xp Serum protein lab update

Allright, last year a year out, my labs for protein were 1 point below normal. 

I tested on Friday and supplementing with 3 shakes a day so, minimum of at least 65 of bioavailable grams of protein - I am 0.8 above low normal, 6 being low normal, my labs being 6.8.

So!  We have that.  In the normal range is good, in the 7s would be better, so yeehaa.  One more protein shake, here I come.  I will have my yearly done in May and see what's the what then with the additional shake, or 3ish egg whites to each of the 3 shakes I already have.  I will have to do a cost ratio analysis kind of thing to see which option is most cost effective.

The CMP drawn did not have prealbumin values, although my albumin was higher on this set of labs than on my 1 year labs.  I will have them draw prealbumin on my 2 year labs and will start tracking that too.

Thanks for help and thoughts on things, my friends!

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Yesterday on the mb someone was saying they were a DS person and had dumping AND reactive hypoglycemia.  I mentioned my protein absorption issues.

Then dude says to me Post Date: 3/9/11 11:25 am
The one thing Common between the RNY, DS and sleeve is that the portion of the stomach that was responsible for churning food to help it break down is no longer in use and in the case of the DS and sleeve is removed.

I will qualify this with AS EXPLAINED TO ME by 2 Bariatiric nurses, one who has experience with all 4 types of surgery.

The belief is that in RNY you must chew chew and chew your food to prevent it from blocking your stoma, which is partially true. The other reason is that, how you swallow your food is how it will enter your intestines.  If your stomach no longer churns food to break it down further then the same would hold true in the DS and sleeve larger pieces of food may not absorb as well. Paul C.


http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4353648/Revision-to-D S-approved-No-need-for-EBAY-now-Thread/

Which of course first I think - wtf ?  I know for sure I am not the only person who does not chew 8766311 times before they swallow, and were the above true - why would not I have dumped ?

And then the next thing I think is  IF I HAVE BEEN PAYING ALL THIS FREAKING MONEY AND SPENDING CALORIES ON FREAKING SHAKES AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS FREAKING CHEW, I AM GOING TO STROKE OUT !

SOOOOO....

My question for resident smarties and/or better googlers than I, how fast does/will the labs change for protein?  I was going to have my labs done and then drop the shakes, and X months later, have them redone and check.

But I do not cotton to my hair falling out (which it does dramatically when I do not have the 3 shakes a day) or my heart getting used for protein by my body, dontcha know. 

Anyone?  Bueeelllerr? Thankee kindlee!

I don't know anything about labs and whatnot, but what about digestive enzymes?  Would they not help the body absorb more??  Again, just throwing that out...

Laura

They might.  I had been using the papaya enzymes for the first bit but I will poke around and see. 

Thanks for the ideas honeypie!

Yes, but protease(spelling?) is the specific enzyme for digestion of protein.

Yea, you find that most proteolytic enzymes have papain and bromelin enzymes as part of their mixture, which are papaya and pineapple.

Another thing though, I started taking Serrapeptase to help with the pain in my hands and arms from transcribing oh... last June. Serapeptase is also in the proteolytic enzyme blends (because they come in blends, not just protease alone) so..

In wonder if that will have helped me in the meantime with the whole protein breaking down?  It ate up a varicose vein that I had on my calf!  AND helps the pain in my hands, wrists, and arms from overuse! 

Well maybe they are working for you to some degree.  I am considering taking them because I have extreme bloating and constipation.  I've tried eliminating shakes and milk products to no avail.  Plus I have reflux now since my sleeve.  And I would love to get off the ******g Prevacid.  I worry about long term bone density issues taking that **** ya know.  Maybe starting some good digestive enzymes may be my answer to the gut issues.  I already take Primal Defense probiotics and they only help a tiny bit.

Well, baby, I hope you find your answers to your protein issues.  Please keep us informed if you do...

Laura

ahemmm.. know what? 

Bloating, feeling full a lot, constipation, those are all signs of low gastric acid!  Which, of course, since you take the PPIs, is not out of the question!  Geezlouise, is there no balance we can find?

But if you stop taking the Prevacid will you be starvin marvin? 

Take care of you and your baby tum!  I will update this if I find out any good answers to my questions!

If I stop the Prevacid I get horrible gerd...just awful.  I've tried to get off it but the consequences are not worth it.  And my dad has Barrett's Esophagus from years of gerd..totally sucks.  These gut issues are the only issues I've had post op.  I have no food intolerances, don't throw up or get foamies.  Maybe DE's would help.  They certainly couldn't hurt.

 Stoopid question   but whatcha got against the shakes  .. jes  sayin?  

 Cuz even I  the notoriously hardheaded one   got teachable  with  yummy protein  chai tea and coffee  a la Gina  (  banana isopure  makes it SOO  yummy  , carb  free ,  protein rich  and  practically fatfree - and  90 calories a scoop and  a giant   mugful ) ( you could even  do half that amount of shake and it would still taste good  and  U can drink it all day that way -  sometimes i DO  ) 

Most OTHER shakes blew me up  like a balloon  though from  so called 2 gram  fat content .....

I would say hair loss  is a STRONG indicator that Ur body likes  protein in whey form ...   I also  started regrowing copious  amounts  of  thick  hair  when I started  drinking the daily chai tea  - I think its a building block .    My nails  stopped peeling too ..  

Yep  I too think  the prospect  of heart  muscle  wasting is  REALLY REALLY  scary but not very likely to happen to us  because our calories arent super low  like anorexics .... but still.  I like having HAIR .  ( BTW  Iron and zinc supplements really help with that too )  

The shakes keep me full and satisfied .. I start my day with  my chai tea  like clockwork and unlike coffee  it speeds my metabolism and really takes off  that last ten lbs (  if defined is what  Ure after  just switch from coffee to tea and lose  ten to 15 lbs  effortlessly over a year ) .  

I basically  have one shake  in the  morning   and  a half or maybe an entire one on the afternoon .. thats it .  Thats only  250  - 300 VERY  FILLING all protein  calories .

My personal bugbear is not being able to find the banana isopure in  like five  health food stores -  then i  go CRAZY  ...  lol.  The poor  employees  !       I don't  know WHY they dont make the banana  one of their standard flavors  because its ALWAYS  sold out  grrrr...

I do not have anything against them, except, I would much rather eat my food than drink it, honestly!  And if I could use that extra 45 bucks a month for something other than protein shakes, that might be nice too! 

See where you find shakes satisfying I do not.  Shakes do NOT keep me satisfied. They do not fill me up. I drink a shake about an hour and a half before I eat, because when I have them alone that's the amount of time I can pu**** before afterwards I am just starving and nauseous. 

I have protein coffee in the mornings and a shake in the afternoon and then a warm protein thing at night.

I use the Optimum Nutrition Cake Batter Whey.  I cannot find it locally and so I get it from netrition.com.

I think my body likes the whey protein because it just can actually ABSORB it.  It used to like regular ol protein, but now, for whatever reason, it just cannot/does not/will not absorb it all.  Two months before surgery I was smack dab in the middle of normal for protein levels, and then a year out from surgery I was one point below.

I also get concerns for muscle wasting, eating because I do LIKE my muscles, I do not have the cashdolla for PS and so I need to give my size 22 skin something nice to drape over! 

I do not know what you mean by if defined is what I am after.  I do not need to lose any more weight, I have enough bottom wrinkles as it is, and that is not going to get better by losing more fat.  :{  I do not want to be any smaller, I like this here size, any smaller than this and I have to special order my pants, which is not the worst problem to have, but you know if I have a choice, and I *do* I choose not that.