vitamin D progress

Dave Chambers
on 7/3/12 12:19 am - Mira Loma, CA

In May 2006, I had RNY. One month labs showed an 8 for my D. Went on 6 months of one of the script 50K IU per week for 6 months. Had 3 sets of labs, with a high of 14 in these lab reports. So these script D DO NOT work for RNY post ops. I began taking a liquid vitamin with 600 iu dry D3 in it and about 35 days later my next D labs were a 33. I then began taking the dry D3 from vitalady. Took 3 per week and had a result around 55--lost records and cannot find them online to make sure. Then I began taking 4 per week of these 50K IU and my labs were at 65. I then decided to take one per day, due to my several year attempt to get to 80-90. Just had labs done on 6-29. D labs show a 104 which is a little higher than the 80-90, but I'm in the area. From my history, it appears that probably 6 of these per week will likely put me about 90, so that's my next step. Just an example of how differing amounts of D may be needed by patients to get to the target range. Some post ops claim the can get 80 for D labs on 3 of these or less per week. I've taken steps over the past 6 years to get to the 80-90 range, and I've finally exceeded it by 10%, so I'll now reduce my D intake by 10%, about 1 capsule less per week. Get labs done, so you know where you stand. DAVE

Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.

poet_kelly
on 7/3/12 12:24 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

My labs a couple months ago showed 104 for vitamin D on three of the 50,000 IU D3 a week.

I did a survey here on OH a while back and asked people what their vitamin D level was and how much D3 they took (in addition to whatever was in their multi and calcium supplements). There were two people that only took 5000 IU a day and had a good level. Everyone else was taking 10,000 IU a day or more. I averaged it out, so since I take 50,000 IU three times a week, that works out to a little over 20,000 IU a day.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

Dave Chambers
on 7/3/12 12:34 am - Mira Loma, CA

RNY on 05/10/06

My D intake only accounted for the dry D3 caps from vitalady. Didn't count any dry D3 in my daily multi or the D3 in my calcium citrate. So again, higher D levels are needed, but not everyone gets to the 80-90 level on the same amount of D3. DAVE

Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.

poet_kelly
on 7/3/12 12:40 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

Oh, you're right, some people need significantly more D3 than others. My level is the same as yours and I've only been taking 50,000 IU D3 three times a week while you've been taking 50,000 IU daily. For some reason, some people seem to absorb D3 much more easily than others.

The amount of other vitamins we need varies, too, but D3 might be the one that varies the most. For instance, some people need a little more vitamin A than others, but usually not twice as much or more.

This just goes to show why it's so important to get our labs done regularly.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

Citizen Kim
on 7/3/12 12:40 am - Castle Rock, CO

RNY on 07/27/04

Glad you got your level up to a point at which you are happy, Dave.

I know you are always the first to encourage people to get their D tested if they are supplementing - your malabsorbtion level is not typical for RNY'ers so others shouldn't wait a year for another test if they are supplementing at the levels you were!

Proud Feminist, Atheist, LGBT friend, and Democratic Socialist

MBsRNY
on 7/3/12 1:28 am - Baltimore, MD

I'm one of those whose D levels were abysmally low (about 20) at my first labs. I was prescribed a 16 -week course of D3, 50K a week.. I posted about it and was advised by Dave and Kelly about the need to use D2 water soluble. So, I checked with my doc's office and my nutritionist...no help. Basically they just said, what we have prescribed is the standard course of action. I have more or less concluded that it must work for most people, including RNY patients, because that's what they prescribe...and it is a bariatric practice. But I gather from the evidence here that it may not work well or at all for some RNY patients and they need to go the dry, water soluble D route.

So...now I'm debating what to do. Follow my providers' directions and at 16 weeks get my labs taken and hope for the best? If it hasn't improved then order the Vitalady stuff?

But it isn't working, I'm not sure what risks I'm taking...two I know of are malabsorbtion of calcium (potentially doing permanent damage to bones) and exacerbating any hair loss problems (I'm about 9 weeks post-op, BTW).

Try both at the same time? Maybe a modest dosage of the Vitalady stuff on top of the D3 prescribed? If I did, is there a potential risk of overdosing, if I turn out to be someone for whom the D3 works fine?

What to do, what to do....
Meanwhile, I've got another issue....potassium. Will post separately about it.

HW 270, SW 257, Surgery date: 4/25/12...

Dave Chambers
on 7/3/12 2:01 am - Mira Loma, CA

RNY on 05/10/06

D2 is converted to D3 in the human body. But you lose some D in the process. So your daily dose of D2 doesn't equal the final amount of D3 your body gets to work with. Start out with the dry D3. I usually suggest trying 3 per week, one every other day, and then adjust according to next labs. Your D will improve with the dry D3 from Vitalady. Maybe not to 80, like in my case, but it will improve. This has been a 6 year "D adjustmment period", based on lab report. I never advocate people take as much D as I've noted in this post. Take a moderate amount at first, then adjust levels based on future lab reports. I think I had 5-6 labs on my D during my first year post op, to make sure they were improving. I'd get the vitalday "stuff" now, so your D levels will be much improved at your 16 week labs. Calcium citrate is the BEST form of calcium for RNY post ops. I get my calcium citrate from vitalady too, as her Calcium Citrate Tenders have 300mg elemental calcium per 1035mg calcium citrate capsule. Calcium form allows easier swallowing too. In a bone scan, I rated as "ostopenia"--not normal, nor not osteoperosis--in the grey area. DAVE

Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.

MBsRNY
on 7/3/12 2:05 am - Baltimore, MD

Thanks Dave. So you're inclined to ignore the doc, and go straight to a modest dose (how much?) of the vitalady stuff? And how often would you suggest getting the labs done? I take it doesn't need to be a full panel...just a vitamin D check?

HW 270, SW 257, Surgery date: 4/25/12...

MBsRNY
on 7/3/12 2:14 am - Baltimore, MD

Oh...and exactly which is the right vitalady "stuff"? I see there are several dry D3 options offered on the Vitalady site.

HW 270, SW 257, Surgery date: 4/25/12...

Dave Chambers
on 7/3/12 5:13 am - Mira Loma, CA

RNY on 05/10/06

If the docs advice is lower dose d2 or a small dose of d3, I'd likely go with expereince. Many docs are not familiar on how well vitamins are absorbed by post ops. I'd still recommend 3 of the 50K IU dry D3, taking 3 per week. You said you had labs in a few weeks, so you should get some indication of the D results to see how well it's working. Like Kelly said, her poll showed the most post ops tended to take 20K per day to get to the numbers desired. 7 x 20K =140K divided by 3 is just under 50K. So that's likely a good place to start. You can always reduced your D3 if you get above 90, but I doubt that's likely the case. You likely need labs 2-3 times the first year and then one annual blood analysis per year. As you get further out from surgery, some of you supplement levels may need to be increased. Your labs will alert you to this issu. DAVE

Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.

vitamin D progress

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vitamin D progress