Pre albumin low?

The nurse called to tell me that this part of my labs weren't good.  I asked her what I should do.  She said take iron once a day and a multi vitamin and eat a well balanced diet. I do all of that and more.  I'm worried I'll become anemic. Any advice?  I have major plastic surgery in Brazil May 20.

Hi, Bonnie... My pre-albumin was on the low side at 17.9 based on a normal range of 17-34.  Iron was not suggested to me. I did have to increase my protein intake to a new range given by my Nutritionist.  Why not ask the Dr's office for your values and the ranges for all tests that were low tomorrow.  Hope that all goes well and that you can keep you PS date! Ro Since you've been required to add iron, you might want to review the following: Post Date 1/12/08 11:50 am
Topic: RE: Iron help

You will probably need to remain on an iron supplement - the choice is yours depending on your tolerance of the product.  Many people prefer iron fumerate because it causes fewer GI problems, and many more people tolerate iron sulfate with no problem.  The type of iron is up to you, but there are a few things you can do to help absorption.
1. Don't take iron and calcium at the same time
2. Take 200 mg vitamin C or a vitamin C rich food at the same time as your iron
3. Don't drink coffee or tea within 30 minutes of taking iron
4. Meat protein helps the absorption of iron (in addition to being a source of iron)

"Anemia" is a term that has multiple definitions and describes a number of conditions.  B12 and folate status can also cause anemia - so be sure you are treating your anemia the right way. (meaning, ask your PCP what kind of anemia you have)
I hope this helps!
Danielle Halewijn, RD,CNSD
Director of Nutrition, eNutritionCare.com
eNutritionCare.com
http://www.enutritioncare.com
DISCLAIMER: Any information contained within is meant to be general nutrition advice. Please consult your Registered Dietitian about your specific problem!

You must be mistaken. Prealbumin is NOT a marker for iron stores. Taking iron will NOT help your prealbumin. If you have a low Prealbumin, you need to increase your protein intake. Either you are mistaken, or you should stop taking advice from your nurse. It's very, very important to correct your prealbumin before your major surgery. Increase your protein and have it re-checked before surgery. Add some shakes, eat more things like: meat, nuts, beans, tofu ...

Hmmmm, she just said I needed to eat better, take a multi vitamin and go back on an iron pill. I had upped my protein for surgery before she called, but she didn't say a thing about protein.  Thanks, I'll add protein and check with my doctor.

It is possible you also have low iron, which is why she recommended the iron. Maybe she just lumped all of her recommendations together and you misunderstood and thought she was only talking about prealbumin. In any event, increasing protein will help with your prealbumin levels. You may want to give her a call back to verify. :)

Did you get a copy of your lab work report?  Can you verify on  your own that it's your prealbumin levels that are low and not something else (iron)?  If you didn't get a copy, call and ask them to send/fax it to you so you can look at the report yourself.   I always keep track of my own labs.  I have a spreadsheet where I record my results every single time so I can see each set of labs side by side and see any downward trends right away.  Nobody cares about my health as much as I do, so I don't let nurses, doctors or nutritionist tell me what's going on with my own body. I did a quick Google search using the keywods "low pre-albumin" and found a couple good resources you might want to check out: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020415/1575.html http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/prealbu min/test.html Good luck with your surgery next week.   Pam

I'm back from Brazil and am 3.5 weeks post op.  I had a lot of ps done.  I was retested in Rio and all my levels were within the normal range.  My pre albumin was lower than last July when I also was there for ps, but still with in allowed limits. I will have my labs sent to my bariatric surgeon and his nutritionist.  I'm guessing that they will have me retested this fall.