Update on Ferritin level

So my ferritin seems to be coming up at a rate of 4 per month - now I'm up to a whopping 12...oh boy!  At this rate I should be in normal range in another 6-9 months and in optimal range in roughly 2 years.

Gosh...sorry for not celebrating but this is pretty darn frustrating!

I do feel a slight increase in energy.  Well, not really but at least I'm not falling asleep mid-sentence anymore LOL! 

Sigh....

Please, please, please, please do your research and take your vitamins FOREVER!!! And track and graph your lab results.  Nobody else is going to do it for you!

Cheers!
Bekah

How much iron are you taking and what type?  I recently went onto tender irons - 180mg (3 capsules per day) and my ferritin went from 48 to 88 in 1 month.  I guess I have no problem absorbing it but I also lose it real fast too.  I was at 397 and went off iron because it was so high and in 6 months it plummeted to 48. That is why I went back onto so much.

Have you tried a combination of heme and carbonyl?

What about infusions?  I Would think with levels that low, you would be a candidate for a few iron infusions.

I was taking 60 mg of Carbonyl twice a day for 2 months with NO improvement.  Then I added Proferrin once a day for the next month. I saw some improvement with that regime so I figured it was the Proferrin doing the work.  So then the next month I dropped the Carbonyl and upped the Proferrin to twice a day.  That didn't seem to make any difference - still just an increase of 4.

I want an iron infusion (not really but I want to feel better and I think that is what I need) however, since I'm not anemic (only iron deficient) my doc said it's not indicated.  I respectfully disagreed and am seeking another opinon - one from a hematologist knowledgeable with bariatrics but I'm having difficulty finding such a creature in my neck of the woods. Might have to take a trip to UC Davis or Stanford to get an infusion.  Don't know but I'm still working on it!

Are you taking 180 tid or 60 tid?

I take 180mg at bedtime. You might want to take the combination of heme and carbonyl. I have seen people take carbonyl as high as 300mg (5 capsules) along with 3 heme, I know it sounds like alot but with levels so low and so resistant, you might just need it. I dont' know if you can take them at the same time since the Tenders have vitamin C and heme doesnt' like vitamin C. You also need to break the heme in half for them to work better. I think you need to try different combinations of dosages but a combination I think is best. Ask Andrea U or vitalady about taking them together or apart but the tenders can definitely all be taken at one time.

As far as infusions go, if you try the increased iron dosing and nothing happens find another hematologist. Many years ago preop, I was iron deficient with a ferritin of 10 but I wasn't anemic. I did get iron infusions. If your iron and ferritin is low enough, it shouldnt' matter what your hemoglobin or hemacrit are. Maybe a note from your bariatric surgeon saying you can't absorb oral iron would help, that is what worked for me

I do snap the heme in half but I've been taking it with Vit C so maybe that is interferring.

I'm going to go back to adding the carbonyl and see if that helps.  Which would be great because it's way cheaper than the heme!

The combo of carbonyl and heme is working for me as rbb said. I take all the carbonyl (300mg) in the late afternoon with a little fruit or nuts, and I take 2 heme tablets snapped in half at bedtime. This combo brought my ferritin up by almost 70 points in 6 months. The previous 2 years I was just treading water on polysaccharide and carbonyl iron.

If an infusion will get you started, definitely find someone that will support your effort.

Swinging lizards for you. Keep us posted.

--gina

I'm going to add the carbonyl (+Vit C) back in at a higher dose and talk to another hematologist...

 All I know about iron levels is it keeps Ur hair !!!  Thats a VERY important fact to ME  any rate .

Ive been anemic as long as i can remember - to the point the question was brought up about childhood leukemia ..... still, I played sports etc ( only overate ..maybe i craved IRON , who knows ) 

Six months after surgery my hair started falling out ....it was scary and UGLY .

  I NEED  hair to look decent , trust me ...  so I researched and asked how to stop it constantly .  Well I was already takingthe usual hair growth suspects ( biotin , hair vitamins , silica ) since a month before surgery so it wasn't a lack of those 4 sure .... anyway  months into this loss .... someone mentioned a research study that  found that hair loss after six months post surgery is almost always linked to low iron n zinc levels !!  

That made me sit up and wonder ..because  I remember going to the OH convention in October and seeing a buncha people with seriously thinning hair - even many years post .  

There were WIG  sellers there so obviously even though we live in denial about this ..... hair loss can be a CHRONIC  issue post bariatric surgery .   Anyway , my eyes don't lie .... trust me , theres a long -term hair loss problem and it wasn't confined to me .... so this study really made me open my eyes .

I ran out and found a chewable iron and tiny zinc pills .  The iron was just elemental iron ....but  it worked anyway thank GOD .  Virtually the day i started taking it my hair loss abruptly STOPPED .  

Im not gonna tell ya my hair is back to what it was pre surgery yet ... it seems to be more fragile and somewhat thinner ( my nails too which peel ) .   It is not nearly as  chemical resistant nor strong , nor does it grow as fast .   But still - its not falling out in handfuls ..., clogging up drains , and for  that Im very grateful.....

Yes I've definitely had problems with hair loss in clumps.  I pull a big wad out of the shower every morning and I wonder why I'm not bald yet!

If you are taking added zinc just to stop hair loss, please make sure you get your zinc levels checked frequently.  I dont' take any zinc, only get zinc from my centrum silver chewables and 3 months ago my zinc level came back high.  High zinc levels aren't good, so if you are taking it and you dont' need it, make sure you dont' get toxic.

I have heard that zinc can help but only if you are deficient.  Are you getting enough protein?  Low protein levels is a huge culprit in hair loss.  What is your total protein and albumin on your last set of labs?  You want your total protein to be atleast in the low 7's and your albumin to be in the mid 4's.  Anything lower than that shows you aren't getting enough protein.  You are about 10-11 months out and by now you should be getting atleast 90 grams of protein per day.  By 1 year, you should be up to atleast 100grams per day. 

I will say people looking at me think I had alot of hair loss from my WLS but it was all preop from genetics, hormonal problems and medical problems.  I have been tested since the age of 25 and there is nothing that can be done.  Thankfully postop it didnt' get any worse but I take all my vitamins faithfully and my iron, zinc and protein levels are all very good.