well!

not that you guys especially noticed i was gone, but i had a number of msgs i was unable to answer.

that little mishap i had 5/30 was not a "strained muscle". i left home 6/1 for ASBS conf 6/11-16 and various speaking things thereafter.

planned some extra days with yahoo grad list buddies and had 'em ask for an appt with an ortho. my L arm is completely shattered inside! about 1" down fron shoulder ball. 2 separATE pices, side by side. i rode 1500 miles in an aging Dodge diesel truck with my arm dangling? thought i was a wimp cuz the pain was so hideous.

so immediate surgery to metal plate me back together again. no cast, thank goodness , 4 days in hosp, and the next 4 weeks, ASBS, speaking, support group mtgs we might have attended... POOF! gone

at least i am "stuck" with some angels on earth here in Hanford, CA.

so, forgive my tardiness.

now, you're thinking, "And this has to do with WLS...how?"

i am always crying for more calcium, more vit D, right? my levels are good NOW, BUT FOR THE FIRST 6 YRS, I WAS ONLY TAKING 1500MG CALCIUM CARBONATE! and was dx with osteoporosis. it doesn't have to be this way for YOU!

doc confirmed that anyone who had a fall/flight like mine would've fractured. the main diff for me is that a normal person would've had "mahogany" to screw the plate into. i have crispy toast!

so, please ppl, well over 2000mg of calcium CITRATE, keep vit d, 25 levels about 60-70 (new range is 32-100), every day, no missed days, no excuses.

brands that are NOT ok include OScal, Caltrate, Tums &"everything i need is in this special bariatric product".

by the time i got that right, it was too late.

Oh No! You have had quite an ordeal!!!!!!!! I  need to order my calcium right away b/c of course I"ve been procrastinating as usual!!!!!!! I will heed your warning~I know that you're right, I just get lax sometimes. I hope you will heal up quickly and feel better soon~you're no whimp by the way, LOL! You sound pretty darn tough to me!!!!!

Awww Michelle, sorry to hear of the fall and surgery.  But, thank you for the reminder of the important of calcium.  Life has been topsy-turvy for me lately, job layoff and relocate out of state for a new job and I haven't been doing what I KNOW is a MUST. I'll be back to work on Monday and hopefully my routine can be re-established.  I had to mention my vitamin D was low, way low back in January; was taking the vit d faithfully and it's up to 64 as of late May.  My iron however went from fantastic in January to too very low now, in range of labs but OMG I know why I'm so tired and I need to get my iron up.  I am sure the 8 hours of plastic surgery had something to do with it but again not being faithful the past 8 weeks with my vitamins definitely has impacted the iron count. Hope you are healing well. Dana

if it wan't for my "rules", i could not have been fauthful for so long. each person has to make their own rules.

mine is food with pills, pills with food. if i do not have pills to take, it is an unscheduled (so not allowed, by my rules) feeding

it works to be sure i get my minimum meals AND get the pills in.

we load 90 days in advance (vites, rx), so i can grab my "day" and run. so we load 90 days to fresh labs, then next 90 days is the same. then new lads, and load 90 days and again. so, 4 times per year w3e load ziplocs. remember, there are 2 of us.

Michelle, So sorry to hear about your accident.  Your message is so important - I hope everyone heeds it. My surgeon has me on 1500 Mg of Calcium Citrate 3 times a day with Vitamin D added plus Foxamax +D.  He believe in, as he calls it, "overkill".  In the last year my Dexascan has improved from mild osteoporosis to at risk for osteoporosis.  Like the numbers on the scale, that's another that is good to seek going down. I hope you heal quickly - and that the pain leaves you soon.  I know only too well how debilitating pain can be. Patty

Michelle:  So sorry for your troubles.  I hope you heal well and quickly!  Thanks for the very important reminder about calcium and vit D.  I get worried when I see that folks are taking the wrong type and not enough, etc., etc.  This issue is one of the most important for us long-term, so thank you for the reminder. Take care, and get well soon. Carlita

geez Michelle ... very scarey!!  I'm glad you're ok, but that must be horrible!! Thanks for the lesson(s) learned ... take care! Karyn

Michelle - it is good to see you posting here.  You must be feeling a bit better or so I hope.  I always find it frustrating to run into post-ops who have not been told the proper things to do or they don't listen.  May I have your permission to copy this post and send it to my local group?   My annual Dexa is due again next month and it will help me to see if I am still improving calcium.  I am one of the lucky people who listened to you from the beginning and have not reached osteopenia stage or worse.  I hope to find that my trend continues.

PLEASE do! just stick my name on it so they know it's legit, ok?

only 1500mg? not even close. of course today, i take over 5000 now and d is 25k per day plus two of the 50k per day PLUS whatever d is with all those calc i use.

i do 8 (4 prs) of my calcium caps, upcal d in 4 of my 6 shakes, plus the BA cin. chews when i think of it. if you break one of those into 4 or so pieces, you can eat it on an appleslice for a REAL treat. 2 wafers = 8 apple slices = 800 mg calc.

only citrate comes near me.

carbobate gives tiy stines, not bones.

i posted this on the regular Q&A where 10 of 12 posts recommended carbonate!

i mean ppl who've looked at my profile say, " well my say i was ok with "whatever" and inferior calcium sources were ok. THEY WERE WRONG, but *I* am the onr paying the price. and carbonate is NOT beteer than nothing; it's worse!

be thinking in terms of 2000-3000 in cal per day, I start new prox OR bands on 10k dry form vit D3

Thanks Michelle - I have included your sig line for credit.   I currently do 2500 mg of calcium citrate daily (have for a couple years or more, up from 2000 mg originally post-op).  I forget exactly how much D, but am watching levels and increasing as I see what the current level is doing with my numbers.  New huge lab was just pulled (16 vials) and I will see doc early next month to go over it.  I am taking 50K of your D3 twice weekly in addition to my A&D combo (6 daily) and whatever is in the calclium.  Next labs will help me see where all that is headed.  It is a constant juggling act as you know. Sandra