Vitamins and Minerals - please make it your goal for 2012

We all trying to get back on track.  Setting up goals for weight loss, and activities.

I do believe we all need to have two major goals:
 - Making sure we get at least yearly detailed blood work tests
- Adjust the vitamins and minerals supplements to achieve optimum levels of ALL essential vitamins and minerals.

I think this is really critical and essential. If I do not get enough of vitamins and minerals - I may:
- Get really sick, or die, or cause permanent damage to my nerves, muscles, heart, brain - then it would not matter how fat or skinny I am 
- Not have energy to work out and get cravings for wrong food 
- Get weak and tired 
- Get disoriented - pass out and cause an accident during which I may injure myself and or others
- gain weight even with diet and exercise - i.e. not enough specific amino-acids and iodine may cause low thyroid functions - slowing my metabolism.

and so on... On the other hand - too much of some minerals and vitamins may be toxic.  That's why testing is so important.  What someone else takes and how much does not indicate that you will do as good - or bad as they do... Adjusting the vitamins and minerals supplementation - based on individual needs is really critical.  

Last, but not least - when you get tested - please get the copy of the lab report and look at the numbers yourself.  If you not sure what they mean - ask some of us that can help you... there are many well informed people on OH.  Do not relay on the doc when they tell you "all is normal".  Normal - may not be optimum for you.  In many cases - normal - may mean that if the numbers are like that - most likely you will not die... it doe snot tell you if you feel good.

A great example of the is B12.  A lot of labs list normal B12 as range 300-900.  Yet some study indicates that levels of B12 below 500-550 - may cause permanent damage to nerves.  Our brain is all nerves....
I know I can feel when my B12 drops below 800... I start getting tired, low energy, more depressed.   that's how I determined that I needed B12 injections weekly. (the other B12 was not doing it for me).  

Another example is iron: my iron (ferritin) was dropping yet my doc told me it is fine... until it dropped to below 10... then I needed iron infusions.  I wish I knew I was not  getting enough and my body was using the stored iron... For a year I tried very hard to supplement and with borderline iron (ferritin) I suffered all the symptoms of iron deficiencies (tired, cold, depressed, RLS, etc)... 2 month after I got the iron infusion - I felt so much better.   But I had to request them. 

Please take your vitamins and minerals.  If you not sure what and how much - ask... if we do not know - we will direct you to someone that can help you.  

 This is so true and hits home. I am very bad about this as I hate pills and those really big ones too.

Thanks for the reminder and great post.

Take care,
Kathy

vitamines and suppliments are really the key for those of us who have had surgery or lap banding. We just cannot absord enough from what we eat.

Here are a few tips I learned from my nutritionalist/doc.

Calcium citrate (like citracal) is more easily absorbed from the digenstive system. You should try to eat with calcuim also to make sure your body is absorbing it. I buy the generic CVS or Walmart brands of these.

If you choose to take the "petites", make sure you read the label. I didn't. I just assumed that when the bottle said 400mg it was 400mg.... It's 400mg for 2 caplets. I was only getting half of what I needed. I had to take 6 caplets a day to meet my needs.

You HAVE to take vitamin D with the calcium for your body to absorb the calcium.

My serum calcium level was always normal. My doc also does a parathyroid horomone level. That was up in the 160's. When I asked about it they explained that the parathyroid senses your calcuim level in  our blood is low and it increases to make the bod take the calcium out of the bones to get the blood level up.  That way it keeps the blood level norman when you are actually losing calcium. Once I got my calcium intake up where it should be, my parathyroid level has been staedily dropping....whew!   lol

Just some info I learned and thought I would pass on.. anyone else with vitamin/suppliment info or suggestions?

Supplements are crucial. I have taken a long list of them ever since my surgery in 2007 and have always had good lab results.  My one downfall is forgetting to take my Calcium w/ Vit. D which is mid-day and evening.  Harder to remember when I'm trying to go back to not drinking with my meals.  Anyone have ideas? 

