16 months out-bloodwork

Michelle, way back when (about 2 years ago I guess) I was experiencing pain in my legs and had a fit getting someone (surgeon and PCP) to listen to me.  I kept telling them I wanted my D checked with comments coming back from my surgeon that your D is fine....your calcium is fine.....see an ortho.  I finally demanded and got my D drawn, it was low (within lab range low) and started supplementing with 30,000 per day.....numbers went up great in 3 months.  I sorta (yikes) got off track on my vitamins about 6 months ago and I'm feeling those pains again so I've upped my D to 30000 again......not feeling the results as quickly as I did before so I'm really thinking the D is low.  Do you suggest I up it some more....and to what? I need labs done, it's been 7 months however the new insurance I have is aweful and won't pay for labs until we meet the deductable (3,800 per year) except around our birthdate when we get a annual 100% paid physical (this isn't til June)....I know I need them done but the last EOB I got for all labs ran was almost $2,000 and I can't afford that right now. Any help is appreciated......you've pretty much hit the nail on the head each time I've had vitamin issues. I fear for those that just follow their docs suggestions (chewable vitamins, B-12 - once a week, 2 calcium daily).....BECAUSE I know they will deal with deficiencies soon.  I am always looking for new info and learning from the longer-term post-ops.  I posted what I take daily the other day on the Texas board and people freaked on how much I take.

I called my dr back today and asked what exactly the level was.  (I honestly don't know if they're talking about D3 or whatever.....they didn't tell me.)  They did say it should be between 60 and 80 and my level was 8!  My 16-month surgeon's appointment is on Friday and you can bet I will get to the bottom of this. Wouldn't it be dangerous to raise the D level quickly?  What would the side effects be? It sounds like I have so much to learn.

Dangerous to raise the levels quickly? OH GOSH NO! That's like not being in a hurry to put out a house fire!

The side effects of raising it? More the absense of:
fatigue
aches
bone pain
slight lift in depression or mood

And so on.

As a result, I'm a fan of jerking it up abruptly. Some have reported a total absence of joint pain, almost euphoria of mood and sudden surge of energy. I don't think it's all THAT, but if they do, hey, great!

Well, I think I need to call in some ppl here who've done this already or you'll just write me off as a nut case, BUT I'll tell you anyway.

Your doc will give you rx D2 in oil, 50,000 IU, taken weekly for x weeks, then less, then taper off. In 2 months, your D will be maybe 15? In 6 months, back to 8.

Once you are def, you will always treat it, because you will always malabsorb it. It's not a disease, it's a condition, so you always treat it. Just takes trial and error to find your formula.

My formula to get it up NOW:
100K a day of dry D3 (that's two 50's, not RX--can't buy it rx)
for 30 days
then 50k a day for 30 days or until you test again, whichever comes first.

once the level reaches over 100, THEN taper back slowly to about 20-30k a day and test again after about 90 days and try to hold that 60-80 level.

The side effects of low D are rising PTH, calcium being diverted from bones/teeth to soft tissue. And it happens every day that you are this low.

Hi... Oprah had on Dr Oz again today...Love that guy...anyway he talked about Vit.D deficiency being quite common among americans (not only us WLS types)  because of the lack of sun we get these days and the sun screens being so high that Vit D can't get into us from the sun's natural way... I'm not a sun worshipper...Never was...However I am always in the sun. While I do keep sun block on my face and tender areas...I still allow my legs and arms some fresh sun every chance I get...He says you only need a little sun exposure to help...Winter kind of makes this hard I suppose. I still take extra Vit D as a precaution with calcium (Probably not enough calcium)...My mom has osteoporosis as did her grandma.  Dr OZ recommended the same 1000u of D ...While a definciency is not good it is easily corrected so don't worry too much... Anita

Just curious if your calcium supplement has D in it.

Thank you for all of your replies.  I guess this can explain the eleven (count 'em, eleven) cavities I've had since my RNY.  I take 3 tums ultra per day for calcium, there's no D in them.  I actually do eat quite a bit of lowfat and fat free dairy, but with no D I guess it hasn't  been doing much good.  I'm headed out to Wally World right now to get the 1,000 supplement. Thanks again.  Wonder why I haven't heard of this before.

can the wal-mart brand do the trick? or is the powder kind better?

You do know that the kind of calcium in TUMS is "carbonate," not "citrate," don't you?  We need the citrate kind!

Tums? Still not getting any calcium then. Have you had kidney stones yet? Tums = kidney stones, but do not deliver calcium to bones or teeth.

The vit D, has to be dry not oil and has to be D3, and I don't think you'll find it at Wally World

1000 is prolly too little too late by now

why you've never heard of it.

asbs has been talking about the possibility that D is a problem for 2-3 yrs. many do not accept this new info as valid.

most of us grads (yahoo grads) have already been dealing with it for a decade.