Old-timer

Well here it is, twelve years after surgery. I am still down 148 pounds but now hovering up and down five pounds. I need to lose more. Exercise is difficult due to severe chronic lymphedema in both legs and now I need two knee replacements. Add to that, I am now considering the removal of excess skin that wraps around my hips. That would reduce the weight on my knees.

I am stuggling with anemia. Doctor says 13 is very low in iron and I am a 6. Yet all I get is another blood test every 3 months and prescribed iron pills. I've had the colonoscopy to look for blood leaks, none found, and now he wants the upper part scoped. Anemia is holding me back from knee replacement and plastic surgery to remove extra skin. I will see the doctor this coming week and will be insisting on an IRON INFUSION.

MALABSORPTION is the problem...is anyone else dealing with this?

Hi Nancy:

Around 15% of RNYers suffer from iron defficiency because we no linger have the large surface of the lining found in a normal stomach to provide the Intrinsic Factor which absorbs iron from the food we eat. My Surgeon Dr. Christou posts this on his site ( now retired from defunct Royal Vic Hospital in Montreal he is in private practice and still in Montreal. Look up his website by Googling his name and check out his site where he refers to RNYers becoming iron defficient even in menopause). Being iron defficient as an RNYer has nothing to do with leaks , and everything to do with malabsorption.

Some of us (like me) can supplement every second or third day with a capsule of prescription iron. Others need regular infusions.

I just did my annual major bloodwork and urinalysis (pretty much everything on the requisition is ticked except for pregnancy related items) and my Ferritin is at 28 Whereas the supposedly normal range is 12-287. So my GP is happy with anything that falls within "normal" parameters, but I would like to see my level higher so will take my EURO-FER 300mg (Ferrous Fumarate) every second day, but suspect will have to take a capsule everyday to reach the level we RNYers need which is at least the middle of the range or higher.

Good luck with getting your Anemia under control and don't be surprised if your scopes show no reasons. It is because we lack Intrinsic Factor with our much smaller pouches compared to our Sleeved companions, and often regular doctors , who are not informed about longterm effects of our particular gastric bypass are unaware of the Anemia connection. We continue to be our own best advocates and back up our knowledge with paper photocopies to hand over to medical practitioners.

All the best...

Jen

Nancy: I just Googled " RnY gastric bypass causes Anemia" and so many hits came up , including one from Rochester University stating that half of women getting RnY after Menopause can become Anemic , more so than Sleeved and any other type of weightloss surgery.

Do your research and print up whatever you feel relevant to your particular case and insist on an iron infusion if you feel this is best for you. There is so much literature published by reputable research and sources on the internet you can use to convince your doctor it is because of MALABSORPTION .

good luck

jen

Hi Nancy,

Yes, the iron deficiency issue is real. I'm 13 years out this week, and when I had my labs done in March there were 2 areas of concern - the iron issue and Vitamin D deficiency (and resulting osteoporosis in my hips).

Of course for me it's my own fault for not paying attention to taking my vitamins.

Best of luck to you.

when our iron drops to low - it is close to impossible to get it up without iron infusions.

Hopefully the doc can order one for you.

Well, after over a year of bloodwork every three months, I finally did my own research and gave it to the doctor who hasn't got a clue about bariatric surgery. He seemed appreciative and I felt much better being pro-active. So now he is referring me to a specialist who can order iron infusions at the local hospital. So now it is another waiting game to hear from the new doctor.

Once the iron infusions get my iron back up to snuff, I can begin my preparation to get two knee replacements (due to severe arthritis and bone spurs in both). And I am now considering, at my rip old age of 70, to get plastic surgery done to remove all of this excess skin that hovers around my hips and upper thighs. Which to do first? I have no idea. Either way, it won't be fun but I will handle it. I'm a tough old broad.

Late responding to you. If I were you - I would do the plastics first- recover, then do the knees.

Removing the skin may help not only with less weight on the knees but also with mobility. Once you heal from plastics - you may know how well your body heals. Having PT after the knee surgery may be easier if you don't need to worry about the extra skin folds.

Good luck Nancy.