin deficiency, whether they've had WLS or not. So it seems dumb not to get labs done regularly when you've knowingly done something to change your digestive system and it's accompanying hormones.

We VSGers have changed our body's chemistry even if we haven't had our intestines changed.