My 6 month labs are in..

Got my six month labs this week. The bad news is that my cholesterol is creeping back up and i will probably need statins again.  My family has genetically high cholesterol so I was really expecting this.  My blood sugar was good, but my A1C wasn't great.  My D3 sucked!
What do you think?
Vit D 15.8
TIBC 361
Iron 57
Ferritin 25
Folate 17.3
Zinc 120
Vit B12 606
Potassium 4.0
Calcium 9.8
AST 31
ALT 38

Any suggestions?  I've already increased my Vit D to 3000 a day.  I see my PCP in May and can get more tests if needed.
Janet 

I am no expert but you are going to need a lot more the 3000 of D to get your number up. My D was barely detectable and I had to take vitalady's D3 50 daily to start to see a change. I have finally got it up to 72 but it took a long time. I would buy vitalady's D3 50s and start with one a day for a while until your next draw and see where you are at. You could also email vitalady and ask her advice or I am sure Gina will be along soon and she'll know what to do.
Also, you ferritin seems kind of low. My ferritin was 7 and I needed an iron infusion. I am sure yours is within normal limits but at the bottom. You might ask vitalady or Gina what you should do about it.
Also your B12 is lower then I have heard it should be. I was told that it should be over 1000, even though the lab range says it is normal. Are you getting shots or sublinguals? You may want to increase it a bit.

Thanks for the input.  I will order the D3 today.  Does taking more iron automatically increaase ferretiin levels?  I am taking the B12 shots now-I give them to myself.  I was doing them 1x a month but I think I will switch to every 3 weeks and then have PCP check in May to see if it goes up.
Janet

It appears that you may not be taking enough supplements. Your ferritin is low. I needed iron infusions at a level of 11. 25 is very low. I have been taking 10,000 units of D3 since last summer and my 6 month level was 89.

As far as the cholesterol, my lipid panel was also worse than pre-op, so if the repeat turns out to be bad, I will probably end up on a statin.

I'm sure Gina and others will have even more suggestions.

Thanks,

How do I get the ferritin up?  Sorry about your cholesterol.  I hate the statins because I always get muscle aches when I take them.  Still, if I need to, I will
Janet

3000 a day is no where near enough D3.  We need our D above 80.  I would go to vitalady.com and order the 50,000 IU D3 capsules and take one a day for a couple months, then test again.

How  much iron do you take?  I'd increase it a bit.  You're kinda low.  

I'd increase B12 a little too.  Yours isn't bad but it gets bad if it drops below 550 and it can drop fast.

Other tests to get in May would be B1, vitamin A, copper and PTH.

Thanks Kelly,
I knew you guys would have the answers I needed.
I've been taking generic slow release iron, 45mg a day. The label says fro 143 Ferrous Sulfate.
I bought Vitalady's Tender IRon Capsules which have 60mg of iron but I haven't started taking them yet.
I'm  going to order the D3 capsules today.  I take the B12 shots 1x a month but I am increasing it to every 3 weeks.  Hopefully that will make a difference.
I had my B 1 tested (forgot to put it in message) an it was 11.8

My surgeon didn't test for Vit A, copper or PTH.  What are the significance of those?
Thanks
Janet

Ferrous sulfate might not be doing you any good. I'd go ahead and switch to the Tender capsules. FE Sulfate is iron salts and very constipating for most folks.

--g

Go look on the RNY board, I just posted something today about vitamin A..  But basically, it's something we can be deficient in and deficiency can really, really damage your eyesight among other things.

Copper is another deficiency that's not real common but not that uncommon, either.  It can cause nerve damage, among other things.

As far as PTH, See, if the calcium level in our blood drops too low, our muscles cannot contract.  The heart is a muscle and if it cannot contract, as in beat, we drop dead.  So if we don't take in enough calcium or don't absorb the calcium we take in for some reason (like if our vitamin D level is too low), our bodies produce extra parathyroid hormone, which sucks calcium out of our bones to keep that level in our blood good.  As long as you have bones and teeth to suck calcium out of, that calcium level in your blood will likely be OK. 

If it drops low, it may mean you have problems with your endocrine system or other potentially serious health problems, but it doesn't mean you aren't getting enough calcium.

For lab results that tell you about calcium, what you want to know is your D level and PTH.  If the D is below 80, that means you won't absorb calcium well, no matter how much you take. Doesn't mean you won't absorb any, you will.  But maybe not enough and you will be at increased risk for osteoporosis as well as other unpleasant things.

If the PTH is on the high side (even in the normal range, just on the high side), it suggests you are indeed leaching calcium out of your bones.

The tender iron is the right stuff and you're on track with the D and B12, too.

  I don't think RnYers can absorb slow release supplements and meds.