Iron transfusions??

I am currently having iv iron transfusions due to my my iron ,ferritin and hemoglobin levels being so low.I noticed it after having standard blood work done.I was feeling okay but I was eating ice like crazy.I sort of knew something wasnt  right but I just went on until something told me ...hey get your blood work done.I was told I will probably have to have this done every couple of years due to the way my body absorbs iron and my heavy periods.Anybody else?? The hematologist's office said its super common with gastric patients ,they see quite a few of us for this reason.It doesnt hurt takes about 1 and 1/2 hour per time and I have 6 treatments over 6 weeks.As of today ( after my 4th) my craving for ice has really almost gone away...strange

Most WLS are not launched on any iron at all. Those who are often are given too little and/or the wrong kind of iron.

Altho most hemas tell you not to bother with orals because you didn't bsorb them, chances are, you didn't absorb SOME or only a few mg when you needed a few hundred mg.

I have seen ppl eventually get off infusions and hold steady and very handsome levels once they found a good oral iron or combo of them.

I started having I.V.  iron infusions about two years ago (I'm 5 years post-op RNY Proximal).  I tried several oral irons and combinations of them.  They wouldn't bring up my numbers.  I ended up in the ER one day with severe abdominal pain.  It turned out to be constipation from all the iron pills I was taking.  So I started taking a prescription laxative.  My symptoms continued to increase; exhaustion, pale skin, dizziness and shortness of breath.   I was finally referred to a Hematologist.  She immediately ordered a large dose IV iron infusion of InFeD (1,200mg)  My infusion was ten hours, over two days!  Within  a few days the shortness of breath and  dizziness went away.  All of the other symptoms improved over the next few weeks. 
Low iron really needs to be treated by a specialist or  a doctor who knows how to treat and test for it. 
My Hemoglobin always looks within the normal range but my ferritin becomes depleted as my TIBC rises.  My Hematologist also says that she is seeing more and more post-op RNY patients needing I.V. iron.  She now orders I.V. iron whenever my ferritin drops below 50.  It's a smaller dose, so I don't have to be there all day.  She said that I will probably need them every six to eight months. I'm happy that you are starting to feel better.  It will only get better. 

That's so good to hear. I see so many horror stories of docs who will not infuse or give shots even with feritin at ONE! And yes, hematologists! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?

Did you try polysaccharride iron and Tender iron? With C, apart from everything else? That's about the best I can offer, but if you were to continue that NOW, you might eventually be able to get off OR stretch out the time between infusions.

I take the chewable bariatric iron pills they told me maybe to take 2 instead of one in the future.My ferritin level I hate to say it was way below 50.I was tired but I still functioned.I feel better I think ,I am one who tends to go and go and not feel so much how I am really feeling if that makes sense? I am going to be put on a script of iron this time I will write and let you know what it is.I was before my treatments getting huge muscle cramps in my legs .I was also told to space my calcium out away from my iron chewables so we'll see.The hematologist office they are really good.My gastric by pass doc moved so I have been under my primary cares care. I have been under lots of stress too I was told that can have a factor on how my body reacts(stress).I am spending more time making sure I take iron in the am then in the pm before I go to bed.I am concerned about taking oral pills since my pouch is fussy ~Laura~

So, less than 100mg? Our proximals start on 300mg elemental iron (not the 325mg that comes to mind--that's only 65 mg elemental).

Iron anemia is pretty common. And for those who start on the 300, sometimes it's just not the right iron for them. We had to swtich around for awhile before we found the one for us. I do Tender Iron only. I don't tolerate the polysaccharride, but my husband does. He does a combo of both and our iron and ferritin number are similar. Both irons are about 80, and both of our ferritins are pushing 200. But we've had lots of years to perfect our formula, too.

I think most WLS are not started on enough OR the right kind OR even ANY iron, and it kinda sets 'em up or this since we cannot get iron from food.

Also, please note the iron rules: iron is taken only with vit C, never with dairy, caffeine, eggs or whole grains OR with any other vites, minerals or meds. Alone together on a honeymoon for at least an hour.

Tender Iron does not need to be taken on empty, so I usually take mine with a few bites of fruit or veggie.

Leg cramps can be lots of things. If your iron is excdellent, then check calcium and if that's good, potassium and if that's good, magnesium, a vastly under rated mineral. I've had ideal levels ever since I learned my special formula, but I still had the pesky foot cramps. Sometimes as many as 3 per night. So, I was using magnesium citrate (pills, not the "clean out" one!) to actually undo my chronic constipation. It didn't work for that, but along the way I noticed I had no more foot cramps! That's magnesium CITRATE.

Just as a side note, when I added magnesium oxide, it solved my 11 yrs of chronic constipation. I now take both, but since they are absorbed differnetly, they do 2 entirely different things.

