Question:
My iron levels are fine per labs done, bruising a lot, though

My iron levels are fine as of my lab work - last labs done 2 months ago. I still bruise very easily, though. Anemia runs in my family, and my pcp says I'm still anemic. What else can I do to stop the bruising? I still experience a lack of energy, too. My sleep study came back with no more instances of sleep apnea (yay!), so I'm assuming the lack of energy, tiredness, etc., is due to anemia. What do you all think? I'm 16 months out, 135 pounds down and still slowly losing. Krista O open RNY 3/20/03 326/190/175    — vittycat (posted on July 29, 2004)


July 29, 2004
Hi Krista, Congrats on the weight loss. I had my surgery a month after you did. A few years ago I had problems with bruising and my labs were good. The Dr determined that adding additional Vitamin C to my diet would help, and it did. If your labs are fine and your iron is fine, I wouldn't add iron. Too much iron can do you as much harm as too little. My best wishes, Maggie B. 4/03 183/173 at goal
   — M B.

July 29, 2004
Vitamin C Deficiency can cause bruising. Ask your doctor if this could apply to you. Many other things can cause bruising, but need to be explored with your doc.
   — Cathy S.

July 29, 2004
Try Estra C 500mg twice a day. this should help with your brusing and its better absorbed by the body. All the Best! Tracey
   — traceybubbles

July 29, 2004
If your iron levels are good, then your anemia might be pernicious (sp) and due to lack of B-12 (there are different types of anemia - lack of iron for one, lack of b-12 for another). Do you supplement with B-12? Its supposed to help with energy, etc. Also, back to the iron, just because your levels are still fine, doesn't mean they didn't drop. You have to compare last labs with current labs and maybe even compare first set of labs taken before surgery to your current lab levels. Just something else to think about.
   — Ali M

July 29, 2004
Platelet and vit K (found in green leafy veggies)deficiency can cause bruising. Also, fyi most clotting factors are found in the liver so liver damage(hopefully not the case) can casue a shortage of these factors in the blood. Ask your MD for further advice. Good luck~~~
   — jenn a

July 29, 2004
Do you know what the iron level was? I know when I started having Anemic symptoms my iron level was within the normal range, but at the very bottom of it, I was a "low normal" and was starting to have symptoms, and so my surgeon put me on iron supplements. You might be the same way, Normal but at the low end of normal, and for you it's too low, talk to your surgeon/doctor and see what your numbers are and if they want you to supplement your iron.
   — Patricia T.

July 29, 2004
Krista...just a couple of details I have picked up by working in the hospital for 30 years. If you have a low platelet count, bruising occurs extremely easily. Steroid usage, such as prednisone, cortisone, etc. can also cause bruising. These steroid drugs are those that are used with allegry control such as for asthma, chronic lung disease, anti-rejection drugs for transplant patients or people who have an immune deficiency. Ask your doctor to explain the entire blood workup to you. Ask if he's doing a CBC (which is a complete blood count) or a CCP (a complete chemical profile). The CBC doesn't have to be done fasting, but the CCP does have to be fasting and is a test that has about 20 or so tests included in the one sample so it is a more extensive test. Your testing, no matter what the test...whether it be x-rays, labs, other testing...needs to be explained completely in lay person terms so that you can understand it. It's your physician's responsibility to tell you everything and your right to know. Do not be afraid to ask them to explain everything in detail and most importantly, ALWAYS followup with your physician after any kind of testing. Don't assume they will call you if anything is wrong. I know most of the time they will, but sometimes there are things that fall thru the cracks (such as test results being filed before the doctor has seen them) because of the amount of patients a physician sees each day. I have always told my patients (I'm an x-ray/ultrasound technologist) the approximate amount of time it takes for a result to be received by the physician's office. I tell them if they haven't heard anything from the physician within 3-4 days (unless they have an appointment to follow up within a week or so) to call their physician and ask for their results. If they tell you they don't have the results, tell them to call the hospital and to call you back. Every hospital can give the results to the physician's office over the phone and the office can call you back and let you know. Hope this helps...Good luck and God bless.
   — Katherine F.

July 30, 2004
Krista - have they checked your ferritin levels? That is a very important part of knowing if you are anemic or not (iron deficiency) because ferritin is your iron stores that your iron numbers draw from. Also, the homocysteine test with elevated results can be a leading indicator that your B12 levels are dropping. You should also have your Vitamin K level checked as it can be part of the bruising issue. I have a list of suggested lab tests on my web site at acdlady.com/WLS_Labtests that was put together by WLS people who have learned the hard way. Sandra
   — Arizona_Sun

August 1, 2004
I just talked to my surgeon about this problem. I would get random bruises in the weirdest places. And then they would not go away or fade for at least 2 weeks. He said it was a Vitamin K problem.
   — [Deactivated Member]




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