Numbness in feet & labwork .
I am 20 months out from RNY and having numbness in both feet. A few labs are slipping and trending down. I have always been consistant with vitamins and know how important they are. I am maintaining my 200lb weight loss, feel great and exercise regularly. Although , since hitting goal, I am experiencing some hypoglycemic episodes after poor eating (i.e. too much sugar & carbs).
Overall, recent labwork looks ok but ...related to above problems could be - B12 has decreased from 950 (1-09) to 744. I take 1000mg/day sub-lingual.
Aside from that, my Ferritin has plummeted from 177 (1-09) to 77. My Dr. won't order related tests such as Iron...etc., so I only have Ferretin results. Ferretin has been trending down since surgery slowly until this big drop since January.
I have been taking 100mg Tender Iron (from Vita-lady) with 500mg of C daily. She recommends increasing to 1200mg daily...WOW, so much!
I have not gone through menopause yet but have been experiencing migraine headaches and may be peri-menopausal.
Any ideas from my OH friends? I need to make some adjustments. Of course, I'll talk with the Dr. too.
Thanks, Jo
Overall, recent labwork looks ok but ...related to above problems could be - B12 has decreased from 950 (1-09) to 744. I take 1000mg/day sub-lingual.
Aside from that, my Ferritin has plummeted from 177 (1-09) to 77. My Dr. won't order related tests such as Iron...etc., so I only have Ferretin results. Ferretin has been trending down since surgery slowly until this big drop since January.
I have been taking 100mg Tender Iron (from Vita-lady) with 500mg of C daily. She recommends increasing to 1200mg daily...WOW, so much!
I have not gone through menopause yet but have been experiencing migraine headaches and may be peri-menopausal.
Any ideas from my OH friends? I need to make some adjustments. Of course, I'll talk with the Dr. too.
Thanks, Jo
Ferritin is a blood protein that binds iron, its level is a measure of the iron stores in your body. I don't think that a ferritin of 77 is anything to get worried about; it's still plenty high (just FYI, my ferritin was 57 two months before my RNY; in December 08 it was 76, and in May 09 it was 92. For women, the "normal" range is 18-160 ng/mL) I would discuss this with your doctor and ask for the results of your CBC, specifically your RBC, hemoglobin and hemocrit, to see if they're in a normal range. Otherwise, I suspect s/he will just recommend that you keep track of your lab values' direction.
Similarly, your B12 is comfortably in the normal range. There's really no effective difference between 950 and 744 pg/mL.
Megadoses of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) -- 100 or more mg/day -- can cause a peripheral neuropathy, including numbness of the extremities. I've always taken a multivitamin that includes 100mg of B1 (thiamin) daily, though I suspect that this is just superstition on my part.
Of course, it's entirely possible that this numbness in your feet has no direct relation to your having had RNY surgery, and I would have your doctor follow up on this if it continues to bother you.
/Steve
Similarly, your B12 is comfortably in the normal range. There's really no effective difference between 950 and 744 pg/mL.
Megadoses of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) -- 100 or more mg/day -- can cause a peripheral neuropathy, including numbness of the extremities. I've always taken a multivitamin that includes 100mg of B1 (thiamin) daily, though I suspect that this is just superstition on my part.
Of course, it's entirely possible that this numbness in your feet has no direct relation to your having had RNY surgery, and I would have your doctor follow up on this if it continues to bother you.
/Steve
Thank you Steve! As always, well reasoned and packed with good info.
My concern is the downward trend since surgery. I started at 256 Ferritin. Do you think the Dr. should be checking my Iron Total and other iron related levels?
edited to add: As I mentioned, I have been experienceing some hypoglycemic episodes (accelerated heartrate, sweating, clammy, lightheaded, disoriented) after sugar/carb, un-ballanced eating. Are "dumping" and this hypoglycemia the SAME thing? I did not "dump" after surgerry because I never tested the limits, until recently. I am finding that it becomes more difficult for me the farther out I get. I feel so normal & the euphoria of rapid weight loss is gone at this point. How strict are you with food choices at this point?
As a follow up... soon after my RNY (11-07), you had responded to several posts re severe gout thta developed due to my rapid wieght loss after surgery. Good news...since stablizing my weight at goal, I am off all gout meds ( which can be hard on the stomach) and my UA level is normal. (it was 11.7) - that was a painful nightmare that I wasn't sure would end...thankfully it seems to be under control :)
My concern is the downward trend since surgery. I started at 256 Ferritin. Do you think the Dr. should be checking my Iron Total and other iron related levels?
edited to add: As I mentioned, I have been experienceing some hypoglycemic episodes (accelerated heartrate, sweating, clammy, lightheaded, disoriented) after sugar/carb, un-ballanced eating. Are "dumping" and this hypoglycemia the SAME thing? I did not "dump" after surgerry because I never tested the limits, until recently. I am finding that it becomes more difficult for me the farther out I get. I feel so normal & the euphoria of rapid weight loss is gone at this point. How strict are you with food choices at this point?
As a follow up... soon after my RNY (11-07), you had responded to several posts re severe gout thta developed due to my rapid wieght loss after surgery. Good news...since stablizing my weight at goal, I am off all gout meds ( which can be hard on the stomach) and my UA level is normal. (it was 11.7) - that was a painful nightmare that I wasn't sure would end...thankfully it seems to be under control :)
Well, a ferritin level of 256 is slightly high for a woman. Elevated ferritin levels can be a marker of inflammation, which would be consistent with your experiencing gout early on after the surgery. Perhaps your current lower (but still quite normal) ferritin level reflects the resolution of that condition?
/Steve
/Steve
Are "dumping" and this hypoglycemia the SAME thing?
I believe that dumping and reactive hypoglycemia share many of the same symptoms, but during a "dumping episode" the blood sugar usually stays within normal limits (i.e., the syndrome is not necessarily associated with insulin release). It wouldn't surprise me if one syndrome were confused with the other in any one particular individual without closer investigation, and I'm sure that both could be going on simultaneously.
How strict are you with food choices at this point?
Well, I try to watch what I eat, but I'm lucky (or unlucky?) in that I've never dumped, and seem to be able to eat just about any kind of food, including sugars.
/Steve
I believe that dumping and reactive hypoglycemia share many of the same symptoms, but during a "dumping episode" the blood sugar usually stays within normal limits (i.e., the syndrome is not necessarily associated with insulin release). It wouldn't surprise me if one syndrome were confused with the other in any one particular individual without closer investigation, and I'm sure that both could be going on simultaneously.
How strict are you with food choices at this point?
Well, I try to watch what I eat, but I'm lucky (or unlucky?) in that I've never dumped, and seem to be able to eat just about any kind of food, including sugars.
/Steve
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