I'm dealing with the whole iron deficiency anemia thing as well. It's been ongoing since my WLS two years ago but we thought it was because I had extremely heavy periods (bordering on hemorrhage); however, I had an endometrial ablation, no longer bleed, but despite lots of iron, my ferritin is only FOUR! My hct is 24, which is up from 22 which it was in February, and we're in the process of making a plan. Right now we're increasing my oral iron to 4 per day (I take the Chromagen Forte, which I tolerate much better than Polysaccharide) which totals 280 of elemental iron. She's doing weekly H&H and retic counts to see how I respond. If I do, great. If I don't, then it'll be iron IV for me. However, since I'm hypersensitive to metals, preservatives and vaccines we're going very slowly on the parenteral IV front. On a related (?) note, does anyone else have problems with an enlarged spleen and liver? These things popped up at the same time and all the truly horrible nasties have been ruled out. We're trying to figure out (my WLS doc, my hematologist and I) whether it's related to the WLS or not.  We'd originally thought it was related to my Sarcoidosis, but since that seems to be in remission it doesn't explain why suddenly my liver and spleen would act up. Oh and amazingly? Except for ice chewing, I am totally asymptomatic despite a hgb of 7.4 and a hct of 24. Crazy, huh?

I didn't tolerate either one of those. But many have done well with he Tender Iron. It appears to raise ferritin. so, the ferritin goes up a few notches, then the iron, then the H&H. Then the ferritin moves, then the iron, then the H&H. Weird process, but I've seen it repeat so many times I have to believe it.

At one point we were taking 4 Chromagen Forte, 4 Trinsicon and STILL had low iron levels. We started taking Tender because our ins didn't pay for the two above and the numbers started to climb slowly. Didn't know what our ferritin was as no one was measuring it, back then. Iro came up to normal, and stayed perfectly still for awhile. First ferritin was run and mine was 800! Don's was 600! How could that happen?!?! I HAD to work on ferritin for a coupla years before I understood it.

We let it run down for a few years, then when it hit 300, we started taking iron again. 100, 150, 200, 250 and now 300mg (same as we were when we hit the high ferritin). Ferritin continued to drop until ehit 300 and now is rising again, parking so far just below 200. And it's CHEAP, an small, and chew or swallow, and BEST OF ALL, it doesn't bother my pouch or, you know, the other end. And ALL iron bothered me.

I feel pretty lucky that we found this and it works for us. Our insurance would not be likely to want to pay for infusions if they thought it was related to WLS (even tho I was anemic my whole life UNTIL we found the right iron after WLS).

I know someone who began with a ferritin of 9 and did iron SHOTS weekly for years. She continued to take 150mg Tender and 1 poly (total of 300) and was abl to go to every 2 weeks, every 3 and so on til now it's been 6 months and she's holding ferritin near 300 on orals, no shots.

It's a very slow process to continue orals while you get stable with IV, but it CAN be done.

Thanks, Michelle. The tender iron looks great, however I have concerns about taking calcium and iron together since it's my understanding that they block each other's absorption (the calcium more likely to block the iron than the other way around). OTOH it seems like you and others have good luck with it, and I've noticed in prenatal vitamins (I'm an obstetrical nurse) have both so apparently it's not THAT much of a problem. I like the idea of a more or less chewable form of iron, but just got my Chromagen refilled so I'll stay on that so as not to surprise my hematologist. I'm just trying to be even better about taking it so that we can get my numbers up. I feel great -- no fatigue other than that typical of a 42 year old nurse who works nights with an insane, ever changing schedule -- but I need to have a hernia repaired this year, along with a tummy tuck if my insurance agrees, so I need to get things resolved so that they'll operate on me. Thanks for sharing your considerable knowledge, Vickie

Oh yes! The label is rather misleading. It is actually di-calcium phosphate, which is only a buffering agent and we suspect, why it's so gentle on the tummy.

I'm not a fan of prenatals for US. I have one employee who s due in a minute or two now who takes her prenatals for the baby, but takes the Tender Iron for herself, with C, separately and also takes separate calcium citrate, for herself. As she is now finishing, her iron is very strong, compared to most of us who were pretty well sucked dry by the 9th month, right? LOL

And I don't see that it really DOES work all mixed. I mean, they end up anemic mostly, don't they? And yes, the calcium would win, or at least some of it. But it's carbonate, so is winning a good thing?

The Tender is a good option if other irons bother you or do not work for you. The only draw back is that they are only 25mg elemental, so it takes more of them. BUT at least they are cheap 'n small. I take all 12 at once time with my C. No big deal.

The CF gave me tar poop, cramping, and NO IRON, so I really fished around for years. Before the whole iron thing was changed by the govt in 1997, we were able to get straight ferrous fumarate at 65mg per pill (looked like an M&M), but they were also useless for us. Bummer.

Some ppl do fabulously well on the polysaccharride, but they are not ME. LOL