requirements

I need the minimum daily requirements for the following:

protein

b12

calcium

iron

 

I am gonna give you the answer I have learned to hate in nursing school.  "It depends."  

protein - take you weight and divide it by 2.2; the multiply that by 0.8; that's the number of grams of protein per day you should be aiming for.

b12 - what were your last labs?  You should adjust your dose to your labs.

calcium - aim for 2000 mg per day in doses of 500 mg separated by about 2 hours.

iron - again, what were your last labs?  You should adjust your dose to your labs.

my iron was in normal range....i think... it was 6.4 my b12 was 1024.

That iron number doesn't look right, but if it IS in the normal range, I would take 1 iron tablet (they are usually between 27-65 mg of elemental iron).  Be sure to take it separate from the calcium and WITH some vitamin C. What form of vitamin B12 are you taking?  If you are doing the sublingual liquid, just do 1 mL per day.  If you are doing the dots, just take whatever the recommended dose is.  Your B12 numbers are good!!!  

Cheryl, I agree with Sharyn it just depends on the patient.......your iron number doesn't look right to me either, do you know what it is TIBC, ferritin....do you have copies of your labs?

I found it. Ferritin says 11 and the normal range beside it says 6 - 154. guess im low.?

Cheryl, yes you are low.....before you totally tank get your iron pills and TAKE them.....it won't be long before your posting anemia sweetie.

I was hoping you didn't really mean your iron (ferritin) was at 6...But 11 is not much better...Your normal ranges are much lower than what mine say (15-150)  I'm at 5.1 and will be going for rounds of iron infusions and blood transfusions if I can't raise mine very soon with supplements. You do need to get on iron quick and get that number up into the 100's to be safer!  I'm no expert...just learning the hard way here myself....  My B-12 was high (Doc thought it would be low...I was stunned) Mine was 1127...So far they say B12 is not toxic so I'm not going to try to lower it at all, not since all my other levels are so depleted. Take the recommended supps and vitamins for your own health and peace of mind.  Good luck

Read highlighted red! This paragraph taken from: http://www.gastricbypassfamily.com/ConditionOfYourNutrition. html Iron (ferritin) Iron deficiency has been reported at 33 to 55% with most of the deficiencies occurring in menstruating females. The major site of absorption for iron is the duodenum, which is the first section of the small intestine. Minerals like iron and calcium need acid to break them down and there is little or no acid secretion in the small pouch with the possible exception of the BPD/DS. Menstruating females should be receiving 40 to 65 mg of iron on a daily basis. This can be accomplished through a prenatal vitamin/mineral supplement or a separate iron supplement like ferrous sulfate, fumerate, or gluconate. These are all iron salts so the actual amount of elemental iron in 325 mg of ferrous sulfate is 65 mg. In our bariatric practice, our patients take a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement with iron and menstruating females take 65 mg of additional iron daily. Even this dosage does not always keep some patients levels from going to low. A recently released study stated that women’s levels of ferritin should not fall below 40 ug/ml. Some patients decide not to take iron because it is too constipating and their iron levels (serum ferritin) often fall below seven (*normal range is 20 to 140). A few of our patients actually had to have IV infusions because their levels dropped so low. If iron is making you constipated or upsetting your stomach, try another brand or form. Ask your dietitian for suggestions and keep trying until you find something that works. Taking the iron in smaller doses and with meals is sometimes helpful. Some surgeons will prescribe Trinsicon, which contains folate, iron, and B12. This is only one article...They are all over the place...Most doctors and nurses do not understand our special needs as WLS people and do not understand that we do not absorb all forms of vitamins and supplements properly. Anything you do research on...make sure you get from Bariatric sites that DO understand malabsorption.  My research tells me that the majority of WLS doctors have found that Chelate-amino is the best absorbed Iron for us...and not Ferrous Sulfate (which needs stomach acid ,that we don't have enough of, to be absorbed)  Just for your info. Don't wait!  Take IRON!