I take chewable.  Do not need water to do that.   I take some pills -  and 2 serving of chewable.
or - when I am out - I take them between bites of food - with just a small sip of water.  I use capsules for that.  

I use Vitacost Calcium citrate chewable. (they provide calcium, magnesium and D3.

120 pcs - 4 per day gives me 1000 mg= 1 month supply. app $8-$9 per month.  Get them at Vitacost.com 

I do not use Celebrate or BA or any other - since they contain either SA or splenda (I am allergic to that).   
The vitacost has 500 mg magnesium for 1000 mg calcium - so it is a perfect ratio. and they taste really good to me... little gritty, but nice and sweet.

Thank you for the suggestion Hala. 

 Don't forget your vits and fluids!

Hala,
After I read your post, I called my dr.'s office to request my last two bloodwork reports.  It's so frustrating because I noticed that I don't think he's doing any of the vitamin numbers.  A few years ago, I brought in a list of the things that I need to have tested.  He is my GP, and it's been 11 years since my surgery.  How or where can I go to get everything done correctly?  Is there any updated lists that I can bring to him or my psychiatrist to write a script for?
Thanks!
Deb

Deb, some people posted that list and I copy that and made a file.
I think that list was innitially made by Andrea U or Vitalady. 
Vitalady has a complete list. - and seh has also what she consider: set a perfered results - taht she hersef is aming for.

I do not have all the test done, but some of them.  - most of them.
The list comes with codes (easy for docs to use).
Also - check Anrea U website - she has recommendation.

Recommended Lab Tests after Bariatric Surgery

The 1st Group – every 3 to 6 months for life, as we are able.nd Group – annually, as long as the first year results were comfortably within normal limits.

The 2nd group: – annually, as long as the first year results were comfortably within normal limits.

1st Group

80053 Comprehensive Metabolic profile: (sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose, BUN, creatinine, calcium, total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase) (10231)

84134 Pre‐albumin:

7600 Lipid profile: (cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, chol/HDL ratio)

10256 Hep panel: includes ALT (SPGT) & GGT)

84100 Phosphorous – Inorganic: (718)

83735 Magnesium:

84550 Uric Acid: (905)

7444 Thyroid panel: (T3U, T4, FTI, TSH) (84437; 84443; 84479; 84480)

85025 Hemogram with platelets: (1759)

7573 Iron: TIBC, % sat

83550 Ferritin: (457)

84630 Zinc: (945)

84446 Vitamin A: (921)

82306 Vitamin D: (25‐hydroxy) (680)

84052 Vitamin B‐1: (Thiamin) (4052)

84207 Vitamin B‐6: (Pyridoxine)

7065 Vitamin B‐12 & Folate: (82607; 82746)

83970 Serum intact: PTH

83937 Osteocalcin:

84597 Vitamin K:

85610 PT:

85730 PTT:

2ND GROUP

593 LDH:

31789 Homocysteine, Cardio:

83921 MMA:

367 Cortisol:

84255 Selenium:

84590 Vitamin E:



For diabetics: *496

82525 Copper:‐ HEMOGLOBIN A1C

(updated May 2010

269.2 Hypovitaminosis

268 Vitamin D deficiency

275.40 Calcium deficiency

266.2 Cyanocobalamin deficiency (B12)

281.1 other B12 deficiency anemia

281.0 Pernicious anemia

280.9 Iron

281.2 Folate deficiency anemia

285.9 Anemia, unspecified

269.3 Zinc deficiency

244.9 Hypothryoidism

250.0 Diabetes

401.9 Hypertension

276.9 Electrolyte and fluid disorders

272.0 Hypercholesterolemia

‐deficiency anemia

‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

*579.3 Surgical malabsorption*

*579.8 Intestinal malabsorption

POSSIBLE DIAGNOSIS CODES