Getting nervous...labs all over the place. Advice?

Are you serious?! I'm trying my best to be polite to you but you're really out of line. FIRST OF ALL, if you actually READ what I wrote, I stated that I had not seen the surgeon yet. I have been on a 6 month monitored weight loss program. IN that program, I see a doctor. NOT the surgeon who will perform my surgery. I didn't ask for a diagnosis, nor did I ask for drug prescription. So, I'm not really sure where you're coming from here.

The whole premise of forums is to be able to share thoughts with complete strangers. Everyone on here is doing that so I don't know what your beef is with me. I would certainly prefer if you just didn't respond to me anymore because you obviously have an ax to grind. NO further responses are necessary from you. Thanks.

You saw your doctor not your surgeon.  Ok. Did you do what your medical professional told you to do a month ago or did you wait and then come on here to see if you would be ok that you didn't do what he told you to do.

It hasn't been a month, it's been 2 weeks. And where did I ask if it would be ok to not do what I was told? Serious misinterpretation on your part. I'm doing as I was told. I'm taking supplements; merely getting nervous and wondering if poor lab results will prevent me from having my surgery. Or if the supplements will truly help in time. I was hoping that someone else had experience with this and could shed some light on what happened in their situation. 

I have never heard of low vitamin levels causing someone to change their choice of WLS.  They will likely want you to get some of those values up before surgery, though, especially the iron and blood  count. Having non-emergency surgery when you are anemic with a low red blood cell count isn't a good idea... But that would apply regardless of whether you opt for RNY or VSG.

You need to discuss with your surgeon what your levels need to be before it is safe to do surgery of any kind, because some surgeons are much more strict about those kinds of things (to limit post-op complications) than others.  You can start taking iron and Vit D supplements right away... just consult your doctor on how much (s)he recommends. Vit D3 (which is available in large dose capsules OTC) will raise your levels more quickly than D2 (which is what most doctors order if they give you a prescription for it).

Going forward with your planned RNY (as opposed to switching to VSG) would only mean that, knowing your lab levels were bad to begin with means you will need to be very vigilant to get your vitamins in and have your labs checked regularly. MANY of us had very low Vit D levels before surgery.  It just meant that we had to take much higher doses post-op to raise it up where it needs to be (about 80).

Lora

I'm not sure Lora, it seemed as if she was trying say that RNY surgery depletes your vitamins more than VSG. So, if I'm already having issues, it may not be a good idea. I'll be sure to ask more about it at my next visit. I bought the Vitamin D3...didn't even know it would raise the levels faster. I'm hoping for the best.

I don't know if everyone on here can relate, but when you work so hard at trying to get this surgery...fighting with insurance, going through pre-op testing and appts, etc...you just don't want any chances of things being delayed or canceled. I'm going to remain hopeful and I'm grateful for those of you who had something positive to offer.

Thanks again! :)

A lot of people have low Vitamin D (my PCP believes it is because we spend so little time in the sun and when we do, we are wearing sunblock). My PCP has started checking it in a larger number of his patients and said a large percentage if them come back as deficient.

Yes, it WILL be more difficult to keep your vitamin levels up with RNY than VSG, but that is the case for all of us and since you will need to take supplements after a RNY regardless of whether your pre-op levels were high or low, it is really just a matter of potentially having to take higher doses.  Unless the doctor believes that you have something going on in your body other than a poor diet (even people *****gularly overeat often don't get enough of certain vitamins because they make poor food choices and often don't take a multi-vitamin (let alone an iron supplement pre-op), I would encourage you to stand firm on your surgery choice unless the surgeon gives a compelling reason to switch.  You might even want to get a second opinion from another surgeon.

I don't say that because I am pro-RNY and think it is the "best" surgery, BTW... I have been very successful with mine and am very glad I had it done, but if I were making the decision today I am almost certain that I would opt for the VSG (which was not an option for me 7 years ago). So I'm not a "demand the 'gold standard' RNY" zealot. I guess I'm a "get the surgery you want unless there is a valid medical reason to switch" zealot, LOL. 

Just be diligent about taking the supplements and you will likely be fine to have surgery.  Has the doctor mentioned when they will re-check your levels?

You've come this far, try not to get discouraged.  The vitamins can raise your levels rather quickly, so hang in there!  And maybe eat iron rich foods too.  You got this!

Thanks so much for the encouragement, Karen!

Hey Tanya, dont worry about it. I was in the exact same boat you are. All my levels were extremely low, almost to the point where i would need to be hospitalized ( I was very sick for a while due to weight issues) And all they did was exactly what your surgeon told you to do, take the supplement they advise! I started taking the ones my doctor told me to, while i was in the process of doing all the other clearances i had to do, and in a month and a half later they did the tests over again and all my levels came up, they had to tweek my iron so i had to take a little extra of that going forward. But all went well and a month and a half after that i had my surgery (RNY) So hang in there and do what your surgeon says and take it a day at a time and you'll get there!